Hard cheese: the taste of food cannot be copyrighted, EU court says

DutchNews, November 13, 2018

The taste of food cannot be copyrighted, the European Court of Justice has ruled
in a dispute which centres on a Dutch processed cheese.

The dispute is between the makers of Heks’nkaas (witches’ cheese) and Witte Wievenkaas (white or wise women’s cheese), both of which are a spreadable cream cheese with herbs. 

Heks’nkaas first came on the market in 2007 and was then owned by food group Levola. In 2014, Frisian company Smilde began producing Witte Wievenkaas and Levola went to court, arguing that the new product was too similar to Heks’nkaas. 

The Dutch court then referred the case to the European court in Luxembourg for its opinion. 

In that ruling published on Tuesday, judges say that, in order to be protected by copyright under EU directives, the taste of a food product must be capable of being classified as a ‘work’. 

To be classed as a ‘work’ the subject matter is an original intellectual creation, the court said. 

In the case of food, however, the taste ‘cannot be identified with precision and objectivity’, the court said. ‘The taste of a food product will be identified essentially on the basis of taste sensations and experiences, which are subjective and variable.’ 

A spokesman for Smilde welcomed the ruling, saying it had helped to further define the boundaries of intellectual property.

EU judges offer no 'break' to Kit Kat trademark war

Yahoo – AFP, 25 July 2018

The European Court of Justice ordered the EU's intellectual property office to
consider its trademark recognition of Nestle's iconic Kit Kat chocolate bar

The European Union's top court on Wednesday ordered the EU's intellectual property office to "reconsider" Kit Kat's bloc-wide trademark, prolonging Nestle's decade-long battle to claim exclusive rights over the chocolate bar's distinctive shape.

Nestle has been locked in a blockbuster legal war with US rival Mondelez, maker of Cadbury chocolate, over the four-fingered wafer biscuit which was first sold in 1935.

In a closely watched case, the European Court of Justice said the EU's intellectual property office must go back to the drawing board and revisit its 2006 to decision to grant Kit Kat an EU trade mark based on its shape.

But in a break for Nestle, the Luxembourg-based ECJ did not cancel the trade mark outright, as suggested by the court's top advisor in April, with the EU intellectual property office now tasked to re-visit the basis for awarding the trademark.

"Today no one has won, no one has lost. Nestle has saved time because its brand remains registered for the time being," a court source told AFP.

"But Nestle did lose a battle as it would have preferred a full confirmation of the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) decision," the source added.

The EU's intellectual property office allowed Nestle in 2006 to trademark what the court calls the "three-dimensional shape of the 'Kit Kat 4 fingers' product".

This trademark has helped keep copycat candy-bars out of grocery stores, and punished the development of similar treats owned by Mondelez, including the Norwegian favourite Kvikk Lunsj, a Kit Kat doppelganger.

The EU's intellectual property office "must reconsider whether the three-dimensional shape of a '4 Finger KitKat' can be retained as an EU trade mark," a court statement said.

At issue is that the food giant specifically failed to provide evidence that the Kit Kat shape was well enough known in Belgium, Ireland, Greece and Portugal.

A lower EU court "was right to annul the EU's intellectual property office decision, in which it concluded that distinctive character had been acquired" without including those countries in the case, a statement said.

The trade mark criteria "must be shown throughout the EU," it said.

Nestle has already lost a legal bid in Britain -- currently an EU member state but set to leave next year -- to trademark the Kit Kat shape.

"Today?s judgment is not final," a Nestle spokesperson said in an email.

"We think the evidence proves that the familiar shape of our iconic four finger KitKat is distinctive enough to be registered as an EU Trademark," Nestle added.

The European Court of Justice ordered the EU's intellectual property office to consider its trademark recognition of Nestle's iconic Kit Kat chocolate bar

Top European chefs take electric pulse fishing off the menu

Yahoo – AFP, January 11, 2018

More than 200 top chefs across Europe have pledged to stop sourcing seafood
obtained by electric pulse fishing.

