The European Food Safety Authority last week delivered the fifth batch of article 13, general function health claim opinions bringing the total issued to 2723. There are just 35 to go – to be published next month in a final mini-batch that will conclude...
A health claim for sugar-free chewing gum sweetened with xylitol and defence against pathogens in the middle ear and another claim for gum and dental health were rejected by EU risk assessor in its fifth batch of general function claims, released last...
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has confirmed it has access to 112 studies about aspartame, most of which were conducted in the 1980s, which had been feared lost.
November 2011 should see steviol glycosides get regulatory backing for use in food in drink products in the European market, according to a European Commission (EC) representative.
Consumer advocates Foodwatch say a chocolate product from Ferrero has the ‘most misleading advertising’ by any food manufacturer this year; the chocolate maker has rejected the claim.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has published new research showing that most participants with 'life threatening' nut allergies believed that products without allergen advice boxes posed no danger.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has rejected a claim by supermodel Naomi Campbell that a Cadbury advert comparing her to a chocolate bar was racially offensive.
The European Commission has defended its decision to release thousands of tonnes of sugar on to the market after accusations that the move would have a detrimental impact on the yeast industry.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has denied a suggestion by two MEPs that it may have lost data relating to a previous safety evaluation of the high intensity sweetener aspartame (E951) and that it failed to examine it properly in the first place.
Confectionery manufacturers in Germany are faced with sugar supply gaps and dramatic price rises despite EU regulatory intervention on the crucial food ingredient, argues the German chocolate and confectionery industry association.
Hershey’s has dropped a trademark infringement case against Mars, in which it had accused the rival candy maker of using packaging for Dove peanut butter Promises similar to that of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
European Commission measures to open a further 200,000 tonne import quota for raw or refined sugar at zero import duty and the possibility for further imports at reduced import duty via a tendering system have been backed by member states.
Food and drink manufacturers are ‘shooting themselves in the foot’ by continually advertising products with ‘no artificial’ labels, says Hans Heezen, chairman of the International Sweetener Association.
A host of major food companies will be among those eagerly watching developments after antitrust officials from the European Commission raided a number of container liner shipping firms over suspicions that competition rules had been breached.
The United States lists sodium on nutrition labels while salt is more common in the European Union. Salt and sodium are not the same, and a standardized term would only cause confusion.
French supplier Roquette says recent positive health claim opinions from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) linking sugar replacers with dental health, are applicable to soluble fibres.
Country of Origin Labelling (COOL) discussions exposed ignorance among Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) about the food manufacturing and supply chain, said Nick Stuart, Biscuit, Cake, Chocolate and Confectionery (BCCC) sector group chairman.
Industry has time, and must be given the chance, to find solutions to safety concerns posed by the leaching of toxic mineral oils from recycled board and paper packaging into foods, said Pira International.
Nestlé UK is recalling some of its Milkybar Buttons due to a possible rubber contamination risk, but the company said the action is just a precautionary measure.
‘I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter!’ When it comes to transparency you can’t get much clearer than Unilever’s famous exclamation-turned-margarine-brand. But new labelling rules to prevent one food masquerading as another should distinguish between intent...
The positive EFSA opinions for gum claims under Article 13.1 will compel the sector to further innovate along functional lines, says an expert who argues that gum is the confectionery category 'most likely' to get such regulatory backing.
A pioneering new multi-screening allergen method is more effective, accurate, quicker and cheaper than existing methods used in the food industry, said Eurofins.
Consumers are less likely to check labels of biscuit, cake, chocolate and confectionery compared to other food categories, according to Harris Interactive, due to the perception that they are indulgence opportunities.
Positive opinions issued by EFSA for sugar-free chewing gum and the claim that it helps to strengthen teeth and neutralise plaque acid will, no doubt, leave R&D teams in the leading gum brand owners smiling.
Sugar policy reform is back on the US legislative agenda, as two new bills that aim to end the sugar price support program have attracted broad food industry support.
