An overwhelming majority of EU citizens want the fish they buy to come from sources that are sustainable and not overfished, according to an independent poll commissioned by WWF and carried out in 14 EU countries. With 88% of respondents believing it is important that fish products on sale within the European Union come from non-overfished stocks, WWF believes a clear signal is being given to the European Union that ambitious reform of the failing Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is urgently needed.... ...Read more »

The EU is pushing ahead with changes to sugar quotas in order to combat current high sugar prices and short supplies. The EU’s agriculture management committee has backed opening duty free import quotas of 300,000 tonnes of sugar and 400,000 tonnes of industrial sugar. Also, it approved the release into EU markets of 500,000 tonnes of EU-produced sugar and 26,000 tonnes of isoglucose currently in storage. Meanwhile, member states also backed setting export quotas to allow EU sugar producers... ...Read more »

Europe’s food safety watchdog has revised its Acceptable Daily Intakes (ADIs) for a group of caramel colours used in food production.The European Food Safety Authority’s panel on food additives and nutrient sources said that it has set a group ADI covering all caramel colours of 300 mg per kg of body weight per day, with the acception of caramel E150c, which will have a more restrictive ADI of 100 mg/kg bw/day. In a statement released this afternoon (8 March), the panel concluded that... ...Read more »

A senior EU judge has said all food sold in the EU contaminated with even the slightest trace of genetically modified material must have a special regulatory approval. In a formal opinion on a case involving honey contaminated with pollen from Monsanto’s EU-approved MON 810 maize, ECJ advocate general Yves Bot has said “the unintentional presence…even of a minute quantity of pollen…means that such honey must be the subject of an authorisation”. This means that contaminated food... ...Read more »

Concerns that the German dioxin crisis could force European pigmeat producers into losses have pushed the EU into offering emergency storage subsidies. Handouts will vary by products being stored and the European Commission is offering storage options of 90, 120 or 150 days. A Brussels report said pigmeat prices fell 2.4% across the EU (7.2% in Germany) immediately after the dioxin crisis in Saxony, and the Commission fears “a further price decline”. German pig farmer group Interessengemeinschaft... ...Read more »

UK food manufacturers have been warned that new EU legislation changes could have a major impact on egg availability in 2012.  The EU Welfare of Laying Hens Directive takes effect on 1 January next year and will require egg producers using caged hens to use larger cages, rather than traditional battery farm conditions. British Lion Egg Processors (BLEP) on Friday (14 January) outlined concerns that many EU countries, including Greece, Italy, Portugal, Poland and Spain, will not be compliant by... ...Read more »

The EU has issued data it claims will play down fears that the abolition of milk production quotas in 2015 could flood markets with cheap milk and drive some producers to the wall.In a food commodity forecast to 2020 released yesterday, (13 January), the Commission concludes said the end of quotas was projected to have a “limited impact on milk deliveries at the aggregate EU level”. It said milk production should actually remain below the last 2015 quota cap, with production falls caused... ...Read more »

UK organic food makers have launched a marketing campaign they hope will improve consumer understanding of the sector and boost sales.The three-year “Why I Love Organic” campaign, launched by sector body The Organic Trade Board (OTB), costs GBP2m (US$3.1m). Half the investment has been put up by the organic industry with the rest coming from the EU. The campaign, which aims to “democratise” the organic sector by getting consumers to talk about why they buy organic products,... ...Read more »

Any attempt to evade the EU ban on battery cages for laying hens due to take effect in January 2012 must be resisted, says a European Parliament resolution approved on Thursday. Animal welfare must be safeguarded and unfair competition prevented from producers who continue unlawfully to use these methods. MEPs want the Commission to take “urgent action” towards Member States to ensure that egg producers comply with the ban. National action plans with “dissuasive sanctions”... ...Read more »

Food manufacturers in the EU may have to note the origin of certain ingredients on labelling, under a new proposed EU food marketing standards system.The European Commission on Friday (10 December) tabled a regulation enabling it, following consultation, to order such ingredient labelling – a memorandum said the dairy sector would be assessed first. If EU ministers and the European Parliament approve these powers, Brussels could force manufacturers to declare the geographical origin of the... ...Read more »