More than 200 top chefs across Europe have pledged to stop sourcing seafood obtained by electric pulse fishing, days before an EU vote that could expand the use of the controversial technique, an ocean advocacy group said Thursday.

"We refuse to work with seafood coming from a fishing method that condemns our future and that of the ocean," said the text written by Christopher Coutanceau, whose restaurant on the Atlantic coast in La Rochelle, western France, has earned two Michelin stars.

The practice involves dragging electrically charged lines just above the seafloor that shock marine life up from low-lying positions into trawling nets.

EU rules allow member states to equip up to five percent of their fleets with electrodes, and the method has been adopted in particular by Dutch vessels fishing for sole.

On Tuesday, the EU is to vote on the practice, which critics say harms too many fish that are left on the seabed, as well as those that are harvested.

"Electric trawlers produce catches of poor quality, fish which underwent stress and are often marked by post-electrocution bruises," according to the text released by Bloom, a French NGO.

"It is impossible to work with such low-quality products."

The signatories included French chefs Helene Darroze, Yannick Alleno and Olivier Roellinger, who has longed worked to improve sustainability in the fishing industry.

Spanish chefs Elena Arzak and Quique Dacosta, Italy's Antonino Cannavacciuolo and Alfonso and Ernesto Iaccarino, and Thomas Buehner and Heinz Winkler of Germany also signed the text.

On Wednesday, several members of the European parliament asked for a delay to next week's vote on electric pulse fishing, in order to allow time for an "informed debate".

For Jerry Percy of the Low-Impact Fishers of Europe (LIFE), which claims to represent about 80 percent of Britain's independent fishermen, a main problem is the lack of solid data on the long-term consequences of the practice on fishing stocks.

The method is outlawed in many parts of the world, including China, but proponents say it is more environmentally friendly and results in lower fuel usage for boats.

Bloom had already filed in October a case against the Netherlands with the European Commission, accusing the country of illegally authorising its trawlers to use the technique.

Italy's 100 club village reveals its secret

Yahoo – AFP, September 5, 2016

Italian Antonio Vassallo, 100 years-old, and his wife Amina Fedollo, 93, pose
 in their house in Acciaroli, southern Italy, on August 23, 2016 (AFP Photo/
Mario Laporta)

Rome (AFP) - Scientists on Monday revealed part of the secret to why a small village in southern Italy has an unusual number of centenarians -- low levels of a particular hormone that affects circulation.

Italian and US experts have spent the last six months investigating the extraordinary longevity of residents of Acciaroli, where more than one in 10 -- 81 at the mayor's last count -- of the village's population of 700 is over 100 years old.

Acciaroli is part of the Cilento coast, an area of outstanding natural beauty where the late US nutritionist Ancel Keys first established convincing evidence of the health benefits of a Mediterranean diet based on olive oil and rich in fresh fruit, vegetables and fish.

As well as reaching extremely old age, people in Acciaroli and tiny communities nearby also seem to be largely immune to dementia, heart disease and other chronic conditions associated with ageing in most of the Western world.

Researchers from Rome's Sapienza University and the San Diego School of Medicine said Monday that the explanation could lie in low levels of adrenomedullin, a hormone that acts to widen blood vessels.

Adrenomedullin is present "in a much reduced quantity in the subjects studied and seems to act as a powerful protecting factor, helping the optimal development of microcirculation", or capillary circulation, they said in a statement.

Capillary blood vessels tend to degenerate in older people, but the seniors in Cilento had capillaries of the sort found in much younger people, even those in their 20s.

The study also found "metabolites present (in the bodies of those studied) which may have a positive influence on longevity and the well-being of Cliento's centenarians", the statement said, without giving further details.

The researchers have decided to extend the study and expand their research, including by launching a fundraising campaign.

Aside from blood tests, the researchers also carried out cardiac and neurological tests, Alan S. Maisel, the San Diego cardiologist heading up the project, told AFP.

The scientists are looking into whether genetics could combine with lifestyle factors -- diet and physical activity -- to extend the villagers' longevity.

