EFSA
EFSA restructure underway
EFSA has begun rolling out its reorganisation programme in a bid, it says, to ‘make best use of resources to reflect an ever increasing workload, strengthen efficiency and provide a higher quality service to its clients’. The re-structuring will take place gradually throughout 2011 and will be completed by early 2012. EFSA says the move […]
Spotlight on food labelling plans
Food labels should include mandatory nutritional information, including on artificial trans fats and the country of provenance, Environment Committee MEPs said this week. The committee amended draft EU legislation to ensure that labels are ‘legible, do not mislead, and provide the information that consumers need to make choices’. The draft legislation, voted at the second […]
Food safety, Ingredients, Packaging, Regulatory, Sustainability
Positive outlook for Hi-maize
National Starch Food Innovation says it is delighted at at EFSA’s positive opinion on the benefits of type-2 resistant starch from high amylose maize (Hi-maize) in relation to health blood sugar levels. However, the company goes on to say that it is disappointed that a second claim for digestive health benefits was not accepted because […]
EFSA verdict on ‘general function’ health claims
EFSA’s Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA) panel has published the outcome of the evaluations of a fourth series of ‘general function’ health claims proposed for use on food products. The 442 claims assessed relate to health relationships in such areas as: protection against oxidative damage to body cells, contribution to either cognitive or bowel […]
EFSA updates food irradiation advice
EFSA’s scientific experts have this week updated advice on the safety of irradiation of food – a process which can be used to destroy bacteria that cause food poisoning. Having looked at the efficacy and microbiological safety of the process, and possible risks arising from the formation of several chemical substances as a result of […]
Salmonella cases fall for fifth year
EFSA and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control have published their annual report on zoonoses and food-borne outbreaks in the EU for 2009. The report shows Salmonella cases in humans fell by 17% in 2009, marking a decrease for the fifth consecutive year. The report also shows that between 2008 and 2009 the […]
EFSA revises guidance on caramel colours
The European Food Safety Authority’s scientific Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources added to Food has assessed the safety of a group of caramel colours authorised for use in food in the EU, and revised the previously established Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI). The Panel also looked at the safety of some by-products resulting from […]
M&S launches super juice for heart health
Marks & Spencer has launched a new juice drink which it claims will help health-conscious consumers to lower their cholesterol. The Red Grape, Blueberry and Blackcurrant Super Juice, which has just hit shelves in the UK, is boosted by the addition of PromOat, the oat beta glucan soluble fibre ingredient from Swedish company Biovelop AB. […]
Spotlight on immune function health claims
Nearly 200 representatives from the food and drink industry, academia, Member States and the European Commission attended a recent meeting in Amsterdam to discuss with EFSA experts the scientific requirements for health claims related to gut and immune function. The meeting addressed and provided further clarification to two main questions – which claimed effects are […]
Vegetarian omega-3 from LycoRed
LycoRed has launched what it’s calling ‘a new and innovative vegetarian omega-3’ for the bakery and confectionery industries. Lyc-O-Mega 10 AL is, it says, free from fish odour and produced only from the highest quality DHA algae oil, making it especially suitable for vegetarians. “Following the latest publication by EFSA on Article 13.1, which included […]
EU approves natural antioxidant
Recent EU approval of rosemary extracts as safe, effective food preservatives will encourage many more food manufacturers to include the natural antioxidant in their products, predicts Danisco. “Although research has long since documented the antioxidant properties of our Guardian Rosemary Extract, the European Commission’s recent publication of new directives marks the first legal recognition of […]
DSM celebrates hearty HiE award success
DSM Nutritional Products’ Fruitflow – the first natural, scientifically substantiated solution for healthy blood flow – has clinched the coveted Health Ingredients Excellence Award. Crowned best heart health innovation and most innovative ingredient of the year, Fruitflow is the only ingredient to date with an approved health claim from EFSA under Article 13.5. Suitable for […]
Probiotic drinks may not help health, says EFSA
Probiotic drinks and yogurts taken by millions to aid their health have not been proved to help digestion, according to EFSA. Scientists from the European food watchdog looked at more than 800 health claims from food companies, including those submitted by the probiotic industry. And they concluded that many of the claims – on which […]
No need to change BPA guidelines, says EFSA
Following a comprehensive review of recent scientific literature and studies on the toxicity of bisphenol A at low doses, EU food safety watchdog EFSA says it sees no need to cut the official limit on accepted exposure to bisphenol A, a chemical in plastic containers which some experts believe may harm human health. Some European […]