Emma Calvert
@emmacalvert.bsky.social
Back in Belfast after 15 wonderful years working and living in Brussels.
Formerly food @ European Consumer Organisation (@beuc.bsky.social) trying to make healthier choices easier for all!
Still dipping a toe into EU Food Policy.
Formerly food @ European Consumer Organisation (@beuc.bsky.social) trying to make healthier choices easier for all!
Still dipping a toe into EU Food Policy.
Why can sugary cereals or even candies proudly boast about vitamin D or ‘no fat’?
Well because the EU hasn’t done its job…for *17* years. Nutritional standards - ‘nutrient profiles’ - would’ve stopped these kinds of misleading claims on labels but the EU has missed the deadline since.. 19/01/2009🎂
Well because the EU hasn’t done its job…for *17* years. Nutritional standards - ‘nutrient profiles’ - would’ve stopped these kinds of misleading claims on labels but the EU has missed the deadline since.. 19/01/2009🎂
January 19, 2026 at 10:59 AM
Why can sugary cereals or even candies proudly boast about vitamin D or ‘no fat’?
Well because the EU hasn’t done its job…for *17* years. Nutritional standards - ‘nutrient profiles’ - would’ve stopped these kinds of misleading claims on labels but the EU has missed the deadline since.. 19/01/2009🎂
Well because the EU hasn’t done its job…for *17* years. Nutritional standards - ‘nutrient profiles’ - would’ve stopped these kinds of misleading claims on labels but the EU has missed the deadline since.. 19/01/2009🎂
Reposted by Emma Calvert
"Eating less meat remains one of the fastest, easiest & cheapest ways to cut emissions... It’s especially important as many other climate solutions become more expensive, politically fraught or unavailable…
It’s not possible to separate our own health from that of the planet."
[Also: dairy = meat!]
It’s not possible to separate our own health from that of the planet."
[Also: dairy = meat!]
Opinion | The New Food Pyramid, Brought to You by Big Meat
www.nytimes.com
January 10, 2026 at 2:39 PM
"Eating less meat remains one of the fastest, easiest & cheapest ways to cut emissions... It’s especially important as many other climate solutions become more expensive, politically fraught or unavailable…
It’s not possible to separate our own health from that of the planet."
[Also: dairy = meat!]
It’s not possible to separate our own health from that of the planet."
[Also: dairy = meat!]
Oh wow… where to start..
Red meat and cheese (!) prioritised and put on the same level as broccoli and carrots
Butter above bananas
And whole grains at the very bottom… 🙄
Making America confused again
Red meat and cheese (!) prioritised and put on the same level as broccoli and carrots
Butter above bananas
And whole grains at the very bottom… 🙄
Making America confused again
January 7, 2026 at 5:55 PM
Oh wow… where to start..
Red meat and cheese (!) prioritised and put on the same level as broccoli and carrots
Butter above bananas
And whole grains at the very bottom… 🙄
Making America confused again
Red meat and cheese (!) prioritised and put on the same level as broccoli and carrots
Butter above bananas
And whole grains at the very bottom… 🙄
Making America confused again
🚨Excellent new report on influencer marketing from my former colleagues exposing the myriad ways food brands are using the powerful sway of influencers to push kids+teens towards junk food.
👉As brands increasingly engage these marketing tactics, regulators need to take the issue in hand, urgently!
👉As brands increasingly engage these marketing tactics, regulators need to take the issue in hand, urgently!
Influencer marketing is like a siren's call; it is simply too hard to resist, especially for our kids and teenagers. Our new report gathering evidence from across Europe proves it's time for the EU to act. ⬇️
Food and fast fashion influencers: Europe-wide stocktaking proves need to protect consumers
Evidence from posts of social media influencers gathered by consumer groups around Europe confirms widespread hidden advertising and appeal to emotions to shape consumers’ preferences and behaviour,…
www.beuc.eu
January 6, 2026 at 10:55 AM
🚨Excellent new report on influencer marketing from my former colleagues exposing the myriad ways food brands are using the powerful sway of influencers to push kids+teens towards junk food.
👉As brands increasingly engage these marketing tactics, regulators need to take the issue in hand, urgently!
👉As brands increasingly engage these marketing tactics, regulators need to take the issue in hand, urgently!
Reposted by Emma Calvert
Getting restaurants to serve more plant-based food can have big climate impacts.