The Cilento locals all eat rosemary -- known to improve brain function -- almost every day, and also all practise some physical activity daily, such as fishing, walking or gardening, another line of enquiry for the scientists.

Before Monday's release of results, Maisel also pointed to what may be another important ingredient in the recipe for a long and happy life.

"Sexual activity among the elderly appears to be rampant," Maisel said. "Maybe living long has something to do with that, it's probably the good air and the joie de vivre."

Monsanto drops Syngenta takeover bid

US agrochemicals giant Monsanto has dropped its unwelcome takeover bid for Swiss rival Syngenta. Antitrust concerns were among Syngenta's reasons for rejecting its American suitor, the company said.

Deutsche Welle, 26 Aug 2015

Monsanto farmer in the US

Monsanto, the giant US corporation that produces pesticides and genetically engineered pesticide-resistant seeds, announced Wednesday in New York that it would discontinue its attempt to take over its Swiss rival Syngenta.

"Without a basis for constructive engagement from Syngenta, Monsanto will continue to focus on its growth opportunities built on its existing core business to deliver the next wave of transformational solutions for agriculture," Monsanto said in a statement. It also said it would resume a share buyback program.

Syngenta confirmed it had rejected Monsanto's latest and last offer, which "significantly undervalued [Syngenta] and was fraught with execution risk."

Monsanto's most recent bid, proposed August 18, was worth about $46 billion (40 billion euros). Over the past weeks, Syngenta had repeatedly said it was worried a merger deal between the two giants would be blocked on antitrust grounds.

Share turmoil

Monsanto shared have droped 13 percent between August 18 and 25 amid global market turmoil. With nearly half Monsanto's takeover offer based on a share swap, the merger would have entailed significant exposure to market volatility.

Syngenta said in its statement Wednesday that "recent market volatility" had "highlighted the significant risk" to Syngenta's shareholders associated with the proposed merger.

After the two companies announced merger talks were over, Syngenta shares dropped 18 percent and Monsanto shares jumped by over 8 percent.

Location, location

Monsanto had envisioned shifting the merged company's headquarters from Monsanto's current home base of St Louis, in the midwestern US state of Missouri, to Britain.

The idea, according to Monsanto chief executive Hugh Grant in an April 18 letter to Syngenta executives, was that "our merger will create a new global enterprise focused on future growth across all geographies... The combination of our companies would redefine the future of agriculture."

Syngenta said Monsanto had failed to provide "sufficient clarity" on a number of concerns, including regulatory risk, the tax consequences of shifting the company's registered headquarters from the US to Britain, and the estimated financial benefits of the proposed merger.

"We engaged with Monsanto in good faith and highlighted those key issues which required more concrete information in order to continue a dialogue. We take note of Monsanto's decision," Syngenta chairman Michel Demare said, adding that "our Board is confident Syngenta's long-term prospects remain very attractive."

Mergers and emerging monopolies

Syngenta was itself formed in 2000 as a result of the merger of Swiss-based Novartis Agribusiness and UK-based Zeneca Agrochemicals, which were the agrochemical, seeds and biotech businesses of pharmaceuticals and agrochemical giants Novartis and Zeneca.

Mergers in the agrochemicals industry have led to a situation where only six companies dominate the bulk of global agrochemicals sales, including Syngenta, Bayer CropScience, BASF, Dow Agrosciences, Monsanto and DuPont.

nz/hg (Reuters, AFP)

Related Articles:

Scotland to ban genetically modified crops


"The Biggest Filter" - July 18-19, 2015 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (Text version)

“..  Health

Normal good health is turning to simple physics for some of the simplest things. New kinds of foods are being grown with new physics, not chemistry. These will be physic-foods [Kryon name] that are not genetically altered or chemically altered, but benevolently enhanced by physics! This causes a new kind of super growth that can feed the planet in a way it's never been fed before. It will create food that is resistant to absolutely everything - insects, bacteria and disease - all through physics. Who thought of that? What you're expecting in the future regarding health is based upon the past. The big filter of past knowledge keeps you from thinking out of the box. You don't know what you don't know.  ….”

