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MEPs of the five largest political factions of the European Parliament launched the European Food Forum (EFF) on 10/12/2019, which aims to conduct a policy-oriented debate on the sustainability of the food chain. With around 200 MEPs, NGOs and producers, the Forum should be a platform to discuss how to increase the sustainability of the food supply chain. Co-founder of the Forum, Polish MEP Róża Thun, stated that food labelling, food quality, pesticide use and animal welfare will be key EFF topics. The EFF will also work in the context of the European Commission's new Farm to Fork Strategy. In Parliament, the work of the EFF will be monitored by the Committees on Environment, Agriculture, Internal Market and Consumer Protection.
More information is available here.

According to Professor Atz von der Goot, plant alternatives to animal proteins will remain a permanent part of the diet of consumers. Van der Goot (NL) informed about further development of plant alternatives during FiE (Food ingredience Europe) in Paris on 03-05/12/2019, he personally started researching new way of production of plant proteins already in 2004, his biggest success was a "grown" piece of meat weighing 7 kg, almost indistinguishable from the animal product, but composed only of soy concentrate and wheat gluten. According to van der Goot, the main challenge now is to find healthier forms of animal protein alternatives with improved flavour, so that food does not contain a long list of additives, to suit consumers suffering from gluten intolerance and not to be associated with deforestation in third countries. According to a FiE spokesperson, there is a visible change in consumer preferences towards vegetarianism and flexitarianism based on cycles in which dairy products, fish and meat are consumed in addition to vegetables. Consumers are looking for new plant-based foods that have a beneficial effect on health and new ingredients. These trends are mainly led by young people.
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On 09/12/2019, the European Commission launched a public consultation on mandatory labelling of the country of origin of meat. According to the general rules on food labelling (food content and composition), it is also necessary to indicate the country or place of origin for certain types of food. This is the case for fresh, chilled and frozen pork, sheep, and goat and poultry meat. The purpose of the consultation is to assess whether the established rules on mandatory origin labelling are effective and add value. The Commission will use the results for its evaluation in its Report on Mandatory Designation of Origin to be submitted by April 2020. The consultation is open until 02/03/2020.
More information is available here.

On 04/11/2019, the European Commission launched a public consultation on the EU food quality system in the form of protected labels. The EU protects more than 3000 names of specific products - food, agricultural products, wine, spirits and aromatised wines under one of its EU quality systems. These are Geographical Indications (GI), Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), Protected Geographical Indications (PGI) and traditional specialty guaranteed (TSG). This public consultation contributes to the objectives of evaluating the overall functioning of EU quality systems, focusing on the registered names of Member States and third countries sold on the EU internal market. The consultation is open until 27/01/2020.
More information is available here.

The University of Loughborough in the UK published on 10/12/2019 the results of a research that focused on labelling food with the length and type of physical activity required to burn the calories contained in the food. According to research, the Physical Activity Calorie Equivalent (PACE) label could help burn up to an average of 200 calories per person per day, helping consumers to have a healthier diet and lifestyle. The PACE labelling system can also serve as a reminder of the need for regular physical activity. Despite the lack of studies, PACE could help to combat obesity among consumers.
More information is available here.