On the risk assessment front, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) acting Director, Dr Bernhard Url, reflected on the Authority’s role amid mounting and oftentimes conflicting pressures to protect consumers while cutting red tape.
Meanwhile, the UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) secured significant funding to establish a new Innovation Hub to enhance expertise in assessing emerging food technologies. Elsewhere, the UK’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) updated its statement reviewing new evidence on processed foods and health - highlighting the need for further research to determine whether risks stem from processing itself, or high levels of energy, saturated fat, salt, and sugar.
Although our focus is usually on policy developments as opposed to business, we are reporting on the announcement of WeightWatchers (WWs) preparing to file for bankruptcy amid growing demand for weight-loss drugs. WWs is not the only diet business affected by the rapid uptake of the drugs, which raises questions about the future of weight loss-based nutrition brands.
And of course, we couldn’t overlook the biggest threat facing businesses right now. In this issue of the Monthly Munch, our Director of European Affairs and Food and Sustainability lead, Andrea Gutierrez Solana, shares her thoughts on the Trump tariffs and their impact on global food trade.
The Whitehouse Food & Nutrition Team
POLICY AND REGULATORY DEVELOPMENTS
FSA secures funding for Innovation Hub on cutting-edge food technologies
The Food and Standards Agency (FSA) has received £1.4 million of funding from the UK’s Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) to launch a new Innovation Hub that will develop and expand specialist expertise in regulating innovative technologies, such as precision fermentation.
The hub will focus on guaranteeing consumer safety by testing new foods before they can be sold and giving greater clarity on regulatory requirements to innovators and investors.
It will bring together the FSA’s existing work on novel foods and food created through genetic technology, alongside the recently launched sandbox for cell-cultivated products.
The funding will enable the FSA to support the action plan published by the Chancellor to create a pro-innovation regulatory system and will boost FSA’s capability to better regulate new and innovative technologies.
EFSA’s chief on the future of the agency
On 8th April, the European Parliament’s ENVI Committee hosted Dr Bernhard Url, the acting Executive Director of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), to discuss its role and future.
Dr Url highlighted conflicting pressures on the agency with politicians pushing for more innovation and less red tape, while also asking it to step up its efforts to protect public health and the environment.
He also noted that as science evolves and the understanding of risks deepens, keeping food safe has become increasingly complex, slowing down EFSA’s work in the process.
Dr Url therefore suggested that EFSA needs to rethink how it works, for example by streamlining assessments and building closer relationships with applicants, particularly small businesses, from the early stages of product development.
MEP Christophe Clergeau called for a new funding model for EFSA, suggesting a tax on the agrifood sector. Dr Url expressed caution but admitted that limited resources are hindering the agency’s work.
An external review of EFSA is currently underway, with findings expected in March 2026. Efforts to boost EFSA’s efficiency are likely to be welcomed by the food industry, which has long voiced its frustration over lengthy procedures that can put European businesses at a competitive disadvantage relative to other regions.
SACN publishes updated statements on UPFs
On 2nd April, the UK’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) published an updated statement considering new evidence and research following their 2023 report on processed foods and their impact on health.
While the committee continues to find a concerning association between higher consumption of processed foods and adverse health outcomes, it also highlighted that limitations in the available evidence make it unclear whether these foods are inherently unhealthy due to processing, or their high content of energy, saturated fat, salt, and sugar.
The SACN recommends the government consider messaging on processing to improve dietary intakes, particularly for foods high in saturated fat, salt, and sugar.
It also calls for the public availability of processing data to support monitoring and research, and for the government to monitor the consumption of additives like emulsifiers and non-sugar sweeteners.
Government ministers are now obliged to consider the SACN’s recommendations and respond within two months.
Ultra-processed foods have become a hot topic not just in health policy circles, but also in marketing. Marks & Spencer recently launched a line of products that emphasise their low number of ingredients as a positive characteristic. These include a chocolate bar advertised as containing "only 5 ingredients" – a claim that quickly sparked debate, as critics pointed out that the label actually lists nine.
Weight loss drugs reshape the slimming foods market
On 9th April, it was reported that industry leader WeightWatchers is preparing to file for bankruptcy as demand for weight-loss drugs such as Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy surges.
Once a dominant player in the slimming sector, the company has struggled to maintain its user base as dieters increasingly opt for pharmaceutical solutions over traditional meal-tracking and weight loss programmes.
