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At the beginning of last week, we reported on how the EU-Vietnam
trade agreement had entered into force, and the European Commission
saying that 99% of duties on goods traded by both sides would be
removed as a result of the deal.
Cyprus made headlines when its national parliament voted not to
ratify the EU free trade agreement with Canada amid concerns about
one of Cyprus's most celebrated agricultural products - halloumi
cheese.
In Romania, a bill was passed to limit trans fats in food,
whilst in Germany, the country's main agri-food industry
association was accused of watering down the Nutri-Score
ratings.
In Slovenia, the government announced plans to amend an
agriculture law in order to ban roadside fruit stalls and in
Russia, Geographical Indications were introduced into the country's
legal code.
In Poland, authorities said they were planning to introduce a
"supermarket tax" on 1 January 2021 which is expected to generate
about PLN 1.6 billion (€363 million) in revenue in its first year
for the state budget. In Ireland, the government announced details
of a €50 million aid package aimed at providing income support for
42,000 beef farmers struggling with the economic downturn caused by
COVID-19 pandemic.
US FDA, Senate, industry and court action
In the US, industry announced it was committing to phasing out
some PFAS chemicals from food packaging.
The FDA released guidance that sets arsenic limits in baby food,
and health advocates petitioned the FDA to tighten the regulation
of "transition formula" and "toddler milks".
US lawmakers called for an investigation into the acquisition of
one of the country's largest lamb processing facilities by JBS and
meat giant Tyson denied liability in the COVID-19 wrongful death
suit it is facing,
Democat Senators in Congress called for reforms to the pesticide
regulatory process which would compel the Environmental Protection
Agency to immediately ban an array of pesticides deemed dangerous
to human health and the environment.
Finally, in the US courts, a federal judge in Brooklyn New York
dismissed a class action lawsuit against Mondelez Global, the maker
of Oreo cookies, in which plaintiffs claimed the company deceived
consumers by stating that Oreos are "always made with real
cocoa."
