Globalisation:European Food Information Council: Funding and connections

Funding and Connections

EUFIC is supported by companies of the European food and drinks industries, and receives project funding from the European Commission. It is governed by a Board of Directors which is elected from member companies. Current EUFIC members are: Barilla, Cargill, Cereal Partners, Coca-Cola HBC, Coca-Cola, Danone, DSM Nutritional Products Europe Ltd., Ferrero, Kraft Foods, Louis Bonduelle Foundation, McCormick Foods, Mars, McDonald's, Nestlé, Novozymes, PepsiCo, Pfizer Animal Health, Südzucker, and Unilever. This page outlines a few selected case studies of EUFIC funders and controversies that they have been linked to. These case studies draw on food and drinks industry giants such as, Kraft Foods, Coca-Cola, Mars and McDonalds. Each of these examples stand to represent problems for EUFIC's representation as these related companies engage in activities which appear to conflict with EUFIC and in some cases their own social corporate responsibility. Although it can be expected that organisations such as EUFIC will need to receive funding from external sources this raises questions over whether EUFIC'S primary purpose is still being met or whether the influence of these giant external corporate financial powers are jeopardising their goal.

Funders and controversies

Kraft Foods: According to the Organic Consumer Association Kraft Foods was called on to remove genetically engineered (GE) ingredients from their food supplies. Kraft Foods were found to use GE ingredients in many of their products. GE ingredients are suspected to pose not only as threat to human health but also the environment, this lead 'Consumers in more than 250 locations [to] call on Kraft Foods to stop putting human health and the environment at risk'.