Archive
International News Services archives articles supplied to clients one year or more after initial publication. These articles are protected by a password and not made available to readers without permission from clients. They are used as a background resource by agency journalists. Upon client requests, International News Services will remove such articles from the archive or not upload them in the first place. They are included to demonstrate the breadth of topics undertaken by the agency and also to help promote clients’ coverage.
FOOD ALLERGY REPORT
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Food Safety Agency (EFSA) has supported the inclusion of a list of potentially allergenic ingredients into labelling rules within new EU legislation (directive 2003/89). It has concluded this is justified by the allergenic risks posed by of gluten, fish, crustaceans, eggs, peanuts, lactose, other nuts, celery, mustard, sesame seeds and sulphites.…
NUTRITION LABELLING
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission is preparing a proposal to revise rules on EU nutrition labelling, which consumer affairs Commissioner David Byrne claims is currently “neither systematic nor easily understood by consumers.”…
EXPORT SUBSIDIES
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EU is prepared to discuss eliminating any food export subsidies, agriculture Commissioner Franz Fischler said at the reopening of the World Trade Organisation’s agricultural liberalisation negotiations, stalled since last year’s debacle at Cancun. *Fischler has visited China promoting EU food exports.…
BEEF PROSPECTS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A EUROPEAN Commission report on medium-term prospects for EU agricultural markets has noted a recovery in the beef market so profound that consumption is exceeding domestic production, a trend likely to continue until 2010.…
ANIMAL WASTE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
DESTROYING BSE-infection in specified risk material (SRM) from abattoirs by exposing it to 10,000C plasma and high levels of ultra violet light is the principle behind the EU-backed PLASMER project. *http://www.eureka.be/ifs/files/ifs/jsp-bin/eureka/ifs/jsps/projectForm.jsp?enumber=2742…
EFSA GM MAIZE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has cleared the way for the EU to legalise Monsanto’s pest resistant GM maize variety MON 863, saying it is as safe as conventional maize.…
ORGANIC STANDARDS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission is releasing Euro 18 million to improve the quality and safety of EU organic food, boosting standards in farming, manufacture, transportation and retail. The ‘QualityLowInputFood’ project will develop technologies assisting the production of organic tomatoes, lettuce, onions, potatoes, carrots, cabbages, apples, wheat, pork, dairy and poultry.…
MACEDONIA
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Agency for Reconstruction has released a plan to help Macedonia’s food industry seize western export markets by boosting quality, upgrading food industry “infrastructure” and toughening laws on “standardisation, food safety, and animal and plant inspection”.…
EU-CARIBBEAN TALKS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) and 16 Caribbean countries have launched negotiations to strike a 2008 trade deal, that should boost rum exports into Europe. The spirit is already the eastern Caribbean’s largest export to the EU, (11 per cent of sales – worth around Euro 320 million in 2003), with import quota restrictions removed from 2000.…
GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATIONS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
UNUSUALLY frank pessimism has been voiced by diplomats about securing an agreement at the long-running World Trade Organisation (WTO) talks on creating a multilateral register for geographical indications on wines and spirits. Officials told the Drinks Bulletin that supporters of legal powers protecting traditional terms, (led by the EU), “remain far apart” from the proponents of a voluntary ‘guidance’ register, (headed by the USA).…