Young Activists Are Getting Plant-Based on the Menu, for Climate and Animals
Getting restaurants to serve more plant-based food can have big climate impacts.
buff.ly
December 26, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Getting restaurants to serve more plant-based food can have big climate impacts.
🍬‘One portion = Happiness!’
Great that Haribo have made giant stuffed toy versions of their sweets…🙄 Now they can market to kids *inside* their bedrooms.
This is of course a company who claim they don’t market to under 16s
Great that Haribo have made giant stuffed toy versions of their sweets…🙄 Now they can market to kids *inside* their bedrooms.
This is of course a company who claim they don’t market to under 16s
December 24, 2025 at 6:49 AM
🍬‘One portion = Happiness!’
Great that Haribo have made giant stuffed toy versions of their sweets…🙄 Now they can market to kids *inside* their bedrooms.
This is of course a company who claim they don’t market to under 16s
Great that Haribo have made giant stuffed toy versions of their sweets…🙄 Now they can market to kids *inside* their bedrooms.
This is of course a company who claim they don’t market to under 16s
Maybe some Irish and EU policymakers could pick up a copy of this kid’s book I found today..
Which seems to have a better grasp of what needs to happen to livestock agriculture in Ireland…
Which seems to have a better grasp of what needs to happen to livestock agriculture in Ireland…
December 23, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Maybe some Irish and EU policymakers could pick up a copy of this kid’s book I found today..
Which seems to have a better grasp of what needs to happen to livestock agriculture in Ireland…
Which seems to have a better grasp of what needs to happen to livestock agriculture in Ireland…
For anyone claiming to care about farmers’ livelihoods or food prices for the consumer, THIS is the key to the answer: tackling the climate crisis. Resources and efforts should be (laser) focused… tick tock… ⏰
How climate breakdown is putting the world’s food in peril - in maps and charts
How climate breakdown is putting the world’s food in peril - in maps and charts
From floods to droughts, erratic weather patterns are affecting food security, with crop yields projected to fall if changes are not made
www.theguardian.com
December 18, 2025 at 3:56 PM
For anyone claiming to care about farmers’ livelihoods or food prices for the consumer, THIS is the key to the answer: tackling the climate crisis. Resources and efforts should be (laser) focused… tick tock… ⏰
♥️ Good to see diets haven’t been totally ignored in the new EU ‘Safe Hearts Plan’ but still so much untapped potential to address #foodenvironments
Hoping in particular the evaluation of unhealthy food marketing to kids will indeed lead to a proposal for stricter rules (how could it not?!)
Hoping in particular the evaluation of unhealthy food marketing to kids will indeed lead to a proposal for stricter rules (how could it not?!)
December 16, 2025 at 4:24 PM
♥️ Good to see diets haven’t been totally ignored in the new EU ‘Safe Hearts Plan’ but still so much untapped potential to address #foodenvironments
Hoping in particular the evaluation of unhealthy food marketing to kids will indeed lead to a proposal for stricter rules (how could it not?!)
Hoping in particular the evaluation of unhealthy food marketing to kids will indeed lead to a proposal for stricter rules (how could it not?!)
Reposted by Emma Calvert
In the UK in 2022 (most recent year for data),
"115,000 deaths were associated with unhealthy diets. Of these, 49,000 were associated with excess consumption of dairy, red meat, and processed meat."
@lancetcountdown.bsky.social Data Sheet 2025 lancetcountdown.org/wp-content/u...
"115,000 deaths were associated with unhealthy diets. Of these, 49,000 were associated with excess consumption of dairy, red meat, and processed meat."
@lancetcountdown.bsky.social Data Sheet 2025 lancetcountdown.org/wp-content/u...
lancetcountdown.org
December 15, 2025 at 3:59 PM
In the UK in 2022 (most recent year for data),
"115,000 deaths were associated with unhealthy diets. Of these, 49,000 were associated with excess consumption of dairy, red meat, and processed meat."
@lancetcountdown.bsky.social Data Sheet 2025 lancetcountdown.org/wp-content/u...
"115,000 deaths were associated with unhealthy diets. Of these, 49,000 were associated with excess consumption of dairy, red meat, and processed meat."
@lancetcountdown.bsky.social Data Sheet 2025 lancetcountdown.org/wp-content/u...
Reposted by Emma Calvert
Food corporations built a system where junk is cheap, everywhere, and aggressively marketed.
The diets they profit off are killing people - 800,000+ deaths every year in Europe - while public health costs explode.
