Food Quality in the European Union: Does the Consumer Have Free Choice?

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Maria EL GEMAYEL
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Food Quality ◽  
Free Choice ◽  
Quality Standards ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Food Law ◽  
General Decline ◽  
Main Factor

While it is a consumer’s prerogative to be offered all kinds of food products they can choose from, it is also a consumer’s own responsibility as to what kind of products they choose. It is still argued that free choice is only an illusion due to the general decline in food quality; in this context, the extent of free choice that the consumer has is considered, as well as the factors affecting it. These include fundamental European Union principles that demand strong science to prove safety, observe the lowest applicable quality standards and by extent offer a wide leniency range to food manufacturers when it comes to food quality. Another main factor stems from a food law that intensely focuses on securing food safety, while somehow disregarding quality. In addition to that, major efforts have been concentrated on strengthening food information for the purpose of enabling consumers to make healthier choices by both simplifying information on the front of packaging and increasing it on the back, while no direct changes targeting the composition of food have been proposed. As a result, what healthy food choices are left on the market and how accessible are they to consumers?

scholarly journals Exploring Sustainable Aspects regarding the Food Supply Chain, Agri-Food Quality Standards, and Global Trade: An Empirical Study among Experts from the European Union and the United States

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (18) ◽  
pp. 5987
Author(s):  
Katja Pietrzyck ◽  
Sebastian Jarzębowski ◽  
Brigitte Petersen
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
European Union ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Trade Policy ◽  
Food Quality ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Quality Standards ◽  
The United States ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Food Supply Chain

Sustainability is increasingly a priority in the policies of the European Union, especially in the Common Agricultural Policy. This paper focuses on Sustainable Development Goals, the European Green Deal, and the Farm to Fork Strategy in an attempt to establish a relationship with the European Union’s trade policy. Three selected components of the agri-food sector—the food supply chain, agri-food quality standards, and global trade—are examined in relation to defined sustainability aspects. The aim is to understand the interrelationship between the three components with specific regard to sustainability, to highlight their high complexity and current relevance, to contribute to systematic analysis in this area, and to present current progress. This qualitative‒explorative study is empirically supported by a survey of market experts, and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership between the European Union and the United States is used as an example. The results show the complexity between the relationships of the three components with a focus on sustainability and reveal a deep uncertainty. The most notable results are the limited level of knowledge and the insufficient attention from business representatives to sustainability aspects. Finally, the study identifies the state of integrating a sustainable perspective into European Union trade policy and provides suggestions for further research.

scholarly journals Achieving Air Quality Standards in the European Union

1998 ◽  
Vol 46 (5) ◽  
pp. 643-654 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeger Degraeve ◽  
Gert Jan Koopman
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Quality Standards ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Air Quality Standards

The Determinants of Vietnam’s Information and Communication Technologies Exports to the European Union

2022 ◽  
pp. 001573252110579
Author(s):  
Phan Thanh Hoan ◽  
Duong Thi Dieu My
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Gravity Model ◽  
Patent Application ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
The Eu

Vietnam is one of the top information and communication technologies (ICT) exporters globally, and the ICT products constitute nearly one-fifth of Vietnam’s total exports to the European Union (EU). This study empirically investigates the determinants of Vietnam’s ICT exports to the EU by applying the gravity model for trade with panel data from 2000 to 2019. Besides the traditional variables of the gravity model, we added gross capital formation, patent application and exchange rates as explanatory variables. The results show that among factors affecting Vietnam’s ICT export to the EU, market size, patent applications, and exchange rate are the most significant determinants. The article also suggests some policy implications for the development of ICT exports between the two parties. JEL Codes: F14, C2

The MycoGlobe project: a European Union funded successful experiment in enhancing cooperation and coordination amongst mycotoxin researchers worldwide

2008 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 493-500
Author(s):  
D. Bhatnagar ◽  
G. Perrone ◽  
A. Visconti
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Food Safety ◽  
Food Quality ◽  
Research Policy ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Quality And Safety ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Toxigenic Fungi ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Food Quality And Safety