More than two million migratory birds killed in Cyprus

Yahoo – AFP, 9 Mar 2015

More than two million migratory birds were killed in Cyprus last autumn to feed 

an illicit taste for the delicacy on the Mediterranean island, a conservationist 

group said Monday (AFP Photo/Francois Nascimbeni)

Nicosia (AFP) - More than two million migratory birds were killed in Cyprus last autumn to feed an illicit taste for the delicacy on the Mediterranean island, a conservationist group said Monday.

The survey by Birdlife Cyprus was carried out in the key season between September and October and estimates the number of birds indiscriminately trapped in nets or with limesticks.

The group said its surveillance showed "a dramatic situation of this illegal activity sadly taking place," with the number of mist nets used almost doubling in 2014 from the year before.

It found some 16 kilometres (10 miles) of net supports active during autumn and more than 6,000 limesticks were reported from enforcement agencies and other non-governmental organisations.

Limesticks are twigs covered in a sticky substance that instantly trap birds that alight onto them, leaving them to dangle helplessly.

"With these trapping levels for autumn 2014, BirdLife Cyprus estimated that over two million birds could have been killed across the whole of Cyprus," said Birdlife, the most since it began monitoring the activity 13 years ago.

Such methods are used to catch blackcaps and song thrushes, much sought after delicacies that fetch up to 80 euros ($86) for a dozen at Cypriot restaurants.

The Game and Fauna Service, in charge of the fight against poaching in Cyprus, says the illegal trade is worth about 15 million euros a year.

Birdlife said the figures showed illegal trappings were now "out of control" and that more needed to be done by the authorities in Cyprus, including the British military at bases on the island.

'Out of control'

A clampdown on restaurants was needed to prevent Cyprus revisiting the 1990s when up to 10 million birds were estimated to have been killed.

An estimated 60 species are listed as threatened or in need of protection 

are snared in illegal Cypriot traps (AFP Photo/Menahem Kahana)

Autumn is the peak season for bird trapping with an estimated 3,000-4,000 poachers involved. The numbers for spring are lower because the birds are less plump.

Birdlife Cyprus chief Clairie Papazoglou said poaching was a "serious, persistent and growing problem" in "what has been the worst year with the highest trapping levels since the start of the monitoring programme in 2002".

Tim Stowe of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds called for zero-tolerance by the British military.

"The report highlights the illegal trapping of songbirds on the British military base has escalated and we are urging the Ministry of Defence... to resolve it before this autumn's migration," said Stowe.

A huge crackdown on trappers and restaurants was enforced before Cyprus joined the European Union in 2004, but now conservationists say the government lacks the political will to eradicate the trade.

Birdlife has also called for tougher sentencing available to the courts to be enforced while pinpointing a need to change attitudes towards killing and eating migratory birds.

The law provides for penalties of up to three years in jail and fines as high as 17,000 euros but these are rarely imposed.

During winter, millions of birds take refuge in Cyprus from colder northern climates.

An estimated 60 species are listed as threatened or in need of protection are snared in illegal Cypriot traps.

Russian bear grumbles as food sanctions hit Moscow zoo

Yahoo – AFP, 8 Aug 2014

A polar bear eats bread in the Moscow Zoo on August 8, 2014

Moscow (AFP) - Russia's drastic ban on food imports from Europe has claimed it first victims -- the rather choosy animals at Moscow zoo.

Keepers at the zoo, one of Europe's oldest, are scrambling to adjust the menus for its animals, which rely heavily on Dutch vegetables and Polish apples.

"Almost all the animals eat fruits and vegetables except for those who eat fish," said Moscow Zoo spokeswoman Anna Kachurovskaya.

A northern fur seal eats a fish in

 Moscow Zoo on August 8, 2014 (AFP

Photo/Kirill Kudryavtsev)

"Those who eat fish are also in trouble because fish is also embargoed."

