Government and policy
What we eat is shaped by more than just taste. Discover how government policies influence everything from food labeling to food safety.
Government and policy
Say what? Your go-to glossary for sustainability and food systems jargon
An essential glossary defining complex terms in food systems, sustainability, and nutrition. Get clear definitions for topics like food security and UPFs.
To eat or not to eat: the truth about food date labels
Clear guidance on labels, storage, freezing, and clever stock rotation.
Are European governments doing enough to tackle junk food?
Junk food’s impact on health and the growing push for change
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions for Government and policy
Understanding the difference between these labels can help you stay safe and reduce food waste.
Use-by date (safety): Found on fresh meat, fish, and dairy, these foods should never be eaten once the date has passed.
Best-before date (quality): This focuses on quality, not safety. Foods like pasta, rice, and tinned goods are generally safe to eat after this date, though they may lose freshness.
Tinned foods: Once opened, tinned foods lose quality. Transfer them to a container in the fridge and consume within a few days.
Governments are there to protect public health. They can regulate what goes into our food and how it’s marketed. While some governments are stepping up against junk food, others are not doing enough to address the problem.
Some good examples of how several European countries have made positive changes to protect their citizens include:
Adding taxes
Clear & honest labelling
Nutri-score labelling
Traffic light system for food labelling
Fairtrade is a certification system that promises that the product you're buying was made fairly.
It means everyone involved, from the farmers to the workers, was treated and paid fairly and worked in safe conditions. It’s about fairness in the whole journey from farm to shop. Fairtrade works in two simple ways to help farmers.
Minimum price: This is like a safety net. It promises that farmers will always get paid a certain minimum amount, even when the price drops on world markets.
Premium: Second, it gives extra money that helps the farmers’ community. The premium is bonus money that doesn’t go to individual farmers, but into a shared pot for the whole community. They might fix a broken well so everyone has clean water, build a new school for the children, or buy better farming tools that everyone can share.
In Europe, health claims on food labels aren’t just made up by marketing. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is responsible for assessing and approving these claims. They have a strict process to ensure these claims are backed by science. EU legislation has been in effect for over ten years to prevent misleading information and stop companies from using false health claims.
Health claims must be authorised before they appear on food labels to protect consumers from being misled. Out of the thousands of health claims sent in by companies to the EFSA since 2007, only about 260 have been approved.