On January 30 2008, the European Commission published a draft new regulation on the provision of information to consumers. The draft attempts to address consumers' desire for more information on food labels and the food industry's wish for clear and simple rules. The aim of the new regulation is to simplify, consolidate and update existing food labelling legislation. As a result, it retains many of the current labelling requirements, including provisions relating to product name, ingredients, best before/use by date etc, while proposing a number of new requirements.

Carbon emissions will assume an even higher profile once the Climate Change Bill becomes law and the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) is introduced.

The proposal to resurrect the Temporary Workers Directive would grant agency workers the same rights as employees after six weeks on the job. The UK has made its objections to this clear but is awaiting the outcome, which could significantly affect food businesses regularly using temporary staff.

High Court confusion about the definition of confectionery for VAT purposes is giving manufacturers a headache, says Ian Hyde, tax partner at Pinsent Masons.

Antitrust issues are increasingly a facet of investment decisions in the food and drink industry, not only for trade buyers, but also for private equity firms.

Food and drink businesses are increasingly looking to outsource legal expertise in order to deal with employment issues such as maternity leave or career breaks, according to Vertex Law.

The Companies Act 2006 received royal assent in November 2006 and is seen as the biggest company law shake-up in 20 years. Its provisions are being implemented in stages, with the Act taking full effect by October 2008. For the first time in history, directors' duties will be spelt out in statute.

They may seem vague and abstract, but there's tremendous value in intellectual assets and many companies are missing out, according to the Intellectual Assets Centre (IAC).