Food and Nutrition

A meeting of the EU Platform for action on Diet, Physical activity and Health took place on 6th of October 2011. Participants exchanged on the issues of education and communication, notably on the establishment of a framework to communicate on the Platform achievements. Further information about the Platform meeting are available below. On Thursday 6th of October 2011, members of the EU Platform for action on Diet, Physical Activity and Health met and discussed the issues of education and (...)

In July 2011, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published the last series of evaluated health claims, ending a piece of work begun in 2008. Out of the 2758 claims evaluated, approximately four in five were rejected. It is now time for the European Institutions to officially adopt a list of permitted claims. On a daily basis, consumers are exposed to food products with vibrant slogans and claims promising to deliver everything from stronger bones, reduced cholesterol levels, to (...)

The European Food Safety Authority has been asked by the European Commission to re-evaluate the safety of aspartame. Initially foreseen to take place in 2012, the re-evaluation will finally take place from September 2011. As mentioned in the EPHA article "Is aspartame safe ? The European Food Safety Authority to conduct a full risk assessment" EFSA will e-evaluate the safety of the artificial sweetener, aspartame. Initially foreseen for 2012, the evaluation will finally be conducted (...)

In June 2011, the European Commission adopted a draft regulation on specialised foods, i.e food intended for infants, young children and for special medical purposes. If and when adopted, the proposal will establish a framework for the composition and the labelling of such foods. The proposal is now being examined by the European Parliament and the Council. The European Commission adopted, on 20 June 2011, a proposal for a Regulation on food intended for infants and young children and on (...)

The European Commission has requested a new opinion from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on the safety of the artificial sweetener, aspartame. This was further demanded by some Members of the European Parliament. In May 2011, EFSA has been asked by the Commission to re-evaluate fully the safety of aspartame. The evaluation is expected for 2012. EFSA has accepted the mandate for the aspartame re-evaluation which asks for a public call for new data and literature review. (...)

MEPs within the European Parliament wants to challenge a decision from EFSA to authorise a health claim on baby milk. The claim was authorised by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in December 2010. Some MEPs in the European Parliament as well as health NGOs believe that there is not enough scientific evidence to support the claim. Glenis Willmott MEP (S&D, UK) is currently working on a European Parliament resolution that could stop this potentially misleading claim. The EU (...)

The High Level Conference on Monitoring and Evaluation of EU and Member States’ strategies on nutrition, overweight and obesity related health strategies took place in Brussels on 8 and 9 December 2010. EPHA’s report of this key event is available below. Day 1 After the opening of the conference by Jean Marc Delizée, Belgian Secretary of State for Social Affairs, DG SANCO Director General Paola Testori-Coggi made the first presentation of the two day conference. She began by (...)

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) surveyed consumers across Europe to know more about their perception of food-related risks and their confidence in public authorities dealing with such problems. Do EU citizens have less confidence in national or EU authorities’ power to protect them since the last survey in 2005? Are EU citizens afraid of what they eat? Please find below the results of the Eurobarometer survey published in November 2010. Since the last study on (...)

The European Commission has launched a call for applications in order to select members for the group of experts for technical advice on the European Union School Fruit Scheme. The scheme started during the 2009-2010 school year, following the November 2008 Agriculture Council of Ministers’ agreement on a Commission proposal for European-wide provision of fruit and vegetables to school children. In November 2008, the EU27 Agriculture Ministers agreed on a European Commission proposal (...)

The implementation of article 13 of the ’Nutrition and Health Claims made on Foods Regulation’ is being delayed: the European Commission is now expected to come out with a list of authorised health claims by the end of 2011. According to the article 13 of the Nutrition and Health Claims made on Foods Regulation, "Health claims other than those referring to the reduction of disease risk and to children’s development and health" should undergo the following procedure: (...)