News

Lidl's chain of stores is introducing a new food waste reduction strategy in Germany. Food nearing the expiration date will be sold 50% cheaper instead of the original 30%, and will also be placed in special green cardboard boxes with the words 'still good'. The initiative will cover dairy products, pastries, and dried and frozen foods. Green Boxes are part of Lidl's Sustainable Strategy 2030, in which the chain pledged to reduce food losses and organic waste by 2025.
More information is available here.

DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences, focusing on sustainable and innovative food solutions, said the plant protein market requires significant quality improvements to lure customers into repeat purchases. While in previous years there was a major demand for available vegetable alternatives to meat, it is now important to reach the wider public with credible taste and texture (more realistic substitutes). The industry is therefore faced with the challenge of producing healthy and sustainable plant foods that do not lose their flavour and texture, and which do not contain too extensive a mix of ingredients.
More information is available here.

On 17/02/2020 Bulgaria reported the first outbreak of avian influenza in its territory; the Czech Republic reported the second outbreak. In connection with the spread of the disease, Bulgaria decided to kill about 6,000 ducks. Czech Minister of Agriculture Miroslav Toman said that the place of occurrence of bird flu was immediately closed and measures were taken to prevent the spread of the disease. The virus was detected this year in other countries, including Poland, Ukraine and Lithuania.
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Member States in the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed supported the European Commission's proposal to reduce maximum residue limits for chlorpyrifos and chlorpyrifos-methyl in food and feed to the lowest level that can be measured in analytical laboratories (around 0.01 mg / kg). Portugal voted against the proposal; Italy and the Czech Republic abstained; representatives of Lithuania were not present; but the rest of the delegations supported the proposal. According to the European Food Safety Agency, it is not possible to set a safe limit for chlorpyrifos and chlorpyrifos-methyl, so the limit was set to a measurable minimum. The new reduced residue limits will apply from October and also apply to imported products. The transitional period should last only three months.
More information is available here.

On 18/02/2020, the European Investment Bank confirmed a EUR 50 million loan to Mlekpol, one of Poland's largest dairy cooperatives, in support of a new strategy for modernization and growth. The money will finance the expansion and modernization of Grajewo's production facilities and a new warehouse and logistics centre. It will also invest in a combined heat and power plant located next to the company's wastewater treatment plant, which will reduce the amount of sludge produced and the need to purchase electricity from the grid. Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Janusz Wojciechowski said that this project will benefit both the company and the environment as well.
More information is available here.