Tag: Europe
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Cows Must Be Stunned Before Slaughter To Be “Organic,” EU Court Rules
The European Court of Justice’s Grand Chamber has ruled that halal beef cannot carry an EU organic logo if the cows were not stunned before they were slaughtered. Œuvre d’assistance aux bêtes d’abattoirs v. Ministre de l’Agriculture et de l’Alimentation, No. C-497/17 (E.C.J., entered February 26, 2019). The court compared an organic-labeling regulation requiring efforts…
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ASA Dismisses Bacardi Ad Complaint
The U.K. Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has declined to take action against Bacardi-Martini Ltd. following a complaint that its television ad “was irresponsible because it encouraged immoderate drinking by implying that drinking should take place before and throughout a night out.” In its determination, ASA found that “a sealed bottle of Bacardi rum was shown…
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EFSA Issues Opinion on PFAS in Food
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has released an opinion proposing a revision to tolerable intakes of per- and polyfluoroalykl substances (PFAS), which food packaging can contain. The authors reportedly observed high levels of PFAS in “meat and meat products” as well as “fish and other seafood.” In addition, PFAS was “detected in blood samples…
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EFSA Issues Report on Foodborne Parasites
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has issued a scientific opinion on “the occurrence and control of three parasites that may be transmitted via food, namely Cryptosporidium spp., Toxoplasma gondii, and Echinococcus spp.,” which cause the diseases “cryptosporidiosis, toxoplasmosis, and alveolar echinococcosis (AE) and cystic echinococcosis (CE), respectively.” EFSA identified “many gaps in our knowledge…
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EU Issues Report on Antimicrobial Resistance
The European Commission has issued a report on antibiotics and antimicrobial resistance that includes a section on Europeans’ “attitudes towards the use of antibiotics on sick animals, and their awareness of the ban on using antibiotics to stimulate growth in farm animals.” The report states that 56 percent of respondents believed that sick animals should…
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Taste Cannot be Copyrighted, EU High Court Holds
The European Court of Justice’s Grand Chamber has determined that taste cannot be copyrighted in a lawsuit alleging copyright infringement of a cheese spread. Levola Hengelo BV v. Smilde Foods BV, No. C-310/17 (E.C.J., entered November 13, 2018). The court considered whether “taste” amounts to a work under copyright law. “[F]irst, the authorities responsible for…
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Denmark Proposes Food Labels Denoting Environmental Impact
As part of a climate package, Denmark has reportedly proposed food labels that would indicate the environmental impact of the food’s production. Danish Minister for the Environment Lars Christian Lilleholt reportedly told The Local, “We want to give consumers the means to assess in supermarkets the environmental impact of products.” The Danish Agriculture & Food…
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EFSA Releases Report on Improving Risk Assessments
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has released a scientific report identifying potential areas of improvement in the agency’s emerging risks identification procedure. The report highlights “weaknesses with respect to data collection, analysis and integration” and suggests that broader analyses would improve the system. Recommendations include (i) integrating social sciences “to improve understanding of interactions…