“…treatment with trisodium phosphate, acidified sodium chlorite, chlorine dioxide, or peroxyacid solutions . . . should be of no safety concern.” Expert scientific opinion, European Food and Safety Agency. The EFSA may or may not be right to propose that chlorinated chickens are safe to consume but in this piece it is argued that homo… » read more
Archives for Health & Consumers
Anti-American Prejudice in Brussels: Where is the T-TIPping Point?
February 18, 2015
By The Risk Monger Will negotiators in Brussels and Washington be able to agree on and push through a TTIP pact? Forget it. The anti-American, anti-TTIP campaigners inside the Brussels Bubble have sharpened their Eur-redneck knives and tongues to squash that gosling in its nest.
The Logic of Risks
February 15, 2015
Are Naturalist Nutters showing signs of inconsistency or of a sudden logical outburst when they criticise those who do not vaccinate? Hardly – they are exhibiting a perfectly justifiable illogic that easily harmonises contradictory thinking. We need to accept that there is no logic to risk decisions and learn how to manage risks in an… » read more
The pirates code of conduct… a fiction
February 8, 2015
In today’s world beyond trust, there are calls for industry and government to adhere to codes of conduct. Why is it that those who scream the loudest for this, do not themselves have or adhere to codes of conduct? Are their values better than ours?
The Environmental-Industrial Complex Revisited
January 31, 2015
Five years ago, the world was on the brink of collapse from catastrophic climate change. As fear-mongers got rich, the Risk-Monger had a rich picking of ridiculous cases of abusive PR and scientific activism. The Environmental-Industrial Complex has evolved over these five years, but is showing no signs of weakening its hold on our media… » read more
|
Climate & Environment, English, EU Citizens and Media, Health & Consumers |
A herbicide spray to keep the bio-tech industry at bay? RIP traditional European agriculture
January 15, 2015
By Kathleen Garnett Ever since the first boff in a lab profited from fiddling around with the genetic make-up of plants European agriculture has been at the mercy of the big corporations. Not unlike the pests GMO products are said to repel the bio-tech industry has been swarming all over the treasure chest that is… » read more
|
Agriculture & Food, English, future EU, Health & Consumers, Science & Policymaking |
New study warns of sugar content in children’s juice drinks
November 24, 2014
Political Consultant Sam Blainey highlights a new report on sugar levels in children’s drinks. To read Sam’s article, please click here. The Whitehouse Consultancy is one of Europe’s leading public affairs and communications agencies.
Access to Documents – Another Thrilling Episode
October 27, 2014
In a previous blog I said that I had requested access to documents on the dealings between DG Enterprise and pharmaceutical industry associations while the EMA was developing (and watering down) its transparency policy. I was given a few “mostly harmless” documents but the rest were refused on the grounds that they contained material that… » read more
It’s Not All Bad News
October 23, 2014
In telling the Parliament on Wednesday that the units on medicines and pharmaceutical products will stay with DG Sanco Mr Juncker added “..I agree with you that medicines are not goods like any other”. I couldn’t have put it better myself. This is good news and thanks to those who worked to achieve it, especially… » read more
A report published by the charity Vitamin D Mission earlier this week revealed that, alarmingly, the number of children with vitamin D deficiency has soared by more than 200% in the past five years, with 4,638 under-16s admitted to hospital with vitamin D deficiency and rickets. The cause of this has been attributed to the… » read more
Personal and Private? Correspondence between DG Enterprise and the Pharmaceutical Industry.
October 19, 2014
Citing Regulation (EC) 1049/2001, I asked last month for access to the following documents: ‘All communications in any form, and notes or records in any form of communications between DG Enterprise and any pharmaceutical Industry association concerning the policy, draft policy or decision making process of the European Medicines Agency on the issue of access… » read more
Ebola: Scary? Yes! Significant? No!
October 13, 2014
While the latest outbreak of Ebola is certainly a tragedy, its use by the media and political activists is sadly opportunistic. This crisis should provide the opportunity for us to consider fast-tracking development programmes in these poor West African countries.
|
English, Global Europe, Health & Consumers, Sustainable Dev. |
Europa Media launches a web platform on EU-China animal health research and cooperation
October 6, 2014
No matter how distant your professional expertise might be from transboundary animal diseases (TADs), such words as Ebola, Swine Influenza (pig flu), or Avian Influenza (bird flu) periodically circulate daily news across the globe. Whether it raises (mostly unjustified) concerns and fears among regional communities, or contributes to increased research and vaccine development funding, it… » read more
Clearing the Air on Transparency Decisions, and on Industry Demands to the Juncker Commission
October 5, 2014
At the Ombudsman’s recent conference two points were made that seem to contradict things I’ve said here. It is nice to have a blog to answer back. I said that the Commission had the final say on EMA’s transparency policy (Article 80 of Regulation (EC) No 726/2004 ). I was immediately contradicted by a member… » read more
The Czech Vera Jourova appeared on the 1st of October in front of the European Parliament in order to answer the oral questions of the members of Internal Market and Consumer Protection; Legal Affairs; Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs and Women’s Rights and Gender Equality Committees. During her initial speech Mrs. Jourova declared which… » read more
‘Save the Bees’ Ban: Who is to Blame?
September 29, 2014
The recent precautionary ban on neonicotinoid pesticides to save the bees has gone badly wrong in less than a year. Oilseed rape crops are being devastated and Member States are now allowing neonics to be used as emergency measures. Farmers and scientists had warned anyone who would listen, but no one in the European Commission… » read more
The european drug report 2014
September 28, 2014
Trends and developments presented to LIBE commmitte on the 24th of september by the Director of the EMCCDDA, Wolfgang Götz.The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) raises the attention on the emergence of both new synthetic opioids and hallucinogenic substances which are so powerful that it takes tiny quantities to produce many… » read more
Making the same mistake all over again: Juncker’s reshuffling of public health portfolios
September 25, 2014
By Anniek de Ruijter With the reshuffling of the Commission portfolios by president-elect Juncker, major units for EU public health protection move from DG SANCO to DG Enterprise and Industry. The changes to the portfolios come without further explanation and after the deadline for the Parliament to ask written questions has passed. One wonders: what… » read more
Mr Juncker has replied by letter to the concerns of the health sector on the transfer of medicines from DG Sanco to DG Enterprise/Internal Market. The letter says that one of the main priorities of the new commission is to create “A Deeper and Fairer Internal Market with a Strengthened Industrial Base” and to that… » read more
On September 18, the UN Security has unanimously passed a resolution, co-sponsored by 131(!) governments, calling the outbreak of Ebola in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone a “threat to international peace and security” and asking countries world-wide for urgent medical personnel and supplies to contain the outbreak. UN and WHO have waited nine months after… » read more