#EUAgriFoodDays #FeedPeopleNotAgribusiness
The diets they profit off are killing people - 800,000+ deaths every year in Europe - while public health costs explode.
#EUAgriFoodDays #FeedPeopleNotAgribusiness
December 10, 2025 at 8:02 AM
Food corporations built a system where junk is cheap, everywhere, and aggressively marketed.
The diets they profit off are killing people - 800,000+ deaths every year in Europe - while public health costs explode.
#EUAgriFoodDays #FeedPeopleNotAgribusiness
The diets they profit off are killing people - 800,000+ deaths every year in Europe - while public health costs explode.
#EUAgriFoodDays #FeedPeopleNotAgribusiness
🍫 When your chocolate bar isn’t ‘chocolate’ anymore…
Cocoa production is acutely affected by the climate crisis and manufacturers are responding by dropping the % of cocoa solids in their products..
Expect to see more of this as temps rise unabated..
www.confectionerynews.com/Article/2025...
Cocoa production is acutely affected by the climate crisis and manufacturers are responding by dropping the % of cocoa solids in their products..
Expect to see more of this as temps rise unabated..
www.confectionerynews.com/Article/2025...
Nestlé strips ‘chocolate’ from iconic bars as cocoa costs soar
Nestlé has dropped the word ‘chocolate’ from Toffee Crisp and Blue Riband after reformulating recipes to reduce cocoa content amid rising costs. Discover why this change matters, its impact on the con...
www.confectionerynews.com
December 15, 2025 at 8:50 AM
🍫 When your chocolate bar isn’t ‘chocolate’ anymore…
Cocoa production is acutely affected by the climate crisis and manufacturers are responding by dropping the % of cocoa solids in their products..
Expect to see more of this as temps rise unabated..
www.confectionerynews.com/Article/2025...
Cocoa production is acutely affected by the climate crisis and manufacturers are responding by dropping the % of cocoa solids in their products..
Expect to see more of this as temps rise unabated..
www.confectionerynews.com/Article/2025...
Reposted by Emma Calvert
A majority of #consumers in Germany want mandatory #labeling of all food products using the traffic light system #NutriScore, according to a comprehensive survey. Almost all consumers (91%) are already familiar with the #nutrition label… (1/2) www.foodwatch.org/de/fuenf-jah... #label
Fünf Jahre Nutri-Score in Deutschland: Mehrheit der Verbraucher:innen für verpflichtende Lebensmittelampel
Fünf Jahre nach Einführung des Nutri-Score auf freiwilliger Basis wünscht sich eine Mehrheit der Verbraucher:innen in Deutschland eine verbindliche Kennzeichnung aller Produkte mit der Lebensmittelamp...
www.foodwatch.org
December 12, 2025 at 6:50 PM
A majority of #consumers in Germany want mandatory #labeling of all food products using the traffic light system #NutriScore, according to a comprehensive survey. Almost all consumers (91%) are already familiar with the #nutrition label… (1/2) www.foodwatch.org/de/fuenf-jah... #label
Reposted by Emma Calvert
These two stories are somehow connected. Apparently, if you lobby tirelessly for more pollution & ecological wreckage, that’s exactly what you get.
December 11, 2025 at 8:46 AM
These two stories are somehow connected. Apparently, if you lobby tirelessly for more pollution & ecological wreckage, that’s exactly what you get.
A reprieve (for how long?) for the ridiculous veggie burger name ban
But what a colossal waste of political energy spent on a such a farcical attempt to undermine plant based options 😑
www.politico.eu/article/eu-v...
But what a colossal waste of political energy spent on a such a farcical attempt to undermine plant based options 😑
www.politico.eu/article/eu-v...
EU ‘veggie burger’ ban stalls after talks collapse
An MEP’s crusade for naming restrictions on non-meat foods expands to ‘liver’ and ‘ham’ — but national governments aren’t buying it.
www.politico.eu
December 11, 2025 at 6:31 PM
A reprieve (for how long?) for the ridiculous veggie burger name ban
But what a colossal waste of political energy spent on a such a farcical attempt to undermine plant based options 😑
www.politico.eu/article/eu-v...
But what a colossal waste of political energy spent on a such a farcical attempt to undermine plant based options 😑
www.politico.eu/article/eu-v...
