What regulatory challenges should food makers be mindful of in 2021? FoodNavigator catches up with regulatory compliance expert Nicola Smith from Squire Patton Boggs to find out.
Leading up to the will-they-or-won’t-they UK-EU Brexit deal, food labelling requirements and cross-border health certificates for products of animal origin were front-of-mind for many in the industry.
But moving into 2021, Brexit will not be the only regulatory challenge on food players’ minds.
According to regulatory compliance expert Nicola Smith, who heads up Environmental, Safety & Health at global law firm Squire Patton Boggs, food business operators (FBOs) should be mindful of food safety regulations in so-called dark kitchens, incoming allergen laws in the UK, and the EU-wide ‘dual quality’ directive.
Beneo doubling down on the clean label mega trend Beneo predicts to see significant growth in the market for chicory root, sugar beet, wheat and rice starches as consumers in 2021 demand cleaner but also natural easily recognisable ‘cupboard ingredients’.
With end consumers demanding the development of more balanced and healthy food products it can be a challenge for food manufacturers to balance reformulation using ingredients that consumers are not familiar but which offer a full nutritional profile that can address public health demands with the clean label and natural trend.
Rudy Wouters, Vice President of the Beneo Technology Center, told FoodNavigator that the ingredient supplier is focussed on innovating with a wide range of ingredients derived from chicory root, sugar beet, rice and wheat that are highly recognisable to consumers.
DNA technology ‘ready, willing and able’ to deliver transparency to meat products DNA testing can help bolster confidence in meat products, believes traceability expert IdentiGEN.
We know that today’s consumers expect heightened levels of traceability – particularly when it comes to meat, where animal welfare, health and environmental concerns are often in the spotlight.
Anxieties around origins of products and ingredients have further clearly been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Market researcher Nielson, for example, notes that more than ever, shoppers want to understand the supply chain, with complete transparency from farm to factory to distribution, and they want details of the measures being taken to assure their safety.
Encouraging EU shoppers to make the right choice: ‘Food sustainability is in consumers’ hands’ The consumer is integral to the success of a healthy and sustainable Farm to Fork strategy. How is the European Commission supporting shoppers to make better diet choices?
The European Commission’s Farm to Fork (F2F) Strategy, unveiled in May 2020, aims to engage all players along the supply chain – from, as the name suggests, farm-to-fork.
In an effort to improve human and planetary health, the Commission has set a host of actions directed at the agricultural sector. These include reduction targets for chemical and hazardous pesticides, and fertilisers, as well as improved animal welfare.