Category: Europe
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Hamburg Imposes Coffee-Pod Ban in City Government Facilities
Citing environmental concerns, the German city of Hamburg has reportedly banned the use of coffee pods in government buildings. Hamburg’s Guide to Green Procurement reportedly states that coffee pods cause “unnecessary resource consumption and waste generation, and often contain polluting aluminum.” “It’s 6 grams of coffee in 3 grams of packaging,” a Hamburg Department of…
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EFSA Seeks Input on Exposure Assessments for Food Enzymes
The European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA’s) Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes, Flavorings and Processing Aids (CEF) has announced a public consultation on its draft statement on exposure assessment of food enzymes. Recognizing the difficulty in applying current exposure assessment guidelines to food enzymes, which are added during processing of food and food ingredients, the…
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EFSA Seeks to Revise Consumer Exposure Estimates for Food Contact Materials
The European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA’s) Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes, Flavorings and Processing Aids (CEF Panel) has issued a scientific opinion recommending revisions to the safety assessments conducted for food contact materials (FCM). After considering scientific comments received during public consultation, the CEF Panel advocates new standards for estimating food intake and calculating…
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EFSA Backs Safety of UV-Treated Milk
Responding to a novel food application submitted pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 258/97, the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA’s) Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA) has verified the safety of cow’s milk treated with ultraviolet (UV) radiation to extend its shelf life. According to the NDA, the UV treatment increased the milk’s D3…
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UK Chief Medical Officers Publish Strict New Guidelines for Alcohol Consumption
The U.K. Chief Medical Officers have advised consumers to drink less than 6 pints of beer per week under new guidelines for alcoholic beverage intake. Revising previous standards that set weekly limits at 21 units of alcohol for men and 14 units for women, the updated recommendations urge all consumers to imbibe fewer than 14…
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New French Law Requires Restaurants to Provide Take-Away Boxes
A law took effect in France on January 1, 2016, that requires restaurants to provide take-away boxes to diners who request them. The law reportedly targets the country’s rising food waste problem, but may have little impact—one government-commissioned report concluded that “the obstacle is mostly cultural” because “the majority of diners don’t dare to ask…
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Public Health England Releases Free “Sugar Smart” App
With the launch of its Change4Life campaign, Public Health England (PHE) has issued a free bar code-scanning app that displays the sugar content of foods and beverages. Claiming that children ages 4 to 10 consume 22 kilograms of sugar per year—”the average weight of a 5-year-old”—the campaign also features TV, digital and outdoor advertising as…
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ASA Dismisses Complaint Against Baileys™ Christmas Ad
The U.K. Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has dismissed a complaint alleging that Diageo Great Britain Ltd.’s holiday commercials for Baileys™ liqueur “implied that the success of a social occasion depended on the presence or consumption of alcohol.” Despite Alcohol Concern’s claim that the tagline “IT’S NOT CHRISTMAS WITHOUT YOU… BAILEYS” was “irresponsible,” the agency agreed…