The company suffered a further blow last year when Oprah Winfrey stepped down from its board after nearly a decade, shortly after revealing she had used weight-loss drugs as a “maintenance tool.”
WeightWatchers’ troubles reflect a broader market shift in the weight loss space. This February, Irish nutrition company Glanbia announced plans to sell its weight management brand SlimFast following a 25% drop in profits and a wider earnings warning linked to rising raw material costs.
The retreat of legacy weight management brands highlights the rapid and disruptive impact of weight-loss drugs on diet and lifestyle services, and also raises questions about the future of consumer health brands centred on behavioural change.
Trump’s tariffs stir global trade concerns
Donald Trump's recent imposition of sweeping tariffs has sent shockwaves through the global trade system. While the U.S. administration has implemented a 90-day suspension on the "reciprocal" tariffs announced for most U.S. trading partners, the baseline 10% tariff on imports remains in effect.
The EU announced a three-phase plan targeting approximately €21 billion worth of U.S. exports to counterbalance the economic strain imposed by previously announced U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminium.
The bloc, however, has yet to respond to Trump’s threat of 20% “reciprocal” tariffs. The UK meanwhile is assessing potential countermeasures, particularly for dairy, pork, and spirits, while pursuing diplomatic talks to de-escalate and protect UK trade and food industry interests.
The baseline 10% tariffs have already begun to affect key European exports. Products such as wine, cheese, and olive oil face increased costs, potentially reducing their competitiveness in the U.S. market.
European and British food businesses exporting these high-value products may find their U.S. margins eroded even before higher rates are introduced. This situation raises concerns about the long-term viability of transatlantic trade relationships.
More generally, the tariffs could result in significant changes to global trade flows, with countries seeking alternative markets and supply chains to mitigate the impact.
If Chinese products – potentially affected by up to 245% rates – become less competitive in the U.S., exporters may seek to reroute goods to other markets.
This raises the risk of "dumping" in places like the EU, UK, and developing countries, which could distort local agricultural prices and hurt domestic producers. Producers in the EU and UK also could face tighter competition in non-U.S. export markets, as global players compete for a smaller share of accessible markets.
As negotiations continue, the food and agricultural industries will be holding their breath as the outcomes will have far-reaching implications for international trade and economic stability. EU and UK policymakers and producers need to stay alert and coordinate a strategic response.
WHO IS SHAPING THE FUTURE OF SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS?
This month’s top industry initiatives selected by the Whitehouse team:
- Alpro invests in UK oat supply chain with locally sourced focus: Alpro hasannounced a multi-million-pound investment to source 100% of its oats from British farmers, mainly within 80 miles of its partner mill in Kettering. The move will reduce food miles, support local growers, and boost output at Danone’s expanded Alpro facility, which will produce 58 million litres of oat drink annually. It follows a previous £41 million investment and responds to growing demand for healthy, sustainable plant-based products.
- Beneo opens €50m sustainable pulse plant in Germany: Beneo has opened a €50 million faba bean processing facility in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, following 18 months of construction. The site, powered entirely by renewable energy and designed for zero-waste, will produce ingredients for both food and animal feed. Sourcing locally grown, REDCert2-certified beans, the plant creates 25 jobs and supports Südzucker Group’s expansion into plant-based protein to meet growing demand for sustainable, meat-free nutrition across Europe.
Open consultations
Engage with these consultations to shape the issues affecting your organisation:
- UK’s Department for Business and Trade requesting input on potential UK measures in response to US tariffs. Open until 1st May. (link)
- Call for expressions of interest in EFSA’s advice for Novel Food SMEs. Open until 12th June. (link)
- EFSA’s open call for food additives analytical and use level data. Open until 30th June. (link)
Events calendar
- 29th April: Conference on Next steps for gene-edited foods in England (Online)
- 8th May: Conference on the Vision for Agriculture and Food (Brussels)
- 13-15th May: Food 4 Future – Expo FoodTech (Bilbao)
- 19th May: The Omnibus Package – What implications for the EU’s sustainability credentials and European manufacturers? (Online)
- 3rd June: Euractiv: Agrifood Policy Conference (Brussels)
- 3-5th June: International Conference on Food Bioactives and Health (Marseille)
- 3-5th June: EU Green Week (Brussels)
Get in touch: Andrea Gutierrez-Solana, Director, Food, Public Health and Sustainability andrea.solana@whitehousecomms.com