With fears of rising food prices hitting poor Russians, the animals have also been caught in the crossfire of the tit-for-tat sanctions war with the West over Russian involvement in Ukraine.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Thursday announced the embargo on most food imports from the EU, the United States and several other countries in a measure that includes beef, pork, fruit and vegetable produce, poultry, fish, cheese, milk and dairy products.

The zoo will now have to find new suppliers, in particular for celery and apples, and said it is very concerned about feeding the animals in the winter when Russian produce is not as readily available.

Russian officials have voiced confidence that new suppliers for most imported products can be found, although certain items may be difficult to replace quickly.

Apples are a particular favourite of the zoo's bears, an animal synonymous with Russia that for many symbolises the country's virility and independence.

"So the bear eats apples. It used to eat Polish apples, now it will have to eat Russian ones," Kachurovskaya said. "That is not the problem, the problem is we are uncertain about what we will have to confront in the winter."

"In general we use imported products for the animals for a variety of reasons, including their preferences as well as cost," Kachurovskaya said.

"We are looking at what we can do, but it is not going to be easy."

The zoo, a sprawling grounds in the Moscow city centre which has more than 150 wild animals, celebrates its 150th anniversary this year.

Related Article:

EU imposes new sanctions in 'a strong warning' to Russia

Nestlé agrees to pay all employees living wage

Company to pay entire UK workforce – including agency and contract staff – minimum of £8.80 in London or £7.65 elsewhere

theguardian.com, Press Association, Monday 30 June 2014

Nestle becomes the largest manufacturer to sign up to the living
wage in the UK. Photograph: Laurent Gillieron/EPA

Food giant Nestlé has become the first leading manufacturer to commit to paying the living wage.

The firm already pays at least the living wage to its 8,000 staff but the move will benefit contract employees and agency workers. About 800 contractors working with Nestlé will implement it by December 2017.

The announcement was described by campaigners as a significant milestone in the drive to persuade employers to pay the living wage, which is currently set at £8.80 an hour in London and £7.65 elsewhere, compared to the national minimum wage of £6.31.

Nestlé UK & Ireland's chief executive, Fiona Kendrick, said: "We are proud to be the first mainstream manufacturer in the UK to become a living wage employer and see this as an opportunity to be a positive influence in our sector.

"As a major UK employer, we know that this is the right thing to do. Not only does it benefit our employees but also the communities they live and work in."

Living Wage Foundation director Rhys Moore said: "The accreditation of Nestlé as a living wage employer marks a significant milestone in the campaign to tackle in-work poverty. We hope that the leadership they have shown will encourage others in this industry to follow suit and improve conditions for those at the lowest end of the pay scale and sub-contracted staff.

"We are aware that Nestlé is going above and beyond the basic requirements of becoming an accredited employer, and is extending their commitment to graduate, internship and school leaver programmes."

Len McCluskey, general secretary of Unite, said: "With in-work poverty on the rise, many employers are simply ignoring their responsibility to pay staff a decent wage. They should take note from Nestlé's positive stance which shows that paying a living wage is not just good for communities but makes good business sense too."

Tim Roache, of the GMB union, said: "Nestlé have always recognised their greatest asset is their workforce and are demonstrating this with action, not just words. This shows once and for all that if one leading manufacturer can pay a living wage to all employees including young workers and those contracted out, then many more are able to do so."

The business secretary, Vince Cable, said: "I welcome Nestlé's decision and encourage all businesses to pay their staff above the minimum wage when it is affordable and not at the expense of jobs."

The shadow business secretary, Chuka Umunna, said: "It is fantastic news that Nestlé is announcing its accreditation as a living wage employer, having worked in collaboration with Unite, GMB and the Living Wage Foundation to achieve this.

"We want to see as many businesses as possible take the decision to become living wage employers, so I hope other firms will follow the strong example which Nestlé is setting."

