Inside this issue

• Editorial
• CIAA Portions Panel Discussion
• ETP ‘Food for Life’ 5th anniversary stakeholder event
• 4th Annual European Nutrition & Lifestyle Conference
• 3rd Conference on Sustainable Agriculture `The Art of Farming`
• TRUEFOOD publishes knowledge and technology transfer guidelines
• CIAA outlines it priorities on the CAP after 2013
• Global Food Safety Initiative recognises the Food Safety Systems certification scheme (FSSC 22000)
• CIAA Personnel Changes

  Editorial

Welcome to the first CIAA E-newsletter in 2010 covering the multitude of our activities over the past three months.  As you will read, European food and drink manufacturers have been closely following developments on the food information proposal among others, organising a host of key events and have launched a new quarterly Economic Bulletin.

On the legislative agenda, the European Parliament`s lead Committee (ENVI) voted on the food information to consumers proposal on 16 March.   Manufacturers are happy to see that MEPs are moving in a positive direction on issues such as legibility and the recognition of Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs) within the scope of the Commission’s proposal. While we welcomed the deletion of amendments proposing traffic lights on foods, on nutrition labelling more generally (particularly regarding ‘front-of-pack’), there is a fear of information overload leading to widespread consumer confusion.  Ahead of the plenary vote, CIAA will continue to closely follow the discussions and seek support for the commitment and efforts undertaken thus far by CIAA members in providing clear, ‘at-a-glance’ nutrition information to consumers via the voluntary GDA scheme. 

On the events side, I am delighted to inform you that preparations are getting underway for this year’s CIAA Congress, which takes place at The Square Congress Centre, Brussels on 18 and 19 November.  As stakeholders start focussing on the challenges and opportunities which lie ahead for the next decade, we are pleased to announce that this year’s theme will be: “The European food and drink industry`s vision for 2020: People, Planet and Partnership. Challenges and opportunities for a more competitive industry’’. A ‘Save the Date’ should have arrived in your mailbox already two weeks ago and more details about speakers, panel sessions and practical information will be posted soon on our website. 

CIAA also hosted the European Technology Platform (ETP) “Food for Life” Fifth Anniversary Stakeholder event on 3 March. The event gathered together over 170 major stakeholders and ETP members, including industry, academia and researchers to celebrate the successes and achievements of this programme to date.

Similarly, the industry has been at the forefront of encouraging a constructive exchange of views among interested parties on the issue of nanotechnology.  CIAA organised its Third Stakeholder Dialogue Day on this discussion on 23 March.  The event attracted an excellent line-up of speakers to discuss the approval for uses of nanotechnology, its potential benefits, constraints and the challenge of consumer acceptance.  An overview of the event will be available shortly on our website.

In addition, over the coming weeks, the EU Platform for action on Diet, Physical Activity and Health will celebrate its Fifth Anniversary in April. To mark this special event, CIAA is hosting an informal dinner debate on Tuesday 4 May at the Conrad Brussels Hotel inviting all EU Platform members and other key stakeholders to celebrate progress achieved over the past half decade and to discuss the challenges that now lie ahead. 

Finally, I’m delighted to announce the launch of CIAA’s first Quarterly Economic Bulletin in March. The Bulletin builds on information provided in our Annual Report, Data and Trends and Competitiveness brochures and offers a shorter-term overview of the evolution of the EU food and drink industry in terms of production, turnover, import and exports and employment.

Bonne Lecture!

Mella Frewen
Director General
CIAA