FOOD SAFETY

Ban on smoke flavours affects food industry

The European Commission has decided to ban the use of smoke flavours in food products. This decision was approved by the member states on April 24. The ban extends the approval of eight smoke flavours which, after a tran..

30% of consumers opt for unhealthy food

10 February 2023

Elke Godden (Antwerp University) investigated the motivations and strategies behind our choices in the supermarket - and also took a closer look at the usefulness of the Nutri-Score, her research shows that it does not h...

Fresh produce consumption under pressure

08 February 2023

The outlook for consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables remains under pressure in the European union. A conclusion from the latest Freshfel Europe Consumption Monitor. Despite a very positive momentum for consumption g...

Beans in bread: a revolutionary idea?

31 January 2023

Researchers and chefs at the University of Reading aim to encourage British consumers and food producers to switch to bread containing faba beans (commonly known as broad beans), making it healthier and less damaging to ...

Aged meat not riskier than fresh meat

23 January 2023

Aged meat does not pose any additional risks compared to fresh meat if it is aged under controlled conditions, EFSA experts concluded in a scientific opinion released recently. “Aged meat has risen in popularity in re...

Total copper intakes below new safe level

23 January 2023

Combined exposure to copper from all sources does not pose health concerns for the EU population, say EFSA’s scientific experts. Excessive copper retention in the body over time could be toxic for humans, especially t...

Safe preservation of meat and meat substitutes without nitrite

17 January 2023

The technologists of TOP bv from Wageningen have licensed a patent on a process that prevents the growth of the ‘botulism bacteria’ Clostridium botulinum in meat, meat substitute and hybride products without having to us...

Consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables stabilises in 2022

13 January 2023

After a very sharp decline in 2020 and 2021, we ate plenty in (company) restaurants again in 2022. As a result, consumption of fruit and vegetables at home fell by three per cent in 2022. In contrast, consumption in hote...

Stricter regulations for acrylamide

19 December 2022

In mid-2023, the European Commission will amend Regulation (EU) 2017/2158, regulating acrylamide - the carcinogenic substance created by high-temperature frying or baking of starchy foods. The European Commission announc...

Additional sampling of pigs at slaughterhouses

19 December 2022

From September to the end of 2022, the NVWA will take extra samples at slaughterhouses of cattle, pigs, horses, goats and sheep. In November, the NVWA reported on the results of sampling in cattle. These are the first re...

Meal boxes: Open book or black box?

15 December 2022

Meal boxes make it easy for you with their recipes and content tailored accordingly. But do they also provide enough information to make healthy choices? That varies quite a bit. The Consumers' Association found out h...

Low nutritional quality in vegan meat big problem

12 December 2022

There are many challenges regarding the nutritional value of meat substitutes. A study from Chalmers now shows that many of the meat substitutes sold in Sweden claim a high content of iron – but in a form that cannot be ...

Children's marketing of unhealthy food legally restricted

12 December 2022

The government wants to legally restrict child marketing for unhealthy food. For healthy food and drink, advertising aimed at minors will continue to be allowed. In addition, municipalities will be given a new legal powe...

Europe scores poorly on healthy food environment policies

07 December 2022

In eleven European countries, governments should make a larger effort to support people to eat healthy by creating healthy food environments. This can be read in an The Lancet Regional Health – Europe publication. "Th...

Zuneha cuts costs with heat recovery system

22 November 2022

Zuneha supplies fresh meat to the butchery industry. Recently, the medium-sized company invested in a new CO2 refrigeration system with heat recovery. The heat from the chillers is used to heat the water; thus, substanti...

Sanitisation with microwaves and radio frequency