Tawdry tale of wine, fraud and spying grips Switzerland

Yahoo – AFP, Nina Larson, 15 June 2014

A bizarre scandal is swirling around one of Switzerland's leading wine producers

 after he was arrested last week along with a computer hacker, a detective and

a spy (AFP Photo/Jeff Pachoud)

Geneva (AFP) - A bizarre scandal is swirling around one of Switzerland's leading wine producers after he was arrested last week along with a computer hacker, a detective and a spy.

Dominique Giroud, 43, was taken into custody on Wednesday on suspicion of ordering the hacking of computers belonging to journalists who were investigating him over allegations of fraud.

He has been remanded in custody until July 14. If found guilty, he could be sentenced to up to five years behind bars.

A professional hacker, private detective and Swiss intelligence agent have also been arrested in connection with the case, the Geneva prosecutor's office said Friday.

Giroud, whose company Giroud Vins is based in the southwestern canton of Valais -- Switzerland's largest wine-growing region -- has been dogged by scandals for years.

His reputation has been so tarnished that he has even tried to change the business's name to Chateau Constellation, although it was rejected by regional authorities.

Giroud opened a small-scale business in 1995 with reportedly just 1.5 hectares of vineyards to his name and saw that swell to an estate of around 50 hectares over the next 20 years.

His castle-like winery on the outskirts of Sion, Valais' largest town, opened its doors in 2008 and is reportedly valued at around 15 million Swiss francs ($17 million, 12 million euros).

Giroud claims to sell up to nine million litres of wine each year, and is estimated to rake in around 50 million francs in sales, according to Swiss weekly Le Matin Dimanche.

With his ballooning fortune he sponsored numerous sports clubs across Switzerland, open a restaurant in Singapore and start a chain of Wine Universe stores, the paper reported on Sunday.

'Giroud is Scarface'

The wine producer is also said to be renowned for his ruthless tactics.

"Giroud is Scarface," one unnamed Valais wine industry source told the paper, referring to Al Pacino's hubristic mob boss character in the 1983 movie.

"He thought he was God. He thought he was above everyone," another said, while a third recalled how Giroud liked to brag that he alone could bring down both Switzerland's banking and wine industries if he wanted to.

Swiss authorities opened a tax fraud probe against him in 2011, and two years later demanded he pay 9.54 million Swiss francs in back taxes.

In February this year, national broadcaster RTS reported that he had illegally blended some 350,000 litres of wine between 2006 and 2009, passing it off as pure.

He also tried -- and failed -- to stop two RTS documentaries about his business from being aired last month.

The arrests last week centre on alleged attempts to hack the accounts of journalists at RTS and the Le Temps daily in an apparent bid to find the sources for their reporting on Giroud.

The private detective and the hacker say they carried out the spying on orders from their long-time business associate, the intelligence agent -- also a childhood friend of Giroud -- Le Matin Dimanche reported.

Both the private detective and the hacker reportedly attempted the operation thinking they were acting for the government.

The wine producer's lawyers insist he never gave his blessing to the hacking, while the agent has claimed through his lawyer that he had warned the group it was illegal.

EU member states to make own decisions on GM foods

EU member states have agreed that they should make their own national decisions about whether to approve genetically modified foods. Previously, states were required in most cases to implement decisions made by Brussels.

Deutsche Welle, 12 June 2014

According to Thursday's compromise, the EU's 28 member states now have the right to ban genetically modified (GM) foods from their national markets, even if the product in question has been approved by regulators in Brussels.

Alternatively, member states that want to permit GM foods are allowed to do so.

"The new system guarantees that the member states have a choice," French Environment Minister Segolene Royal said.

Only Belgium and Luxembourg voted against Thursday's decision. Luxembourg's environment minister, Carole Dieschbourg, expressed concern that some member states could opt to approve many new GM foods.

The European Parliament still has to approve Thursday's compromise decision.

Opposition to GM foods is strong in many European countries over concerns about potential negative health and environmental effects. But EU regulators have approved many GM crops as safe. GM crops are imported into the EU in large quantities for animal feed.

slk/hc (AFP, epd)

Lithuania bans sale of energy drinks to minors

The Lithuania Tribune, May 15, 2014

Energy drinks | Photo credit: Foter.com, CC BY-SA

Selling energy drinks to minors will be illegal in Lithuania when a new law, passed today, takes effect in November.

