News

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.

The 10th Summit on Food Sustainability will be held in San Francisco (USA) on 22-23/01/2020, in particular topics to promote the circular economy and sustainability of food production - regenerative agriculture, packaging innovation, reduction of disposable packaging, the recyclability of packaging materials, or the use of additives. There will also be a debate on the functioning of supply chains for organic food ingredients, which the industry still lacks. Further meetings on these topics are planned in Singapore on 30-31/03/2020 and in Amsterdam on 11-12/06/2020.
More information is available here.

Austria could review its plans for a total ban on the use of glyphosate before the EU license expires (December 2022); Austria planned to ban the use of glyphosate in its territory as of 01/01/2020. On 02/07/2019, the Austrian government voted to ban any plant protection product containing glyphosate, in accordance with the precautionary principle, and would be the first EU country to ban its use. Austria is now assessing the compliance of the proposal to ban the use of glyphosate on its territory with the European law, so it is not clear whether the ban will enter into force as of 01/01/2020.