In 2004, the European Commission approved the specific support action 'Integration of Mycotoxin and Toxigenic Fungi Research for Food Safety in the Global System' (MycoGlobe, contract FOOD-CT-2004-007174) within the Sixth Framework Programme, Food Quality and Safety. The aim of the MycoGlobe project (http://mycoglobe.ispa.cnr.it) was to implement the outcomes of a wide range of European research projects in the area of mycotoxins and toxigenic fungi by supporting, stimulating and facilitating cooperation between countries in the European Union and other countries that have bilateral scientific and technological cooperation agreement with the European Union (such as USA, Australia and South America). Through a series of conferences and interactions between scientists worldwide, MycoGlobe was a very successful project. The scientific significance of the MycoGlobe project consisted in the spread of knowledge of advanced research tools in genomics and sophisticated and rapid detection systems for mycotoxins and toxigenic fungi; and evaluation of research policy and procedures to achieve best practice for enhancement of food quality and safety by elimination of mycotoxins and toxigenic fungi from commodities. The socio-economic significance of the project was the setting up of a global collaborative network for research and technology transfer in the field of mycotoxins and toxigenic fungi, particularly for the benefit of the developing countries. A relevant outcome of the project was also the launching of the International Society for Mycotoxicology (http://www.mycotoxsociety. org) to promote research on mycotoxins and toxigenic fungi, thereby leading to prevention and reduction in exposure to mycotoxins, enhanced food safety and a greater public awareness of this area.

Time is of the essence: Explaining the duration of European Union lawmaking under the co-decision procedure

2021 ◽  
pp. 019251212110364
Author(s):  
Adam Kirpsza
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Decision Procedure ◽  
European Parliament ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Issue Linkage ◽  
Rational Choice Institutionalism ◽  
Legislative Procedure ◽  
Ordinary Legislative Procedure ◽  
European Parliament Elections

The article explores factors affecting the duration of the co-decision procedure (currently the ordinary legislative procedure), the main procedure for adopting legislation in the European Union. Drawing from rational choice institutionalism, it expects the speed of co-decision to be determined by three attributes: the impatience of legislators, issue linkage and the characteristics of Council and European Parliament negotiators ( relais actors). The hypotheses are tested using survival analysis on a dataset of 599 controversial legislative acts submitted and enacted under co-decision between 1999 and 2009. The results show that co-decision proposals are decided faster when they are urgent, negotiated prior to the European Parliament elections and concluded through single proposal logrolls. By contrast, multi-proposal packages and the ideological distance between relais actors prolong decision-making. Overall, the article contributes to the literature by showing that the impatience of legislators, package deals and the properties of negotiators are relevant drivers of co-decision duration.

Failure of Conciliation Talks on the Use of Animal Cloning for Food: “The Consumer's Right To Make Informed Food Choices”

2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 414-416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marine Friant-Perrot ◽  
Lise Rihouey
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Member States ◽  
Animal Cloning

While the introduction of GMOs in food is still being debated in many Member States of the European Union, a new field of discord just appeared around the issue of animal cloning.

Factors affecting the efficiency of wind power in the European Union countries

Energy Policy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 132 ◽  
pp. 965-977 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monika Papież ◽  
Sławomir Śmiech ◽  
Katarzyna Frodyma
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Wind Power ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
European Union Countries

scholarly journals Factors Affecting the Uptake of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles in the European Union

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (18) ◽  
pp. 3414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Panayotis Christidis ◽  
Caralampo Focas
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Electric Vehicles ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Classification Model ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Local Conditions ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Machine Learning Classification ◽  
Eu Member States

This paper explores the factors affecting the uptake of hybrid and electric vehicles in the European Union (EU) using data from two extensive cross-sectional surveys. Each survey consists of 26,500 responses to a questionnaire that combines socio-economic and behavioral aspects. The share of respondents across the EU stating that they would certainly or probably consider purchasing a hybrid or a battery-powered electric vehicle (H&EV) in the near future rose from 32% in 2014 to 37.4% in 2018. There is, however, a high variability among EU member states, as well as across different socio-economic groups. Propensity is highly correlated with income, educational attainment, and urbanization level. In order to address the high degree of collinearity, we applied a machine learning classification model to analyze and explain the interaction between the variables that affected the expressed propensity to purchase such a vehicle. The findings highlight something largely missing from the literature, namely that local conditions and regional variation are a major, if not decisive, factor regarding purchasing choices. Seen from a policy perspective, this conclusion may provide guidance regarding how to support the take up of H&EVs through measures that are tailored to the specific needs at the local level.

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