Healthy lifestyles, healthy behaviours

The Lancet (the world’s leading medical journal), together with a number of international organisations (e.g.WHO, UNDP, World Bank), national governments and civil society, examined UN progress on the global development agenda. The discussions explored solutions for better accountability for global action on non-communicable disease (NCDs). EPHA, which closely followed the discussion, developed a number of key messages relevant to the public health community. The Lancet (...)

Organic farming and production play a significant economic role in the EU’s agricultural landscape. They can provide a market-oriented alternative for agricultural producers wishing to respond to the increasing demand for high-quality, eco-friendly products. In this consultation, the European Commission would like your views on how organic farming should be best developed. The Public Consultation is available on the website of the European Commission Background - organic farming (...)

Following the disappointing outcome of the January 23 vote by the European Parliament’s Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (COMAGRI) over the CAP reform, 25 farmers’ and civil society networks from 10 countries are today launching the EU-wide action: Go M.A.D. (Go Meet A Deputy!). It calls upon Europe’s citizens to directly interact with their local members of the European Parliament (MEP) and ask them how they will vote during the plenary decision on the CAP (...)

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has decided to launch an open consultation on its scientific risk assessment about the safety of ’Aspartame’ (codified as E951 in the EU), the widely-used and controversial artificial sweetener. In May 2011, EFSA was asked by the Commission to re-evaluate fully the safety of aspartame. The study is now been made public and submitted for comments until February 15. Public consultation on the draft scientific opinion on the (...)

The Council adopted a progress report on the reform of the common agricultural policy (CAP). The Irish presidency will follow the dossiers in the first half of 2013. Common agricultural policy reform - progress report Member states broadly welcomed the progress report and overall considered it as a fair and accurate reflection of the debate in the Council, which would lay the foundations for the next steps in the process under the Irish Presidency. They also noted that the next Presidency (...)

FOODSTUFFS The three Presidencies will work together to ensure a high level of food safety, taking into account the work conducted by the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius and the essential role of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to carry risk assessments as part of authorisation procedures. They will ensure the adoption of the proposed regulation on food intended for infants and young children and on food for special medical purposes, aimed at replacing the current legal regime on (...)

Following an own initiative report by Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Anna Rosbach (ECR, Denmark), the European Parliament voted on 11 December to adopt a resolution on the threat to health posed by Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). In the resolution, MEPs call for prudent use guidelines to reduce exposure to non-essential antibiotics in human medicine, veterinary practice, agriculture and aquaculture. The text emphasises the need to use antibiotics responsibly, to educate health (...)

During the last AGRIFISH Council of 28-29 November, the Austrian delegation supported by Latvia presented a document proposing a New European Food Model. The proposal supports a holistic approach for the food chain centred around the principle of sustainability and takes into account "food security and safety, quality, regionality, diversity, value and appreciation of food". The document presented by the Austrian delegation to the AGRIFISH Council is a result of a joint workshop organised (...)

COFACE, the Confederation of Family Organisations in the European Union, recently launched a new education tool in the arena of food and nutrition aimed at emphasising the link between food marketing and advertising. Due to the fact that the majority of studies evaluating the links between food marketing/advertising and young peoples’ behaviours are sponsored, in one way or another, very few of these studies are trustworthy. Yet, these papers do emphasise the impact that advertising (...)

After being launched in February, the first conference of "The Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (EIP) on Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability – Priorities and Delivery Mechanisms" took place on 19 November. Over the last years it has become increasingly evident that a new approach to agricultural innovation and research is needed if the European farming is to meet the challenge of producing under new constraints of resource availability and in line with multiple (...)