Reposted by Emma Calvert
Today it's exactly 6 years ago that EU Commission President Von der Leyen announced the European Green Deal, which she called "Europe's Man on the Moon moment" 🎂
Von der Leyen's priority today? Acting on corporate demands for #deregulation, recklessly rolling back environment and health standards 😡
Von der Leyen's priority today? Acting on corporate demands for #deregulation, recklessly rolling back environment and health standards 😡
December 11, 2025 at 11:12 AM
Today it's exactly 6 years ago that EU Commission President Von der Leyen announced the European Green Deal, which she called "Europe's Man on the Moon moment" 🎂
Von der Leyen's priority today? Acting on corporate demands for #deregulation, recklessly rolling back environment and health standards 😡
Von der Leyen's priority today? Acting on corporate demands for #deregulation, recklessly rolling back environment and health standards 😡
Reposted by Emma Calvert
At this month’s AGRIFISH Council, ministers must send a clear signal to the @ec.europa.eu and support the modernisation of the EU animal welfare legislation for farm animals.
Why? Read along. 🧵
Why? Read along. 🧵
December 11, 2025 at 9:56 AM
At this month’s AGRIFISH Council, ministers must send a clear signal to the @ec.europa.eu and support the modernisation of the EU animal welfare legislation for farm animals.
Why? Read along. 🧵
Why? Read along. 🧵
🎯
Very sick of passing this bus stop ad with my little ones this month (obviously they think it’s great - ‘Santa!!’)
If junk food ads on tv are worth regulating then junk food ads outdoors are too
Very sick of passing this bus stop ad with my little ones this month (obviously they think it’s great - ‘Santa!!’)
If junk food ads on tv are worth regulating then junk food ads outdoors are too
December 10, 2025 at 11:14 AM
🎯
Very sick of passing this bus stop ad with my little ones this month (obviously they think it’s great - ‘Santa!!’)
If junk food ads on tv are worth regulating then junk food ads outdoors are too
Very sick of passing this bus stop ad with my little ones this month (obviously they think it’s great - ‘Santa!!’)
If junk food ads on tv are worth regulating then junk food ads outdoors are too
Reposted by Emma Calvert
Ireland’s water is going green, yet the EU just approved YET another nitrates derogation...
Rural communities have spoken: they want clean rivers, not more pollution.
Science and public health are clear. It’s time to enforce the rules and safeguard Ireland’s waters.
Press release & letter below👇
Rural communities have spoken: they want clean rivers, not more pollution.
Science and public health are clear. It’s time to enforce the rules and safeguard Ireland’s waters.
Press release & letter below👇
December 9, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Ireland’s water is going green, yet the EU just approved YET another nitrates derogation...
Rural communities have spoken: they want clean rivers, not more pollution.
Science and public health are clear. It’s time to enforce the rules and safeguard Ireland’s waters.
Press release & letter below👇
Rural communities have spoken: they want clean rivers, not more pollution.
Science and public health are clear. It’s time to enforce the rules and safeguard Ireland’s waters.
Press release & letter below👇
Recommendations from the report suggest:
⚖️ Universal basic income
🥓 Taxes on meat
🌱 Subsidies for healthy plant-based foods
As the EU frivously debates the names of veggie sausages and burgers, it feels like we’re a lonnng way away from the political seriousness urgently needed…
⚖️ Universal basic income
🥓 Taxes on meat
🌱 Subsidies for healthy plant-based foods
As the EU frivously debates the names of veggie sausages and burgers, it feels like we’re a lonnng way away from the political seriousness urgently needed…
👉‘All the environmental crises were worsening as the global population grows and required more food and energy, most of which was produced in ways that pollute the planet and destroy the natural world, the experts said.
A sustainable world was possible, they said, but required political courage.’
A sustainable world was possible, they said, but required political courage.’
‘Food and fossil fuel production causing $5bn of environmental damage an hour’
December 9, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Recommendations from the report suggest:
⚖️ Universal basic income
🥓 Taxes on meat
🌱 Subsidies for healthy plant-based foods
As the EU frivously debates the names of veggie sausages and burgers, it feels like we’re a lonnng way away from the political seriousness urgently needed…
⚖️ Universal basic income
🥓 Taxes on meat
🌱 Subsidies for healthy plant-based foods
As the EU frivously debates the names of veggie sausages and burgers, it feels like we’re a lonnng way away from the political seriousness urgently needed…
👉‘All the environmental crises were worsening as the global population grows and required more food and energy, most of which was produced in ways that pollute the planet and destroy the natural world, the experts said.
A sustainable world was possible, they said, but required political courage.’
A sustainable world was possible, they said, but required political courage.’
