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Over time, EU food markets have evolved significantly, driven by innovation and changes in consumer demand and expectations. Taking this shift into account, on 21 April 2023 the European Commission proposed to update some of the rules governing a set of directives on food products – the 'breakfast' directives. Changes include introducing stricter origin labelling for honey, increasing the fruit content in jams, reducing sugar in fruit juice and clearing the way for the production of lactose-free ...

The 'farm to fork' strategy is about building sustainable EU food systems, in line with the EU's Green Deal. Launched in May 2020, its elements are moving at different speeds, with much debate on its objectives and priorities. The EU institutions are helping to shape the various elements of the strategy. This is an update of an 'at a glance' note first published in October 2021.

On 24 October 2023, negotiators from the Parliament and Council reached a provisional agreement on the Commission's proposal for a regulation on geographical indications for wine, spirit drinks and agricultural products. The text still has to be formally adopted by the Parliament and Council. The agreed text would bring together in a single legal document the provisions setting out the procedures for registering geographical indications (GIs) for wine, spirit drinks and agricultural products that ...

On 5 July 2023, the Commission tabled a proposal for a regulation on certain new genomic techniques (NGTs). It establishes two categories of plants obtained by NGTs: plants comparable to naturally occurring or conventional plants, and plants with modifications that are more complex. The two categories will be subject to different requirements to reach the market, taking into account their differing characteristics and risk profiles. Feedback from stakeholders is mixed. While industry interest groups ...

Algorithm-generated diets tailored to our individual needs could bring health benefits, but at the cost of having to share our most personal data, such as our DNA. The promises are many, but so are the open questions about interactions between genes, nutrients, environment and health, and the role of socioeconomic factors underlying food choices. Precision nutrition advice, services and products will need to be governed by a range of laws and policies, as they are at the intersection between food ...

This European implementation assessment has been drawn up to support the work of the European Parliament's Subcommittee on Public Health (SANT) on its implementation report on Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. Building on the Commission evaluation report published in 2020, the study assesses the implementation and application of the Regulation on nutrition and health claims made on foods. Health claims and use of health claims on foods containing botanicals are at the heart of this study, while nutrition ...

During its June plenary session, Parliament is due to debate the report of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI) on Ensuring food security and the long-term resilience of EU agriculture. Parliament is also to vote on policy recommendations to address global and EU food security and strengthen the EU's agricultural resilience.

Between 2020 and 2022, the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) 'Stop Finning – Stop the Trade' collected more than 1.1 million signatures across the EU Member States. The ECI calls for a ban on trading in shark and ray fins within and from the EU. The European Parliament held a hearing on the topic in March 2023 and will discuss it during its May I plenary session.

World Food Day is celebrated every year on 16 October to promote awareness and action in support of those who suffer from hunger. Worryingly, estimates reveal that a growing number of people – between 702 million and 828 million (around 10 % of the world's population) – faced hunger in 2021.In the EU, nearly 39 million people cannot afford a quality meal every second day, while estimates show that each person wastes on average between 173 kg and 343 kg of food a year. NGOs argue that in 2021, the ...

This briefing provides an initial analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the European Commission's impact assessment (IA) accompanying the above-mentioned proposal, submitted on 31 March 2022 and referred to the European Parliament's Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI). Geographical indications (GIs) are names that identify products having characteristics or reputation linked to their geographical origin and notably to the natural or human factors in that place of origin. GIs ...