End November, the Codex Alimentarius Commission reviewed all texts proposed for adoption, advancement, amendments, revocation, and discontinuation from its technical Codex Committees, Regional Coordinating Committees, or specific intersessional work they performed in the past twelve months since CAC46 meeting. CAC47 adopted decisions on product standards, e.g., spices and culinary herbs, avocado oil, olive oil, other
Regulatory
Codex alimentarius: historical 46th meeting (CAC46) while celebrating its 60th anniversary
This article was published in World Food Regulation Review, January 2024, p. 25-34.
While celebrating its 60th anniversary, the 46th CAC meeting has seen several historical decisions taken.
First and foremost, it has closed the long-standing controversy about Zilpaterol hydrochloride by adopting through two successive votes by advancing and adopting the proposed maximum…
Commission launches EU Code of Conduct on Responsible Food Business and Marketing Practices
The European Commission has officially launched the EU Code of Conduct on Responsible Food Business and Marketing Practices, under its Farm to Fork Strategy.
The Code plays a crucial part in increasing the availability and affordability of healthy and sustainable food. The Code is one of the first deliverables of the EU Farm to Fork…
European Parliament allows for ‘creamy’ and ‘buttery’ plant-based dairy
Having voted 7 months earlier in favour of banning descriptive terms as ‘buttery’ and ‘creamy’ for purely plant-based products, the European Parliament withdrew draft legislation (the famous Amendment 171).
Implications of Amendment 171 were that the following would be prohibited:
- Familiar packaging formats like a carton for plant-based milk alternatives, or a block of plant
…
New era for insects!
The EU Commission confirmed EFSA’s scientific opinion and authorizes the first edible insect, dried yellow mealworm, to be placed on the European market.
The authorisation will provide for the product to be sold in whole, dried form or to be used as an ingredient in other foods and is the first authorisation of its kind.…
Titanium dioxide: An unexpected decision from EFSA
The EFSA recently gave its updated conclusions on the titanium dioxide (E171) food additive. The results were a reassessment of the EFSA’s safety conclusions which were published on June 28, 2016 (which were themselves a reassessment of the EFSA’s original 2009 assessment). The most recent appraisal took into consideration new data that have been discovered…
EC implementation guidelines on the Single-Use Plastics (SUP) directive are finally there…!
Yesterday the long-waited Commission guidelines on single-use plastics (SUP) were published. These guidelines facilitate a correct and harmonised application of the key parts of Directive (EU) 2019/904 on SUP, in particular, on the definition of plastic, of single-use plastic products made wholly or partly of plastic, and the different items covered by the Directive.
Please…
The future of organic in Europe: changes coming to processing and labelling rules
Labelling terms referring to organic production and EU organic logo make it easier for the consumers to identify organic products and ensure organic food meets strict conditions of production and processing, in accordance with EU requirements. In line with the overall revision of organic production, the new Regulation (EU) No 2018/848[1], intended to…
Farm to Fork
On the 15th of April 2021, the European Commission presented a summary of its Farm to Fork proposal at the EU’s regulatory committee meeting on food.
The Farm to Fork initiative proposes to modify the EU-FIC Regulations on front-of-pack nutritional labelling, nutrient profiles, origin labelling and date marking.
The summary included interesting feedback and thoughts…
EU’s Court of Justice gave the long-awaited judgment on the classification of cannabidiol (CBD)
On November 19, the EU’s Court of Justice gave the long-awaited judgment on the classification of cannabidiol (CBD). The Court judged that CBD cannot be qualified as a “narcotic” in the eyes of the law. As a result, CBD products can be marketed and benefit from the free movement guaranteed by Articles 34 to 36…