By Tiger Joyce, president of the American Tort Reform Association
US state legislators should revise Consumer Protection Acts so confectioners are not hit with ‘preposterous’ lawsuits such as one accusing Perfetti Van Melle of slack filling gum packs, writes the president of the American Tort Reform Association.
The UK government is calling on manufacturers to use local county of origin labelling on its products – but unlike in Italy such measures would be voluntary.
An Italian bill will require companies to say where a product was produced and packaged, meaning greater transparency for consumers, says government - but industry has slammed it as backdoor protectionism that violates EU law.
Latvia has banned the use of trans fats in domestically produced and imported food, joining ranks with Austria, Hungary and Denmark - but campaigners are pushing for an EU-wide ban.
British Sugar has withdrawn a UK advert for Truvia which claimed sweetener was natural - despite having paid out €5m in a US court for the same claim two years ago.
A law that would have forced French supermarkets to donate unsold food to charity has been scrapped on a legal technicality – but supermarkets are being urged to adopt it voluntarily and some have already pledged to do so.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has lost its right to keep the names of contributing expert commentators a secret – a European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling that could be applied retrospectively.
New legislation will require all large firms in the UK to report on their fight against slavery in the supply chain - but experts say the 'opt out' clause means its success could be limited.
Experts from both sides of the sugar tax debate have set out their arguments in a ‘head to head’ article in the British Medical Journal (BMJ). Where do you stand on the sugar tax issue?
'We do not support a Daily Value for added sugars', says candy trade body
The U.S. National Confectioners Association (NCA) fears plans to place percentage daily values for added sugars on food labels is unnecessary and may confuse consumers but supports a federal law proposal to make GMO labeling voluntary.
Citrus food flavouring perilla aldehyde causes DNA damage to the liver, says EFSA – a finding that calls into question the safety of nine other chemically similar flavourings.
France has proposed new legal daily limits for carnitine, creatine, lycopene and caffeine in supplements – the latter of which was half that defined as safe by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
The UK government’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) has ditched a 10% upper limit on sugar intake instead recommending that less than 5% of daily energy should come from free sugars.
Mondelez has been backed by the Birmingham City Council (BCC) over slow energy claims made for its BelVita breakfast biscuits after they were challenged in the UK.
The British Medical Association (BMA) is pushing for a tax on sugary drinks rather than confectionery, but has urged voluntary added sugar reduction targets for confectioners and a crackdown on confectionery marketing to children.
European industry association FoodDrinkEurope has called for an ambitious global climate deal to help justify investment in low carbon technologies, it said in a report released at Expo Milano last week.
Mars Chocolate North America is going against the industry tide by backing the World Health Organization's guidance that added sugar should account for under 10% of a person's daily calories.
Manufacturers should be wary of using pictures to depict artificial flavourings, warn food lawyers as a German court ruling sets a new precedent for misleading marketing.
As widely expected, the FDA has finalized plans to revoke the GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status of partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) in a bid to eradicate artificial trans fats from the US food supply. However, it says manufacturers may petition...
Proposed colour coded nutrition labels are technically feasible but would be ineffective for comparing products in some food categories, according to an analysis from French food agency ANSES.
The Advocate General of the Court of Justice of the European Union (EU) has advised the court Nestlé’s attempts to trademark the four-finger Kit Kat shape in the UK are uncompliant with EU law.
The NDA panel will feature 10 new faces for the health claims panel’s next three years as the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) announced changes today.
A poll* of more than 4,200 US consumers conducted in April 2015 by CivicScience shows Americans believe that ‘preservatives / chemicals’ are significantly more harmful to their heath than added sugar, saturated fat and sodium.
A collective trademark for organic cocoa and cocoa-based products has been issued to Brazil’s cocoa grower cooperative Cooperativa dos Produtores Orgânicos do Sul da Bahia (CPOSB).
Crayon maker Crayola has confirmed it is aware of an ongoing public appeal that urges the company to stop marketing its Color Your Mouth candy products to children.
The price of fruit and vegetables in the UK has tripled in the past 30 years, while the price of ice cream has halved – a pattern being repeated across the developing world which is fuelling the global obesity crisis.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) needs a role change but that won’t come with its transparency initiative but legalisation changes, says industry.
Confectionery giant Mars says it is in favor of FDA proposals to list added sugar on the Nutrition Facts panel, a move described as ‘refreshing’ by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).
Chewing gum may have been responsible for the death of a 19-year old girl – but there is little evidence to suggest artificial sweeteners were at fault, a UK inquest found yesterday.
The German confectionery industry has slammed plans for a 19% tax proposal on sugar aimed at reducing obesity - but the social democrat party denies that such a 'sin tax' is on the cards.
Letters of support to the World Health Organisation (WHO) for its recent work on food marketing to children may be used as a basis of dialogue between European governments and the food industry, the WHO has said.
FDA is considering adding pre- and post-market enforcement “enhancements” to the final rule for the process of determining food substances are GRAS – or generally recognized as safe, according to a top agency official.
Investing in 3D printing could open new markets and generate huge cost savings for food manufacturers and retailers, but first companies must overcome potential regulatory and legal hurdles, many of which are not yet identified, warn food and drug lawyers...
Posh chocolate manufacturer and retailer Hotel Chocolat has withdrawn its ‘Milk Free Milk’ chocolates due to fears they may contain traces of milk, which were not mentioned on the product label.
Authorities in Brazil are planning to ramp up the quality of chocolate products sold in the country, which could result in greater demand for cocoa beans and higher prices for cocoa growers.
The U.S. National Confectioners Association (NCA) is worried retaliatory taxes in Mexico and Canada from country-of origin labeling could see American-made chocolate disappear from its main export markets.
