The EU’s new centralised process for the approval of novel foods has been welcomed by the food industry – but there are fears over the implications on intellectual property.
In a deep, dark hole on the Food Standards Agency (FSA) website is the consultations section – home of poorly publicised, important documents that could change the whole dynamics of our food system.
The fate of growing gene-edited crops in the UK hangs in the balance with the European Commission set to publish a report on whether they should be considered genetically-modified organisms (GMOs).
Trading Standards (TS) don’t have the resources to check for the potentially dangerous unapproved novel foods illegally on sale on the UK market, it has emerged.
Research and development (R&D) champion Unilever has voiced deep disappointment and frustration over the collapse of talks reviewing the 1997 EU Novel Foods Regulation, claiming it will hamper food and drink manufacturers' innovation plans.
All is not well down on the novel foods farm. If food innovation in Europe is to thrive anew, MEPs and the Council need to get past the recriminations over the failed talks and remove the troublesome question of cloned foods from the negotiating table.
The collapse of talks on the novel foods amendment will have a detrimental effect on innovation and competitiveness in Europe, says the CIAA and an economist, while Commissioner Dalli is still figuring out what to do next.
Last ditch efforts to salvage the novel foods regulation were derailed yesterday after the European Parliament and Council failed to reach agreement over the issue of cloned animals – with each side blaming the other for the impasse.
Food companies want the potential benefits of novel foodstuffs to be weighed against their food safety risks when they are being considered for approval by the regulatory authorities.
