European Parliamentary Research Service Blog
food
People concerned about food safety [What Europe does for you]
If you love chips or indeed any other fried or baked foods such as crisps, biscuits or toast, you may have heard of acrylamide, a harmful substance present in these foods. Continue reading
Will robots change the face of agriculture and food production?
Written by Lieve Van Woensel with Sarah McCormack, A study on the ‘Ethics of Cyber-Physical Systems’ has recently been published by the Science and Technology Options Assessment (STOA) Panel. The study examined seven key areas, where cyber-physical systems (CPS) will have a significant impact. CPS are technical systems where networked computers and robots interact with … Continue reading
How the EU budget is spent: EU expenditure on animal and plant health and a safe food chain
Written by Alessandro D’Alfonso The agri-food sector plays a significant role in the EU’s economy, employing close to 50 million people. EU expenditure on ‘food and feed’ aims to contribute to safety along the food chain, mainly by preventing, controlling and eradicating serious pests and diseases, in animals or plants, and strengthening related controls. Key objectives … Continue reading
Our world, our future – Expo Milano and the European Year for Development 2015
Written by Astrid Klaver and Tessa Tumbrägel Nearly a billion people around the world live in extreme poverty and the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (UNFAO) estimates that 805 million people are chronically undernourished. These pressing issues are addressed at Expo Milano – which opens today – and in the context of the European Year … Continue reading
Expo Milano 2015
Written by Astrid Klaver, Maria Kollarova and Ana Martinez Juan The World Expo traditionally addresses a specific theme to demonstrate the progress achieved and showcase future prospects, with the purpose of educating the public. The Universal Exhibition ‘Expo Milano 2015 ‘ is themed ‘ Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life ‘. It will focus on the … Continue reading
Olive oil sector
Written by Ana Martinez Juan The European Union (EU) is the largest producer (accounting almost three quarters) and consumer (accounting two thirds) of the olive oil in the world. Olive growing is a feature of sociocultural life in many Mediterranean regions. Olive trees are grown in Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Cyprus, Slovenia and Malta. … Continue reading
Focus on Food & Farmers
Written by Maria Kollarova This week our focus is on agriculture, our food and farmers’ livelihoods. The Russian embargo of agricultural products has certainly become a hot topic in the area since 7 August, when the Russian government adopted a list of agricultural imports to be banned. It is really too early to say what … Continue reading
Organic production and labelling of organic products
This note seeks to provide an initial analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the European Commission’s Impact Assessment (IA) accompanying the above proposal which was adopted on 24 March 2014. The first EU legislation on organic farming was adopted in 19911 and substantially revised in 20072. Amongst other things, this revision introduced the possibility … Continue reading
Food versus fuel
Introduction Biofuel production that uses plants otherwise available for consumption is a debate that requires caution. Some studies gathered in this keysource see a direct link between both and the reason for food price increases (leading to hunger), but a lot of other studies underline the complexity of their relationship. On 17/10/2012, the European Commission … Continue reading
European gastronomic heritage: cultural and educational aspects
A report on the European gastronomic heritage: cultural and educational aspects by Santiago Fisas Ayxela (EPP, Spain) was adopted by the Committee on Culture and Education on 17 February 2014, and will be debated in plenary on 12 March (procedure file 2013/2181(INI)). It calls for a knowledge and culture of food and gastronomy to be incorporated in … Continue reading
Tackling food waste: The EU’s contribution to a global issue
Updated on 30/11/2016 Written by Ivana Katsarova, In spite of the availability of food, there is still malnutrition in the world. Food is lost or wasted throughout the supply chain, from initial agricultural production down to final consumers. In developed countries, a significant amount of food is wasted at the consumption stage, meaning that it … Continue reading
How to feed the world in 2050?
The global population is expected to reach 10 billion at some point between 2050 and 2100 according to UN projections. Together with climate change, this is a worrying evolution. In order to assess options for feeding 10 billion people, within the European Parliament, STOA (Science and Technology Options Assessment) launched a series of studies to find answers … Continue reading
What is your food eco-footprint?
This video clip ‘Food Eco-Footprint’ explains how our food eco-footprint is the consequence of the food we eat, and how it is produced and the rate by which it is consumed, which also creates an interconnection between food consumption and climate change. In its broadest sense an eco-footprint represents the amount of land and water … Continue reading
Increase of Norway’s import duties for some agricultural products: impact and reactions
Traditionally a strong supporter of its agricultural sector, Norway has since 1 January 2013 been applying new ad valorem duties on imports of certain types of cheese, sheep and beef meat, resulting in sharp increases to respectively 277%, 429%, and 344%. This move was preceded by a new 72% import duty on hortensia flowers in … Continue reading
L’Union européenne et l’agriculture durable
Confrontée aux besoins alimentaires d’une population croissante, l’agriculture mondiale doit faire face à de multiples enjeux (économiques, écologiques et sociaux). Selon les estimations, il faudrait, pour répondre à ces besoins, parvenir d’ici à 2050 à une augmentation de 70% de la production agricole mondiale. Parce qu’elle a notamment pour objectifs de promouvoir la production d’aliments … Continue reading
Les abeilles dans l’UE: un bilan de santé inquiétant
Ces deux dernières décennies, les apiculteurs européens voient mourir un nombre anormalement élevé de leurs ruches. Au delà des conséquences sur le secteur apicole lui-même, les enjeux agricoles et écologiques de la disparition des abeilles sont considérables. Ce phénomène de mortalités excessives n’a pas d’explication unique identifié, mais il serait lié aux effets combinés et … Continue reading
New rules for specialised food products
Foods for particular nutritional uses (PARNUTs) are currently regulated under the PARNUTs Directive, differently from other food products. Problems with the application of the Directive include overlaps with other food legislation, legal loopholes, and inconsistent national interpretation. To remedy these problems, the Commission has proposed to replace the PARNUTs Directive with a new Regulation applying … Continue reading
Horsemeat fraud in the food chain
6 language versions available in PDF format Pferdefleisch-Betrugsskandal in der Nahrungsmittelkette El fraude de la carne de caballo en la cadena alimentaria Fraude à la viande de cheval dans la chaîne alimentaire La frode della carne equina nella catena alimentare Konina – oszustwo w łańcuchu żywnościowym Horsemeat fraud in the food chain Following the discovery … Continue reading
Religious slaughter of animals in the EU
Religious texts set down traditional methods of slaughter; simply using a knife to kill the animal. The right to continue using these methods is strongly contested between members of the Jewish and Muslim faiths and animal rights activists. Opponents of the practice feel that animals should be stunned before slaughter – standard industry practice worldwide … Continue reading
EU-US trade agreement: the issues of consumer protection and food safety
In 2011, a high-level working group on Jobs and Growth (HLWG) was tasked by EU and US leaders to analyse possibilities for increasing transatlantic trade and investment. In its interim report, the HLWG proposed the conclusion of a comprehensive EU-US trade and investment agreement, to tackle tariff and non-tariff barriers (including regulatory divergences in a … Continue reading
Download the EPRS App
