OUR PRIORITIES

Key Policy Areas of Importance

PRIORITIES

KEY MESSAGES

OUR PRIORITIES

Key Policy Areas of Importance

Agricultural policy

Since its creation in 1959, the major policy tool of the EU which has influenced the supply, quality and price of EU agricultural raw materials has been the Common Agricultural Policy. Going forward, the CAP, and notably Member State national strategic plans, will be a key enabler in the delivery of the EU’s ambitious Green Deal agenda, in particular the EU biodiversity and Farm to Fork strategies. Crucial to Starch Europe is that these national CAP strategic plans are closely monitored in order to ensure no new distortions to the EU single market emerge.

Bioeconomy

Starch is renewable and biodegradable. As such it is a well-suited raw material for the sustainable use of agricultural products in the bio-based industry. For decades, the EU starch industry has been producing bio-based products that are used as raw materials, generally replacing fossil-fuel-based ingredients, in the fermentation, chemical, cosmetics, textile, paper, plastics and detergent industries.

Starch biorefineries are core to the success of Europe’s bioeconomy. Starch Europe is therefore a strong supporter of the EU Bioeconomy strategy and its action plan on all four bioeconomy outlets (food, feed, industrial and fuel), as updated in 2018 and a founding member of the European Bioeconomy Alliance. We also welcome the Commission Communication’s acknowledgement of the importance of the EU Bioeconomy in the delivery of both the Farm to Fork strategy and Circular Economy Action Plan objectives.

Environmental policy

Starch Europe fully supports the EU Green Deal objective of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. The main input costs for EU starch producers are, first and foremost, the cost of the agricultural raw material, and second, the cost of the energy consumed during extraction and processing.

For economic, as well as environmental reasons, therefore, starch producers seek to ensure that starch production plants are as energy efficient as possible. It is for this reason that almost all EU starch plants now use high efficiency Combined Heat and Power Generation (CHP) systems, which offer energy savings ranging between 15-40% when compared to the supply of energy and heat from conventional power stations and boilers.

The EU starch industry was also one of the first agri-food sectors to conduct a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study for all its products, first in 2001 and more recently and using the most updated and robust methodologies, in 2012 and 2015. This not only reflects our mission to assure a reliable supply of safe starch-based ingredients but also responds to the increasing demand for this type of information from our customers and our joint desire to ensure that this information is being provided in a consistent manner.

As a major energy user, the EU starch industry closely follows all EU legislation which impacts the cost of the energy it uses, notably the Energy Efficiency Directive and the Emission Trading Scheme, and seeks to ensure that the Starch Industry’s position and views are understood and incorporated in an effort to ensure that the ingredients produced by the sector are not left at a competitive disadvantage against imported products with which they compete, .

Food/feed Law

60% of EU starch and almost all the proteins and fibres produced by the EU starch industry go into the EU food/feed chain. When starch, proteins and fibresare being extracted, it is often not yet known whether they will go to food or non food applications. All ingredients must therefore comply with EU food and feed law.

Starch Europe members are strongly implicated by EU food and feed law and Starch Europe seeks to ensure that the specific interests of starch producers are taken into account in its development.

Issues of particular interest include:

Contaminants/Mycotoxins: Food safety must be the basis for any decision regarding the maximum limits for mycotoxins. If safety is an issue, preventive and mitigation methods like the implementation of code of good practices should be put into place and if, despite these codes, safety is still at stake, then limits should be realistic, achievable, consistent, controllable and be based on risk analysis. A realistic and consistent approach should be taken also for limits in feed products.
Legislation on gene technology: Starch Europe members continue to respond to current customer demands for conventional products in compliance with EU laws and by implementing traceability as long as most European consumers are not ready to accept GMOs. Some new genomic techniques could however play an important role in helping EU farmers to reach targets being set under the Green Deal agenda and more clarity is needed on how these techniques are to be regulated going forward.
Other: Starch Europe also closely follows the development of the EU legislation regarding, inter alia, additives and processing aids, animal feed and codes of good practice, and materials in contact with food.

Nutrition and Health

Starch is the most common digestible carbohydrate in the human diet. Digestible carbohydrates are the most important fuel for our brains and provide our bodies with the energy our organs need to function. Proteins and fibres, the main other ingredients produced by the starch industry, also play an invaluable role in a healthy diet. In order to function correctly, our body needs carbohydrates, protein, fat, water, minerals and vitamins. In terms of energy intake, EFSA, the European Food Safety Authority, recommends that 45-60% of our daily energy intake comes from carbohydrates (4 kilocalories of energy per gram) which includes dietary fibres (on average 2 kilocalories of energy per gram), 20-35% from fats (9 kilocalories of energy per gram) and 10-15% from proteins (7 kilocalories of energy per gram).

The maintenance of a stable body weight requires the right balance between the total amount of energy consumed and the total amount of energy expended. However, increases in body weight occur when energy intake exceeds expenditure. Carbohydrates, like starch and sugars, form an essential part of the human diet, but. , if they are consumed in excess, this can lead to problems of obesity.

In order to help consumers opt for healthier and more sustainable diets, providing clear and science-backed information is critical. To support this goal, Starch Europe launched its consumer facing www.starchinfood.eu website in 2018 and its BeyondStarch campaign in 2019. These information efforts will continue in order to help consumers better understand the ingredients from the starch industry: where they come from, why they are added and what their nutritional value is.

Trade

In a world starch market of approximately 75 million tonnes, the EU produces 11 million tonnes. The USA and China are the world’s largest starch producers, followed by the EU and Thailand. Brazil is also growing in importance as a starch producer.

For many starch products, these third countries are in a position to produce starch at more competitive prices than the EU. This is partly the result of lower raw material and production costs and partly as a result of less stringent, for example, environmental legislation. As such, in order to maintain the competitiveness of the EU starch industry, a number ofstarch products imported from many third countries are subject to an EU import duty.

For other starch products and co-products, for example potato starch and wheat gluten, the EU is the world’s biggest and/or highest quality producer and its products are widely exported throughout the world. For these products Starch Europe seeks to ensure that fair market access is assured.

Starch Europe therefore takes a keen interest in the EU’s trade policy agenda, including the EU bilateral FTA negotiations with various third countries and/or regions.

Innovation

The European starch industry is a long-established part of the agri-food value chain, built on constant innovation to meet societal demands and consumer expectations.

Rural Strength

We strengthen rural areas by providing an essential source of income and employment, both directly and to the farmers who supply the raw materials used to make our ingredients.

Plant-Based

We offer a vast range of plant-based ingredients, including carbohydrates, proteins and fibres, to make food and drink taste better, last longer, and be more sustainable and nutritious.

Bioeconomy

We develop bio-based materials and alternatives to fossil-based products in industrial applications from renewable resources, offering functional properties and CO2 emission reductions.

Sustainability

By valorising the entire crop to serve food, feed and industrial customers, while reducing our environmental footprint, the EU starch industry is a pillar of the sustainable food system.