2011

September

ESA CELEBRATES 50 YEARS

On 28 September, the board and past presidents of the European Snacks Association (ESA) gathered at a Jubilee Dinner to celebrate 50 years of ESA. ESA president Anne Klanke, a member of the management board of German snacks manufacturer Lorenz Snack-World, reflected on the savoury snacks industry’s steady growth and influence since early pioneering days.

Anne Klanke, who was elected president of ESA in June 2011, underlined that the association will continue its engagement with regulators, consumers and industry peers, focusing on three key areas: demonstrating the responsibility of the sector in light of increasing consumer demands, ensuring consumer confidence by science based communication, and making a significant contribution to improving our communities.

“Through our commitments in the area of health and nutrition, such as the ESA advertising pledge, we have already demonstrated that the savoury snacks industry listens to public concerns and takes concrete action”, Anne Klanke told. On 26 April 2010, ESA had endorsed the EU Pledge programme, a voluntary commitment to the European Commission’s Platform for Action on Diet, Physical Activity and Health.

“We are confident that the ESA advertising pledge has a key role in terms of promoting healthier snacking choices and balanced lifestyles among children. Our industry will also continue investing in reformulation and product innovation. Public health concerns have increased the demand for products that are reduced in energy, saturated fat and sodium (salt). I am delighted to see that all ESA members have been working hard to meet this demand and improve the nutritional composition of their products. The engagement of ESA in the Platform for Diet, Physical Activity and Health has been crucial to pursue this ambition.”

Looking back at ESA’s engagement with regulators in Brussels, Anne Klanke stressed that the association needs to lead the way in showing that consumer confidence depends on science-based communication. “I am particularly pleased that the final food information regulation greatly

enhances consumers’ access to vital information and increases consumer confidence”, Anne Klanke said.

Going forward, ESA is committed to step up its engagement on environmental sustainability. “ESA members’ engagement can encompass a wide range of issues such as the responsible sourcing of raw materials, the use of water, and greenhouse gas emissions before and beyond the factory gate. Many of these cannot be directly addressed in the manufacturing process itself – which is the primary focus of our industry’s efforts. Whilst we believe that we cannot act in isolation, we recognise our responsibilities as part of the whole food chain.”

The European Snacks Association is Europe's only trade organisation dedicated to advancing the savoury snacks industry on behalf of member snack manufacturers and suppliers. ESA members are national and international snack producers and industry suppliers. Anne Klanke, member of the management board of German snacks manufacturer Lorenz Snack-World, was elected president of ESA in June 2011. She succeeds Nick Stuart, United Biscuits, in the role and will serve a two-year tenure.

July

SAVOURY SNACKS INDUSTRY WELCOMES AGREEMENT ON FOOD INFORMATION

The European Snacks Association (ESA), representing savoury snack producers and their suppliers, welcomes the European Parliament’s decision to adopt today a compromise proposal on food information to consumers. We believe that both consumers and the food sector will benefit from the new Regulation.

Firstly, ESA is encouraged by the endorsement of Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs). ESA has always supported the use of GDAs on-pack as the most objective way of providing consumers with clear and simple nutrition information that they need in order to make an informed choice. Nutrition education and information is the most efficient way to help consumers live healthier. Thus, ESA member companies have been rolling out GDA labelling across Europe.  ESA now looks forward to working with the EU institutions as regards the implementation of this labelling scheme and sharing our expertise of meaningful portion sizes, which are the very basis of the GDA scheme.

Secondly, ESA welcomes the decision that the extension of mandatory origin labelling will be preceded by an impact assessment evaluating the need, feasibility and practicality of such an extension. Indeed, mandatory country of origin labelling fails to acknowledge the complex supply chains involved in the production of processed foods such as savoury snacks. Any move to enforce mandatory origin provisions would add significant multi-million euro costs to the manufacturing operation and significantly impact on factory efficiencies, without adding any value for consumers. Going forward, ESA is committed to supporting the Commission impact assessment and sharing our industry’s experience with officials and stakeholders. 

Overall, the final legislative text greatly enhances consumers’ access to vital information and increases consumer confidence. As a consumer-centric industry relying upon repeat purchase and hence consumer trust, we are especially gratified at today’s decision of the European Parliament.   

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