French authorities have backed the safety of aspartame after scrutinising two recent studies that linked the intense sweetener with increased rates of cancer and pre-term births.
Austrian confectionery firm Hauswirth is said to be appealing a ruling of a Vienna court this week that it refrain from selling its chocolate bunny figurines as they infringe Swiss confectioner Lindt’s trademark.
All is not well down on the novel foods farm. If food innovation in Europe is to thrive anew, MEPs and the Council need to get past the recriminations over the failed talks and remove the troublesome question of cloned foods from the negotiating table.
Findings by the US authorities indicating elevated levels of lead in a chewing gum product has led to a recall of the gum by US confectionery firm Candy Dynamics.
The increasing number of SALSA approved businesses over the past 24 months and greater retailer recognition are indicators of both the scheme's growth potential and its suitability for the SME sector, claims one of the trade groups behind the scheme.
Last ditch efforts to salvage the novel foods regulation were derailed yesterday after the European Parliament and Council failed to reach agreement over the issue of cloned animals – with each side blaming the other for the impasse.
Food audits are a day-to-day reality in the modern food processing industry, as consumer and regulatory expectations become ever-more demanding. But what is it like for the people who spend their lives inspecting plants?
The food safety management scheme FSSC 22000 is set for explosive growth over the next three years as increasing numbers of major food processors and retailers switch to using the system, said the organisation’s chief Fons Schmid.
The number of food factories certified to the BRC Global Standard for Food Safety is up more than 20 per cent on last year to 13,923 but doubts remain over the quality of the audits.
EU food industry representatives have termed ‘premature’ the proposal by the European Commission (EC) to allow 650,000 tonnes of out of quota sugar exports from October.
Recent seizures of jelly mini-cups in the UK has prompted the food safety regulator to issue a warning reminding local authorities of the ban on their sale and the importance of import controls.
The German cartel office’s fine of €38m imposed on Kraft Foods, Unilever and Dr Oetker for illegal disclosure of ‘competition relevant information’ may act as a deterrent to other brand owners and help end such practices, claims an antitrust expert.
A member of the House of Commons select committee that questioned Kraft executives on the Cadbury takeover this morning has told FoodManufacture.co.uk that he is concerned by the company's failure to commit to safeguarding UK jobs beyond 2012.
Executives at US food group Kraft have been recalled by the UK parliament’s Business, Innovation and Skills Committee to give evidence again in relation to certain aspects of the controversial takeover of Cadbury last year.
Kraft Foods is facing another potential grilling about its takeover of Cadbury in early 2010 with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) examining its actions in relation to India under the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).
The food industry has a responsibility to label allergenic ingredients as big and bold as they can – but also not to over-egg the slimmest of slim possibilities that a trace amount of an allergen may have slipped into a product.
Risks to consumers and young children in particular from consumption of hard sugar ball confectionery are minimal but should be eliminated completely, claims Germany’s federal risk assessor.
A federal appeals court in San Francisco has overturned a previous ruling to destroy genetically modified (GM) sugar beets, ruling in favor of Monsanto and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
A European Commission initiative to release 500,000 tonnes of out of quota sugar onto the EU market has been backed by member states in the EU sugar management committee today.
Sugar supplier to the bakery and confectionery industry, Ragus, said it expects further commodity price hikes and contests whether proposed EC intervention on import duty tariff reductions would have the desired effect on the deficit in the EU market.
A new international study has shed light on food allergy sufferers' preferred formats for receiving information on allergens in food products, and indicated that novel intelligent communication technologies, such as hand-held scanners, are not suitable...
The food and drink sugar users lobby has warned the European Commission that any further delays in intervention to remedy the sugar deficit in the market could result in even greater supply repercussions this autumn.
The European Commission, in a policy about face, said it may open the import quota or allow the sale of out-of-quota sugar into the bloc - a move that would bring relief for bakers and other food makers set to negotiate new sugar contracts.
