FPS Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment

The EU is moving dangerously close to allowing wines with up to 6% alcohol to be qualified as ‘low-alcohol’. Belgium strongly opposes this. Such a qualifier misleads consumers, creates a false sense of safety and undermines public health objectives. ‘Reduced alcohol’ is the only fair, factual and consistent description, according to the Belgian Federal Public Service Health.

A recent study commissioned by the FPS Health, Food Chain Safety, and Environment and conducted by Sciensano sheds light on the impact of Nutri-Score on how Belgian consumers perceive the nutritional value of food items and make purchase decisions.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published its report on Belgium's environmental performance today. More than 250 Belgian experts from regional and federal administrations answered the OECD's questions. Ministers of Environment Alain Maron (Brussels-Capital), Zuhal Demir (Flanders), Céline Tellier (Wallonia) and Zakia Khattabi (Federal) welcomed this extensive co-ordination exercise between the Regions and the Federal State and stressed that several of the OECD's...

On October 5, 2017 Eurotransplant invites you to attend the Jubilee Congress including a Press Conference and Presidential Symposium on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the organization and international cooperation in organ exchange for the benefit of patients awaiting organ transplantation or having been transplanted.

Today, Belgium becomes a member of the Southern Ocean Research Partnership of the International Whaling Commission. This partnership of 12 countries conducts non-lethal whale research and counterbalances the position of Japan who continues whaling for a so-called scientific research. With its membership, Belgium aims to give a strong signal in favour of the protection of cetaceans and marine ecosystems.

Belgian citizens and health professionals can from now on consult www.info-ebola.be  for complete and up to date information on Ebola. This website is a joint initiative of the Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp (ITM), the different health authorities and the Belgian Scientific Institute of Public Health (WIV-ISP).

36 500 elephants are killed every year for their ivory ; that is 100 per day, 4 per hour or 1 every fifteen minutes. The Belgian government is taking a firm stand to show their opposition to the illegal trade in ivory. On April 9th, 1553 kg of ivory seized by customs will be transported to the Palais des Colonies in Tervuren to be destroyed.  Ivory traffickers be warned : the ivory they attempt to smuggle into black markets will end up seized and destroyed.

As of 2004 the Federal Public Service of Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment represents our country in the International Whaling Commission (IWC). This year’s meeting of the Commission took place in Panama, from July 2nd until July 6th. On that occasion our country was elected to the vice-chairmanship, which might be an indication that it could access to the chair of this commission in 2014.