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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.
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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.
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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.
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Ambassadors of the EU Member States invited the new European Commission to present a study on the Union's possibilities to update existing legislation on the production and marketing of plant reproductive material by 31/12/2019. The study could then be followed by a Commission legislative proposal. The study should take into account the current Directive 2001/18 on the deliberate release into the environment of genetically modified organisms and the European Court of Justice decision of July 2018 that new breeding techniques must be considered GMOs. The position of the ambassadors should be formally adopted by the ECOFIN Council on 08/11/2019.
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On 24/10/2019, the European Commission published a summary of agricultural exports until August 2019. In August 2019, exports increased by 5.6% (EUR 12.07 billion) compared to August 2018. On the contrary, imports fell by 0.2% to EUR 9.14 billion. For the whole period from September 2018 to the end of August 2019, exports increased by 6% compared to the same period of 2017-2018, reaching EUR 145.1 billion. Imports increased by 3% to EUR 118.6 billion in the last 12 months to the end of August 2019. Exports to China (+ 33.4%) and the USA (+ 9.9%) were the strongest, while Hong Kong (- 21%) and Libya (- 59%) recorded the largest declines. As regards commodities, exports of wheat (+ 39%), pork (+ 36%), milk powder (+ 26%), liqueurs and spirits (+ 12%), and cheeses (+ 15%) were the strongest. On the other hand, exports of live animals (- 27%) and sugar and sugar cane (- 57%) decreased.
More information is available here.