Food legislation and food safety – February 2025
Food Contact Materials (FCMs) – rules and regulations
EU: The European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM) has published a “Technical guide on documentation supporting compliance and safety of food contact materials and articles”. You can download the guide after filling in your details. Mercosur: Keller and Heckman reports on a proposed update of the regulation on Food Grade PET-PCR. The proposed requirements are similar to the requirements in the EU Recycled Plastics Regulation (2022/1616). China: Keller and Heckman reports that the NHC has approved one new additive, one new resin and expanded usage for four additives and a resin for FCMs. NL: Draft legislation amending the Commodities Act Regulation on packaging and consumer products (in Dutch) has been sent to the EC. Singapore: Keller and Heckman reports that the Parliament passed the Food Safety and Security Bill (FSSB) on 8 January 2025. The Bill seeks to consolidate and refresh existing food-related legislation.
Claims, marking and labelling
EU: The Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation (1924/2006) committed the EC to coming forward with nutrient profiles by 19 January 2009. Now 16 years later, BEUC is calling on the EC again to live up to its responsibilities. In the absence of these profiles, foods may bear claims when they meet the conditions set out in the regulation, regardless of their fats/salt and/or sugar content. According to a new report (756 kB) by WHO/Europe, prominent health warning labels on alcoholic beverages are essential for raising awareness that consuming alcohol can lead to cancer. A study featured in the report revealed that only 15% of respondents knew that alcohol causes breast cancer, and just 39% were aware of its link to colon cancer. The EU LIFE Eco Food Choice-project - a collaborative between governments and research institutions including WUR - emphasises the need for a standardised ecolabel system. Their recent report (1.46 MB) provides an overview of the 16 most relevant LCA ecolabels in Europe, identifying key obstacles and opportunities. France: The State Council (in French) has annulled two decrees prohibiting the use of animal designations including “entrecôte,” “filet” and “ham” for non-meat products. Italy: Legislation, making it compulsory to inform consumers about the price of products with reduced content and increased or unchanged selling price (shrinkflation), has been included in the Consumer Code (in Italian, 338 kB). NL: The sustainability transition is one of the focus areas for the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) in 2025. This includes stimulating the use of honest and clear claims by businesses with a specific focus on the foods sector this year. UK: A study by NSF reveals sizeable gaps between consumer requirements and current food labelling practices. You can download the study after filling in your details.
Research
Ningxia Medical University research reveals a potential link between eating from plastic takeout containers and an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. The study (8.25 MB) is published in Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. Inha University researchers found significantly more microplastics in the blood of people with a greater use of plastic food containers. The study (1.69 MB) is published in Scientific Reports.
A new Cochrane review shows that calorie labelling of food leads people to choose slightly fewer calories. Some food labels designed to nudge Americans toward healthier food choices can have the opposite effect, new University of Florida research shows. Carien de Jager, assistant professor at the University of Groningen, has received a grant for her research on misleading food packaging.
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