End of January, the French Food Safety Authority (ANSES) published its much-anticipated >Scientific Opinion related to the characterisation and assessment of health impacts of consuming ultra-processed foods (UPFs).

The report criticises the NOVA classification for being too broad and calls into question the suitability of using UPF as a marker for setting good public health policy. It acknowledges growing scientific studies finding associations between UPF consumption and negative dietary health but notes the “low weight of evidence” to date. Moreover, the experts note that the classification studied does not take into account the risk of the appearance of neo-formed substances (like acrylamide), which constitutes one objective element.

The report emphasises the need for a better understanding of the mechanisms by which processing affects food and subsequently health and recommends further research to develop a more refined classification system that considers processing methods, nutrient composition, additives, and related health impacts.

End of February, the European Commission adopted a new package of proposals to simplify EU rules, boost competitiveness, and unlock additional investment capacity.

This first “omnibus” package covers a far-reaching simplification in the fields of sustainable finance reporting, sustainability due diligence, EU Taxonomy, carbon border adjustment mechanism, and European investment programmes.

For instance, the Commission proposes to narrow the scope of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) to companies with more than 1,000 employees (instead of 250 currently) or to limit the due diligence obligations (Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive) for companies to direct partners only (Tier 1 suppliers) instead of the entire value chain.

Please consult the detailed Q&A document prepared by the Commission explaining all the changes foreseen. The legislative proposals will now be submitted to the European Parliament and the Council for their consideration and adoption.

The ESA annual activity report is now available! You can read it online here.

The report focuses primarily on the key milestones for the association in 2024 and briefly covers the most important issues dealt with in the different working groups. As with previous editions, we’ve made it neat and concise for you and our stakeholders to read through!

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you again for your continued support and involvement in ESA’s activities. We look forward to another year of fruitful collaboration to make our industry and your business succeed!

Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare, Olivér Várhelyi, shared his priorities for the coming mandate in an interview posted on the European Commission website earlier this month. He reaffirmed that preventive health will be a priority and especially when it comes to tackling cardiovascular diseases, referred to as the “biggest killer in the EU”.

“I intend to create a European Cardiovascular Health Plan, similar to the Cancer Plan but even more operational. Cardiovascular diseases have major advantage over most cancers – they are usually preventable and we have more research available”, he noted. It is anticipated that issues like labelling, food and drink marketing or reformulation could feature in the plan. The Commissioner has not yet announced a calendar for this initiative.

On Wednesday 22 January, and after a long and complex legislative process, the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) was finally published in the EU Official Journal this morning. The final text is now available in all 24 EU official languages.

The Regulation is set to enter into force on the twentieth day following its publication (11 February 2025), and the first measures shall apply from 12 August 2026.

However, the work is far from being over, since a number of delegated and implementing, as well as guidelines, still have to be prepared to help authorities and stakeholders with the implementation of the Regulation.