Only six parliamentarians abstained from this morning’s vote while 88 supported the food law amendment initiated by Dangute Mikutiene, chairperson of the parliamentary Committee for Health Affairs.

Under the new law, retailers, bartenders and others selling energy drinks must ask young buyers for identification certifying the buyer is at least 18 years.  Buying energy drinks on behalf of underage consumers will also be illegal.

The law also defines energy drinks as non-alcoholic beverages containing more than 150 mg per liter of caffeine or more than 150 mg liter of caffeine and a central nervous system stimulant such as glucuronlacton, inositol, guaranin, ginsenoside, ginkgo extract, or taurine.

The EU has been notified of the amendment.

The European Food Safety Authority last year interviewed 52,000 persons in 27 countries about their consumption of energy drinks.  The survey revealed that the energy drinks are most popular among teenagers comprising 68 percent of consumers.

Update:  Health Care Ministry aims to set a trend  in the European Union

Almantas Kranauskas of the Health Care Ministry said Lithuania may be the first in the EU to ban the sale of energy drinks to children.

“We sent inquiries to other EU countries. A small group did not respond. The ones that responded said they only have guidance restrictions. I cannot provide any official statistics but these are the results of our survey,” Kranauskas of the ministry’s Health Promotion Department told BNS.

“I believe it will be an impulse to other EU countries. Many countries stumble and may be influenced by the energy drink industry, which is very wealthy. This may help them decide,” said Kranauskas.

Kranauskas said the high levels of caffeine in energy drinks can stimulate hyperactivity and dangerous behaviors in children.  He also warned against the addictive nature of caffeine and warned it could be a gateway to other drugs,

“Some articles suggest this can stimulate to start using stronger psychotropic substances, including drugs.”

Halal row prompts calls for clearer meat labelling

Yahoo – AFP, 8 May 2014

Religious leaders in Britain are calling for the comprehensive labelling of meat

at point of sale, including details of how it was slaughtered (AFP Photo/Pascal Pavani)

London (AFP) - Religious leaders in Britain on Thursday called for all meat to be labelled with details of how it was slaughtered after it emerged halal and kosher meat in supermarkets is often not marked as such.

Representatives of Jewish and Muslim groups said in a letter to the Daily Telegraph that consumers should be informed at the point of sale of precisely how animals have been killed.

The call for comprehensive labelling comes after it emerged that people eating at Pizza Express and other restaurants were eating halal-slaughtered chicken without their knowledge.

"Comprehensive labelling should be supported by faith communities and animal welfare groups alike," said the letter signed by Henry Grunwald, chairman of Shechita UK, the body which represents the Jewish method of religious slaughter, and Dr Shuja Shafi, Deputy Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain.

"It would offer all consumers genuine choice, whether they are motivated by animal welfare, religious observance, or even intolerance of anyone who looks or worships differently to them."

Food labels should specify whether or not an animal has been stunned prior to slaughter "and whether it has endured repeat stuns if the first attempt was ineffective," they added.

"They should also be told the method of slaughter: captive bolt shooting, gassing, electrocution, drowning, trapping, clubbing or any of the other approved methods," the letter said.

More than 70 percent of New Zealand lamb sold in Britain now comes from halal slaughterhouses, although there is currently no requirement for information to be stated on the packaging.

Halal methods are used in order to ensure the meat can be sold to both Muslim and non-Muslim nations, with Middle East countries a major market for New Zealand lamb exports.

"We all follow the rules set down by the European Union (in the British market)," Craig Finch, UK and Europe Regional Manager for Beef and Lamb New Zealand told AFP.

"Currently there is no labelling requirement in terms of halal.

"It's based on commercial and logistical factors -- we take a consistent approach that meets regulations across the board in our different markets around the world."

