Following the statements on chlorpyrifos and chlorpyrifos-methyl issued by EFSA in August, which confirmed serious concerns for human health, the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed voted for the non-renewal of both chlorpyrifos and chlorpyrifos-methyl.
Both are organophosphate insecticides authorised for use on nuts, potatoes, beet, cereals, soy bean and fruits(in particular citrus) as well as in grain storage.
As a consequence of the non-renewal, the maximum residue levels (MRLs) of both plant protection products will be reduced to 0.01 mg/kg, by a separate regulation which is expected to be discussed at the standing committee in February. Given the health concerns, no transitional periods are anticipated – although a ‘deferral period’ of 3 months could be granted. The default MRL of 0.01 mg/kg is estimated to apply from summer 2020.

FoodDrinkEurope has published its latest Data & Trends report highlighting key figures and providing insights on the food and drink industry’s structure and economic performance in Europe. The industry employs 4.72 million people in the EU with a turnover of €1.2 trillion and €236 billion in added value, which makes it the largest manufacturing industry in the EU.

The report also provides an outlook on markets: About 75% of EU food and drink exports are destined for the EU single market, which represents 91% of the total food and drink turnover. The EU is the largest exporter of food and drink products in the world.

This year’s edition also includes brand new data on digitalisation in industry, automation, bio economy, the latest figures on the EU-UK food and drink trade, and an overview of the industry's contribution towards achieving the United Nations’ sustainable development goals.

Commission recommendation (EU) 2019/1888 on the monitoring of the presence of acrylamide in certain foods was published in the Official Journal on 11 November 2019.

The recommendation requests competent authorities and food business operators within the EU to regularly monitor for the presence and levels of acrylamide in food, particularly those products within the following categories:
Potato products, including rosti and croquettes; Bakery products, including rolls, croissants, doughnuts, pancakes and speciality bread; Cereal products, including crackers and honey roasted muesli; and Others, including vegetable crisps/fries, roasted nuts and oilseeds, coffee substitutes and dried fruits.
The recommendation also repeals the previous two recommendations (2013/647/EU and 2010/301/EU).

FoodDrinkEurope has published industry guidelines on Regulation (EC) No 1334/2008 on flavourings and certain food ingredients with flavouring properties for use in and on food..

These guidelines are intended to provide a common understanding of the major issues to be taken into account by different food businesses. They include interpretations and industry's common understanding of the Regulation, as well as some examples.

In preparation for the application of Regulation 2017/625 on official controls (which repeals Regulation 882/2004 as of 14 December 2019), a number of implementing and delegated acts are being published by the European Commission. .

The following regulations were published in October:
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1715 laying down rules for the functioning of the information management system for official controls and its system components (IMSOC Regulation). The IMSOC system should integrate the rapid alert system for food and feed (RASFF) fornotifying direct or indirect risk to human health deriving from food, the system for notifying and reporting the presence of pests in plants and plant products (EUROPHYT), the technical tools for administrative assistance and cooperation (AAC) and the TRACES system.
Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/1602 establishes the cases where and the conditions under which the Common Health Entry Document (CHED) is required. It does not apply to consignments in transit.
Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1714 amending Regulation (EC) No 669/2009 as regards the model of common entry document, in order to make it compatible with the new version of the TRACES system.

At the Circular Plastics Alliance (CPA) high-level conference on 20 September in Brussels, ESA president Rolf Nilges, on behalf of European savoury snack makers, signed a declaration aimed at ensuring that 10 million tonnes of recycled plastics find their way into new products by 2025.

The declaration has been signed by almost 100 stakeholders in the plastics value chain who will work together to support the transition to a circular economy. The declaration sets out a number of objectives and voluntary actions to make further progress notably on product design for recycling, recycled plastics content and collection and sorting.

The CPA governance model is currently being finalised and the actual work is due to start by the end of 2019. The declaration remains open for signature by any interested stakeholders, including individual companies.