The European Parliament has called on member states to take urgent policies and strategic measures to halve food waste in the European Union (EU) by 2025.The call coincides with the release of figures from the European Commission, indicating  that up to 50 per cent of food is wasted in the European Union each year. According to the European Commission, 79 million EU citizens currently live below the poverty line, with 16 million depending on food benefits and aids from charitable institutions. MEPs... ...Read more »

The E. coli outbreaks in Germany and France could have come from seeds sourced in Egypt, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has said.The ECDC said that fenugreek seeds imported from Egypt in 2009 and/or 2010 have been implicated in both outbreaks. However, it added on Wednesday (29 June) that there is “still much uncertainty about whether this truly is the common cause of all the infections as there are currently no positive bacteriological results”. The ECDC said... ...Read more »

Health officials are investigating a fresh outbreak of E. coli in France, with a possible link to UK seed firm Thompson and Morgan. The UK firm has suspended internet sales of its rocket and mustard vegetable sprouts after ten people were affected by E. coli in Bordeaux. The recent E. coli outbreak in Germany, one of the largest the world has seen, killed dozens and sickened thousands. The outbreak was attributed to contaminated beansprouts. This latest outbreak is currently being investigated by... ...Read more »

The number of people killed by the E. coli outbreak in Germany has risen to 35 – although officials have claimed that the number of new cases of illness is showing signs of falling. The Robert Koch Institute said today yesterday that 35 people had died from either the EHEC O104:H4 E. coli strain or the HUS syndrome that, in some cases, has led from the contamination. A further 3,228 have fallen ill from the outbreak, which the Institute believes is linked to contaminated bean sprouts from a... ...Read more »

Scientists have said that the E.coli serotype that has caused a series of deaths and thousands of illnesses across Europe is a new “super-toxic” E.coli strain resistant to antibiotic treatment.The Beijing Genomics Institute said last week that the O104 E.coli strain has not been involved in any previous E.coli outbreaks and that it has several antibiotic resistance genes, making antibiotic treatment difficult. Meanwhile, a study by the Institute of Hygiene at the University Hospital Munster... ...Read more »

The deadly European E.Coli outbreak began in Hamburg and has spread its way across Europe. With news on this serious issue moving quickly, here’s a timeline of what’s happened so far. 26 May 2011 – GERMANY: E.coli linked to Spanish cucumbers The European Commission notifies its member states that organic cucumbers from two locations in Spain are the source of the E.Coli outbreak affecting Germany and four other EU countries. The Commission says the outbreak is responsible for two... ...Read more »

Germany’s national disease centre confirmed yesterday that it does not know the source of a E.coli outbreak that has lead to a number of deaths across Europe.It was initially thought that the contamination came from cucumbers that had been imported from Spain. Until yesterday, the European Commission suspected that the outbreak was due to fresh cucumbers that had come from Almeria and Malaga. There has also been a third suspect batch originating in either the Netherlands or Denmark that were... ...Read more »

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 »

Bee mortality is rising while the number of beekeepers in Europe is declining, all of which could have a serious impact on food production since most plants and crops are pollinated by bees. The European Parliament has issued a call for the EU to step up support to the beekeeping industry when the common agricultural policy is next revamped. With 76% of food production and 84% of plant species dependent on pollination by bees, Parliament’s resolution adopted on Thursday asks the Commission... ...Read more »

SABMiller on Friday published research into beer drinking culture around Europe. The findings include:- Britain is the biggest round-buying nation, with 82% of people saying that they buy beer in rounds – three times more than in Germany, where drinkers prefer to pay for their own drinks individually - British bosses are amongst the most sociable in Europe – and the most generous, whereas French bosses are the least likely to ever go out for a beer with their teams - British women are... ...Read more »