By Christopher Snowdon , Head of Lifestyle Economics, Institute of Economic Affairs
Legislating for tobacco-style plain packages for confectionery is a disproportionate response to the obesity crisis and strips companies of valuable trademarks, writes the Institute of Economic Affairs' head of lifestyle economics.
French politicians have dropped the proposed palm oil tax, leading some politicians to say the country is being blackmailed by producer countries. "We are legislating with a knife at our throats," said one.
The U.S. National Confectioners Association (NCA) is worried retaliatory taxes in Mexico and Canada from country-of origin labeling could see American-made chocolate disappear from its main export markets.
Russia has placed new trade sanctions on the import of Ukrainian chocolate and other consumer goods in retaliation for a Ukrainian emergency import tax on cars.
The palm oil labelling bill in Australia is entering its next phase, with the House of Representatives set to vote on whether it becomes law – and the current government saying it intends to oppose it.
The USDA has set sugar import quotas at the minimum level required under World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements, despite pleas from industry to increase quotas in an effort to pull down prices.
The United States has extended an antidumping duty order on saccharin from China, after a review concluded that cheaper imports of the sweetener would damage the domestic market.
Food industry voices are joining those of politicians in the GM debate, hailing the controversial technology as the answer to the food supply crisis. But the hearts and minds of consumers must still be won.
The suspended WTO farm talks featured in the organisation's
agriculture committee's meeting yesterday, with members' failure to
supply up-to-date information a source of frustration.
Ingredients giant Tate & Lyle is considering the sale of its
Food & Industrial Ingredients, Europe (TALFIIE) division, in a
move designed to sharpen its focus on value added ingredients, the
firm announced yesterday.
Ingredients giant Tate and Lyle could be set to cease its sugar
processing operations in Central Europe, as producers look to lower
quotas in light of new EU sugar reforms.
Tate & Lyle has formed a joint enterprise to build and operate
a sugar plant in Israel, a move that will partially replace
traditional sugar imports from the European Union.
The short sighted failure of greedy WTO trading partners to achieve
any sort of meaningful agreement on global agricultural tariffs is
bad for Europe's food industry.
Weak and stagnating prices for food, agricultural raw materials and
manufactured goods in 2005 could mean further bad news for
exporters this year, according to a World Trade Organisation
report.
Europe's food industry will significantly benefit from a
satisfactory WTO agreement, but for this to happen the EU must
maintain its multilateral approach and issues such as export
support must be addressed.
President Bush reiterated the importance of using current WTO talks
to expand foreign food export opportunities during the swearing in
ceremony of US trade representative Robert Portman this week,
writes Anthony Fletcher.
Europe comes closer to rubber stamping harmonised controls for
controlling mycotoxins in the food chain and the Scottish food
agency offers stakeholders a snapshot of recent talks.
The EU has asked the Ivory Coast, to abolish a law that requires
all cocoa beans to be exported in jute bags. This would mean cocoa
could only be exported in 60 kg or 65 kg bags rather than in bulk.
The goal of genuine global free trade in sugar is only possible
through the World Trade Organisation (WTO), said a US sugar
industry expert before a Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee
yesterday.
