The new coalition government will cut £270m from regional development agencies (RDAs), cut DEFRA’s budget by £162m and slash £600m from quangos this year as it embarks on a radical cost-cutting drive to save £6.2bn (foodmanufacture.co.uk). While the School Food Trust has emerged relatively unscathed, with bosses having to reduce budgets by just £1m (an 11% reduction), staff at the Food Standards Agency are still anxiously waiting to hear their... read more →
‘Academic’ references provided by the food industry to support applications under the EU health claims Regulation included excerpts from the Old Testament, Wikipedia, a Tea Association press release, a Royal Air Force report and the American Heritage Dictionary, it has emerged. (foodmanufacture.co.uk) Speaking at a stakeholder meeting held at the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA’s) Parma HQ earlier this week, NDA panel chief Juliane Kleiner... read more →
The benefits for nano-packaging, showing how it can overcome current food and drink industry challenges in terms of shelf life, distribution or sustainability, need to become more apparent in order to ensure widespread commercial implementation, says an industry insider. (foodproductiondaily.com) Graham Moore, a consultant with PIRA International, which tests packaging for industry, said that nano particles and composites as well as nano sensors for distribution... read more →
A European Union proposal to impose import duties on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) shipments from Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is expected to result in cost increases for European converters, said Brussels. (foodproductiondaily.com) The European Union said it intended to slap the anti-dumping and countervailing charges after a probe found companies from the Middle Eastern countries had been selling PET into Europe at below market prices.... read more →
