"european parliament" news and stories

With the safety and ethics of new food technologies causing concern across Europe, the European Parliament asked Wednesday for a ban on the sale of foods from cloned animals and their offspring, the New York Times reported. The group also called for a suspension of foods containing ingredients created with nanotechnology.

The parliament is looking to create legislation that deals specifically with cloning because of concerns over the process and animal cruelty, the Times reported.

"Although no safety concerns have been identified so far with meat produced from cloned animals, this technique raises serious issues about animal welfare, reduction of biodiversity, as well as ethical concerns," said Corinne Lepage, a French member of the European Parliament.

In 2008 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said there were no inherent safety problems with meat or milk from cloned animals -- specifically cows, goats or pigs -- or their offspring, Slashfood reported. It also lifted a moratorium on the sale of meat from cloned animals or their kin.

"Pick up a dozen eggs" is familiar supermarket shorthand the world over, but if legislators in the European Union get their way, it might become an outdated expression. In an effort to standardize labeling, the European Parliament wants to stop labeling foods by number. To protect consumers, they say, labels should display weight or volume -- not the number of items in a pack.

Makes sense in theory, but in practice, it goes against years of consumer habits, and English politicians are fighting back. "We know what customers want," UK Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman told the BBC. "They want to buy eggs by the dozen and they should be allowed to -- a point I shall be making clear to our partners in Europe."

EU countries currently have exemptions that allow some pre-packed foods (like eggs or rolls) to be sold by number alone. Changing this practice could cost business owners in a big way. Conservative MEP Syed Kamall warned that "millions of pounds could be wasted by shops and bakers having to change packaging just to comply" with the new legislation, and the UK Federation of Bakers is protesting that bakeries would have to invest in expensive new weighing equipment. It says customers understand that "no two rolls are the same."