‘Food and fossil fuel production causing $5bn of environmental damage an hour’
‘Food and fossil fuel production causing $5bn of environmental damage an hour’
UN GEO report says ending this harm key to global transformation required ‘before collapse becomes inevitable’
The unsustainable production of food and fossil fuels causes $5bn (£3.8bn) of environmental damage per hour, according to a major UN report.
Ending this harm was a key part of the global transformation of governance, economics and finance required “before collapse becomes inevitable”, the experts said. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
December 9, 2025 at 3:00 PM
👉‘All the environmental crises were worsening as the global population grows and required more food and energy, most of which was produced in ways that pollute the planet and destroy the natural world, the experts said.
A sustainable world was possible, they said, but required political courage.’
A sustainable world was possible, they said, but required political courage.’
Reposted by Emma Calvert
No ham in hamburgers, no dogs in hot dogs - and consumers get it. The EU should focus on promoting sustainable diets, not on policing words and making obvious obstacles to plant-based foods. CONCITO supports this call against the "veggie burger ban" 🍔🌱 #noconfusion
‼️Over 600 stakeholders have now united against the "Veggie Burger Ban"
From NGO's to companies, the message to the EU institutions is clear: consumers are not confused and we don't need costly restrictions that will harm consumers, businesses, and the shift to sustainable foods.
#noconfusion
From NGO's to companies, the message to the EU institutions is clear: consumers are not confused and we don't need costly restrictions that will harm consumers, businesses, and the shift to sustainable foods.
#noconfusion
December 9, 2025 at 12:47 PM
No ham in hamburgers, no dogs in hot dogs - and consumers get it. The EU should focus on promoting sustainable diets, not on policing words and making obvious obstacles to plant-based foods. CONCITO supports this call against the "veggie burger ban" 🍔🌱 #noconfusion
Reposted by Emma Calvert
Ireland's nitrates derogation & water quality — survey reveals public value clean freshwaters & have negative attitudes to raising farming allowance on nitrates
@epaireland.bsky.social find agriculture is a primary source of nitrogen pollution in our waters
www.antaisce.org/news/public-...
@epaireland.bsky.social find agriculture is a primary source of nitrogen pollution in our waters
www.antaisce.org/news/public-...
December 8, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Ireland's nitrates derogation & water quality — survey reveals public value clean freshwaters & have negative attitudes to raising farming allowance on nitrates
@epaireland.bsky.social find agriculture is a primary source of nitrogen pollution in our waters
www.antaisce.org/news/public-...
@epaireland.bsky.social find agriculture is a primary source of nitrogen pollution in our waters
www.antaisce.org/news/public-...
Reposted by Emma Calvert
🚨Industrial agriculture consumes most of our food, while millions go hungry in Europe.
Most EU farmland isn’t supporting people - it’s feeding factory farms.
That’s land we need to grow real food and nourish communities.
#EUAgriFoodDays #FeedPeopleNotAgribusiness
Most EU farmland isn’t supporting people - it’s feeding factory farms.
That’s land we need to grow real food and nourish communities.
#EUAgriFoodDays #FeedPeopleNotAgribusiness
December 8, 2025 at 11:00 AM
🚨Industrial agriculture consumes most of our food, while millions go hungry in Europe.
Most EU farmland isn’t supporting people - it’s feeding factory farms.
That’s land we need to grow real food and nourish communities.
#EUAgriFoodDays #FeedPeopleNotAgribusiness
Most EU farmland isn’t supporting people - it’s feeding factory farms.
That’s land we need to grow real food and nourish communities.
#EUAgriFoodDays #FeedPeopleNotAgribusiness
‘The ignoring of facts, the sidelining of scientists and the breezy assertions, repeated ad nauseum, that Irish agriculture is ‘sustainable’ are largely responsible for the mess Irish farming finds itself in.’
💯
💯
My attempt to cut through some of the misinformation around farming and water quality as we approach decision time on Ireland’s nitrates derogation
www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/ou...
www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/ou...
Ireland's lax approach to inspecting farms and enforcing rules
The EU Nitrates Committee meets tomorrow and may extend Ireland's nitrates derogation by up to three years. At the same time we need to protect or restore water quality on a national scale writes ecol...
www.irishexaminer.com
December 7, 2025 at 9:31 AM
‘The ignoring of facts, the sidelining of scientists and the breezy assertions, repeated ad nauseum, that Irish agriculture is ‘sustainable’ are largely responsible for the mess Irish farming finds itself in.’
💯
💯