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The new Commissioners were to take over their mandates on 01/11/2019, but due to the disapproval of several candidates, the takeover of the mandates was postponed to 01/12/2019. France has already nominated Thierry Breton, former FR Minister of Finance, as Internal Commissioner; Hungary nominated Oliver Várhelyi, Deputy Permanent Representation of HU, as Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, approved both candidates. The last candidate is now awaiting the Romanian candidate for transport as commissioner. Following the failure of the European Parliament to approve the candidate Rovana Plumb, the current government has fallen in Romania and the vote on confidence in the new government should take place on 04/11/2019. The nomination of a new candidate should be followed by a vote of confidence, but in case of censure of the government there may be further delays in the whole process - the remaining candidates must undergo a public hearing in the relevant committees of the European Parliament and then approved by the EP plenary. The plenary session will be held in the week after 25/11/2019, so the public hearings must be held by 22/11/2019. The UK has not nominated any candidate yet, given British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's intention to withdraw from the EU by 31/10/2019. Given the extension of the Brexit deadline to 31/01/2020, it is not yet clear whether Britain is nominating its candidate or not, but nomination is one option.
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Last week, the European Commission published a study on the contribution of producer organizations to empowering farmers in the food supply chain. According to the main findings of the study, producer organizations and associations of producer organizations help to strengthen the position of farmers in the food supply chain while providing technical assistance to their members; these organizations also benefit other actors in the food supply chain and local communities (employment, quality of local agriculture), and according to the study often help promote sustainable farming practices. According to the study, there are around 42,000 producer organizations in the EU, of which 3,500 are recognized by national governments. The most recognized producer organizations (altogether over 60% of the total) are in France (759), Germany (658) and Spain (588). Most recognized organizations focus on the production of fruit and vegetables (1,850), milk and dairy products (334), olives and olive oil (254), wine (222), and beef and veal (210). The activities of producer organizations are aimed at planning production, adapting production to demand, collecting production and placing it on the markets. In addition, organizations help producers negotiate with other actors in the supply chain. According to the study, agricultural cooperatives are the most common form of producer organization.
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The European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) has published a new study according to which about half to two-thirds of packaged foods contain too much fat, sugar and salt, and it is therefore not appropriate for these foods to be consumed by children. The authors reviewed 2,691 packaged foods in five categories (breakfast cereals, ready meals, processed meat, processed seafood, yoghurts) from a total of 20 EU Member States. Foodstuffs were assessed according to the nutritional profiles established by the EU and the World Health Organization (WHO). According to EU nutritional models, up to 48% of foods do not meet the nutritional values suitable for children, with WHO nutritional models up to 68% of the tested foods. In its statement, the JRC proposed product innovation and food reformulation to improve nutrient balance in food.
More information is available here.

ProVeg International, an international company producing vegetable alternatives to milk and milk products, called on Member States to reduce excise duty on these alternatives. ProVeg aims to ensure that the excise duty on plant alternatives is either at or below the current excise duty on milk of animal origin. According to ProVeg, higher excise rates on plant alternatives are used by six EU Member States - DE, ES, IT, GR, SK and AT. In Germany, according to ProVeg, the excise duty on cow's milk is 7%, but for plant alternatives the excise duty rate is up to 19%. The goal of ProVeg International is to reduce the consumption of animal products by 50% by 2040, thereby reducing the environmental impact of food production. According to ProVeg, different levels of excise duty rates in favour of animal products are an obstacle to achieving that objective.
More information is available here.

Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Dr. Pepper, together with World Wildlife Fun and the Recycling Partnership, committed themselves to a joint Every Bottle Back initiative to reduce plastic waste in the US. The initiative should improve the system for sorting, processing and collecting plastic bottles, and from 2020, the emphasis on providing information on the recyclability of plastic bottles on bottle labels will be reinforced. Coca-Cola has developed a new type of "PlantBottle" bottle that has achieved a reduction of 150,000 m3 of carbon dioxide in North America. The company Keurig Dr. Pepper plans to use only 100% recyclable and compostable packaging by 2025; PepsiCo also plans to use only 100% recyclable, compostable or biodegradable packaging by 2025.
More information is available here.