Half of the applications to make health claims under article 13.1 of the EU Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation do not include sufficient information for scientists to evaluate them properly, it has emerged.

In order to ensure the mountain of applications (4,185) is processed efficiently, European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) scientists have spent weeks pre-screening them. “This exercise revealed that for around 50% of claims, more clarification or information is needed before EFSA can evaluate them,” said EFSA executive director Catherine Geslain-Lanéelle.

The Department of Health’s (DoH) Change4Life initiative is a “lost opportunity for government to get the food industry to act responsibly”, according to the Children’s Food Campaign.

Around 300–400 staff face redundancy at three Bakkavör factories in south Lincolnshire as the firm conducts a restructure amid “worsening economic conditions”.

Business leaders are predicting a tough year ahead as the effects of the global downturn feed through to producers and manufacturers.

Industry commentators fail to agree about the major trends for 2009, with some anticipating a resurgence in nostalgic foods made with simple ingredients and others predicting a boost in novel functional foods.

Skimping on health and safety to save money as the recession bites could backfire, since new legislation will mean harsher penalties, a leading health and safety consultancy has warned.

A recent advance in freezing technology has made it possible for manufacturers to improve productivity by reducing the downtime involved in defrosting their freezers.

Proposals from a European Parliament (EP) committee to stop national labelling schemes existing alongside an agreed EU-wide scheme have challenged the future of the Food Standards Agency's (FSA's) preferred traffic light labelling scheme.

Food processors need to make themselves heard amid sweeping local government reforms with widespread implications for the industry, according to Graham Jukes, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health.

The dairy industry needs to prepare for a tougher trading environment in 2009, as consumers opt for cheap or imported alternatives and farmers are being driven out of production, experts warned.

Ross Warburton, executive director of bakery group Warburtons, has announced that one of his main priorities as he takes over the presidency of the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) with effect from January 1 will be to raise the profile of the manufacturing sector - particularly with government.

Sophisticated pensions deals with insurance firms will become more attractive to food manufacturers as the credit crunch continues to make companies more risk averse, according to pensions advisory firm KPMG.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is expected to issue a scientific opinion next month on the risks nanoscience and nanotechnologies have on food and feed safety and the environment.

A new form of drying technology could help manufacturers retain more aroma, flavour and colour in ingredients such as herbs and spices and improve efficiency.

The Chilled Food Association (CFA) has criticised the government-backed Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) for persistently linking chilled ready meal manufacturers and take-away restaurants when it comes to food waste.

The UK's largest farmer-owned dairy co-operative, First Milk plans to move its The Lake District Cheese Company and Mull of Kintyre brands into zip re-closable packaging early this year following their launch in Scottish Pride and Pembrokeshire Cheese Company brands introduced in Somerfield, The Co-operative, Tesco, Morrison and Asda stores last month.

Sir

A Harvard professor recently wrote in the BMJ that the "gross over-reaction to the magnitude of the threat" of peanut allergy was similar to "mass psychogenic illness" previously known as "epidemic hysteria" whose symptoms include anxiety, over-reaction and increasing sensitisation. Extrapolate this to other contaminants in food and the number of people affected by the hysteria could be greater than those who might be at genuine risk if government adopted a less draconian approach to contamination control.

Rising costs coupled with consumers cutting their spending led to the 100 job losses at Yeo Valley's Cannington dairy, according to the organic food business.

Industry groups are pressing processors to help forge common occupational standards for sustainability, with draft standards out now and workshops planned for the New Year.

Britain's food supply chain is calculating what damage the vote by the European Parliament (EP) to end Britain's opt-out from the EU's 1993 Working Time Directive will cause to the sector.

Changes to EU rules governing flavourings will put pressure on firms to use potentially dangerous natural substances instead of safer nature identical synthetic alternatives, experts have warned.

Unemployment is on the rise in the food manufacturing sector and its supply chain, as firms announce further job cuts.

The Water Technology List (WTL), which lists water-saving products that qualify for tax relief, has a new category featuring a range of technologies concerned with the recovery and re-use of waste water.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has announced that Dame Deirdre Hutton will step down as chair of its board at the end of her four-year term next July. Hutton said: "I have been with the Agency for nearly half of its relatively short life, during which consumer confidence in the FSA as a regulator, and a source of trusted advice, has continued to rise."

A report issued by management consultants LEK Consulting says that, despite the recession, 41% of consumers would still buy products with lower carbon ratings if reliable information was readily available, while 20% would use a less convenient retailer to achieve a smaller carbon footprint.

Cabinet secretary for rural affairs and the environment, Richard Lochhead has urged Scottish producers to take heart from figures released by Omnibus research last month which reveal that around three quarters of Scots seek local food ingredients.

The Business Payment Support Service, launched by HM Revenue and Customs in November 2008 to help cash-strapped businesses meet their tax, VAT and National Insurance payments, received 16,000 calls in its first three weeks of operation. Around 6,700 payment plans have been agreed over the phone and 2,900 cases, totalling £188M, have been referred for further consideration.

Despite patchy growth over the last five years and the current recession, sales of bagged snacks have actually seen a small revival.

The European Food Safety Authority's (EFSA's) Management Board has adopted a Strategic Plan and a budget of euro 73M, which identifies six key strategic areas on which it will focus its attention over the next five years.

The chilled food industry is celebrating a landmark victory that took two decades to achieve and opens up fresh opportunities for exports to the US.

A fresh tranche of health claims applications proposing a link between omega-3 fatty acids and learning, brain development and concentration in children has been rejected by scientists at the European Food Safety Authority.

The latest version of the pesticides Regulation approved by the European Parliament's Environment Committee would still mean that almost a quarter of crop protection products could be removed from the market, according to a report from the UK Pesticides Safety Directorate.

The food processing sector will undergo a surge in insolvencies from February onwards driven by the tough economic climate, Duncan Swift, head of Grant Thornton's food and agribusiness unit, has warned.

The Soil Association has rejected claims that allowing organic farmers to temporarily give their animals non-organic feed would undermine standards.