A sheep is pictured in a field at Sandfly Bay near Dunedin in New Zealand

on September 23, 2011 (AFP Photo/Paul Ellis)

Asked whether clearer labelling should be considered in Britain, Finch said that it was a matter for regulators in different markets and that limits should be placed on labelling because of space constraints.

"It really becomes a regulatory issue. But that information about slaughter methods is already clear on our website," he said.

Finch added that all of the lamb exported to Britain was from sheep that had been 'pre-stunned' and was unconscious before slaughter in accordance with New Zealand law.

Former health secretary Andrew Lansley meanwhile backed calls for shoppers to be given information to help them when making purchases.

Lansley told the House of Commons that the Consumer Rights Bill, which returns to parliament next week, could provide an opportunity to address the issue.

A bill put before the house in 2012 by Conservative MP Philip Davies to introduce a bill for compulsory labelling of halal and kosher meat was rejected by three votes following opposition from Labour.

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More food firms, hotel group shift to one star factory farm pork

Kryon Q&A

Question (2004): Dear Kryon, the Canadian farmers have been hit hard with two cases of BSE, or Mad Cow Disease, reported as coming from Alberta. This is a fatal disease that’s scaring many people away from beef. Is Spirit trying to tell us to be vegetarians? Why is this disease coming out now? Will beef ever be as safe to eat as it was before?

Answer: As we’ve discussed before, there isn’t enough fertile land on the planet to feed humanity if you’re all vegetarian. In addition, we’ve told you that a balance is needed for most Human biological systems that includes meat. Therefore, one of the reasons for the existence of animals is for your sustenance, and they come here for that. Animals are in service to humanity, and they do it in several ways. (This has been channelled many times . . . the reasons for animals on the planet.)

We’ve also told you that in order for them to be healthy sustenance, they must be treated with a higher consciousness than they are now or they’ll die. This is what you’re seeing. This disease is one that’s here to draw attention to this issue, not to force you to eat vegetables. It’s to bring the plight of the animals into mainstream consciousness, and to eventually demand changes in the way they’re treated.

Many of you don’t wish to think about these precious creatures being sacrificed for your sustenance, but remember, this is all part of the support for your life on the planet. What you owe them is honor and dignity within the scope of creating food for your lives. When you see these kinds of diseases, they exist to make you stop and look at what you’re doing. If you don’t, these animals will self-destruct on their own.

Starbucks says 'will pay more tax' in UK after Europe HQ shift

Yahoo – AFP, 16 April 2014

A man parks his hire bicycle outside a branch of Starbucks in central

London on February 1, 2013 (AFP Photo/Carl Court)

London (AFP) - Starbucks said on Wednesday it was re-locating its European headquarters from the Netherlands to Britain a year after the US coffee giant was heavily criticised by British lawmakers for tax avoidance.

The company, the world's largest coffee shop chain, said it would pay more tax in Britain as a result of the re-location, which is expected to take place at the end of the year.

Britain is the group's largest and fastest-growing market. Starbucks expects to open another 100 outlets there this year.

Customers leave a branch of 

Starbucks in central London on

 February 1, 2013 (AFP Photo/Carl

Court)

"By making this move, our senior leaders will be better able to oversee the UK market in which over half of our European stores -- employing more than 7,500 employees -- are located," the company said in a statement.

"This move will mean we pay more tax in the UK."

Starbucks and a number of other multi-national companies, including Amazon and Google, have come under pressure from politicians and campaigners over their tax affairs.

In 2012, Starbucks acknowledged it had not paid any corporation tax in Britain on sales worth £400 million (485 million euros, $670 million) between 2009 and 2012.

It was able to do so by paying fees to other areas of its business -- such as "royalty payments" for the use of the brand -- which resulted in the company posting a series of losses.

It has reported profit only once since it entered the British market in 1998.

Last year, in the face of a public backlash over its tax arrangements in Britain, Starbucks agreed to pay £20 million in instalments of corporation tax, adding it had "listened" to its customers.

The announcement came after British Prime Minister David Cameron launched a crackdown in 2012 to tackle tax avoidance, which is legal, and illegal tax evasion.

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