News

Last year, the European institutions agreed on the text of the directive, which should strengthen consumer protection, while also addressing the issue of dual food quality. Member States now have 2 years to transpose the EU directive into national legislation; Slovakia will be one of the first countries to implement this step. According to the statement of the Slovak Ministry of Agriculture, Slovakia is now preparing a special test, which should reveal possible dual quality of different types of edible oils. The same brand oils should be tested on the markets in Germany, Austria and Slovakia. Testing will be made possible through financial support from the European Commission. The findings will be presented at a joint meeting of EU Member States, and the oil producers will be informed about the results. In the event of dual quality being found, producers may be penalized up to 4% of annual turnover.
More information is available here.

The European Commission report on food contact materials may be delayed for up to two years. The European Commission indicated this in a mid-February 2020 presentation. Adoption of the evaluation report was originally planned for the first quarter of this year, but the possibility of working on the document in parallel with the impact assessment is being considered. The aim should be to fully harmonize the laws on food contact materials and to increase transparency and accountability by producers.
Presentation of the European Commission is available here.

Food companies Nestlé and Danone joined the Association for Natural Water, according to which the use of the term 'single-use' plastic limits the recycling of plastic water bottles. According to a study conducted by the Association, 30% of British believe that plastic bottles, referred to as disposable bottles, are not fully recyclable and therefore often do not classify them as plastic waste. Although the study focused only on plastic bottles, the Association believes that this situation may lead to non-recycling of fully recyclable plastics of all categories. The association therefore recommends distinguishing between recyclable and non-recyclable disposable plastics and the use of unambiguous labelling which would not be misleading.
More information is available here.

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.