As the new EU Food Authority swings into action, a number of initiatives are gathering pace. New plans for the near future include a closer focus on health claims, food contact materials & packaging, novel foods, additives and sweeteners, reports Keith Nuthall.
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With the administrative wheels turning to ensure that the European Food Authority is up and running in its temporary home in Brussels by the end of this year, the European Commission is embarking on a significant programme to strengthen the effectiveness of the legislation it will police.
David Byrne, the current health and consumer affairs EU Commissioner, has been a particularly garrulous political chief, flagging up proposals in advance of their being formally adopted by the College of Commissioners, and nowhere has he been forthcoming than on the subject of food safety.
Speaking to a recent meeting organised by the Confederation of the EU Food and Drink Industries, he mused on how he would use what he calls the “second half of my mandate,” (former Irish senator Byrne arrived in Brussels in 1999 in the wake of the collapse of the old Santer Commission).
“Still much to do”
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By GlobalData“I see the opportunity to broaden our scope, to pay greater attention to issues such as food quality, nutrition, and consumer information,” he proclaimed to delegates. “Much has been done but there is much still to do and I want to encourage further a sense of partnership in what we are trying to achieve. I want to ensure that any feeling of ‘us and them,’ with regulators on the one hand and producers or processors on the other, is consigned to history. We need a cohesive approach in pursuit of a shared agenda.”
It all sounds very ambitious and unkind observers have occasionally accused Byrne of having brushed his lips on the much-kissed stone lintel at Blarney Castle, Co Cork. But to be fair, the health and consumer affairs Commissioner has been proactive and has delivered significant change in EU food legislation, with the passing of laws establishing the European Food Authority being his most high profile achievement.
And he is continuing to let slip future plans that will see new firm legislative proposals being made later this year.
For instance, Byrne has said that Commission officials are currently:
- Preparing a legislative proposal to regulate nutritional, functional and health claims that are made on food packaging. A draft should be ready this summer, he has said. This legislation will not be too restrictive, however, with the Commissioner saying that it should be possible to allow ‘health claims’ in the European Union, “in such a way as to help consumers make positive, informed decisions in pursuit of a healthy diet.” So maybe expect a light touch directive insisting that food companies can back up their packaging claims with facts. What we should not anticipate is a directive that forces health food manufacturers to go down the medical market authorisation route already followed by the pharmaceutical industry;
- Working on an amendment to update the framework directive on food contact materials to take account of technical progress. Here, the Commission will be examining new and innovative packaging materials, to frame EU rules on how these should be used and what kind of exposure to food should be permitted, taking into account the requirements of protecting human health;
- Drawing up a discussion paper of potential reforms to the non-GM area of the EU’s novel food regulation, which Byrne has claimed is “due for overhaul.” This paper will especially consider the future role of the EU’s new food safety agency in evaluating novel foods for market approvals;
- Developing further amendments to the existing EU legislation on food additives and sweeteners;
- Examining how to improve the functionality and effectiveness of European food legislation, maybe to propose reforms that will boost the role of technical experts in implementing rules, under, Byrne has stressed, overall political supervision.”
By Keith Nuthall, just-food.com correspondent
