Wisdom used to be thought to increase with time so society would progressively benefit from the synergistic accumulation of the sum of its parts. However, recent issues and "initiatives" appear to challenge this philosophy.

Few would disagree that current food labelling legislation is outdated. It has been in place for nearly 30 years and largely reflects the thinking of the 1970s when it was developed. The number and types of products available, the ways in which they are marketed, the types of information sought by consumers and, hence, the complexity of food labels, have increased phenomenally over this period. Much of the information provided is claimed to be poorly understood by the average consumer and most stakeholders agree that simplification and modernisation of the existing rules is urgently needed.

From reports in the late 1990s suggesting that the hoodia gordonii plant could suppress appetite, to the media explosion following coverage on the US TV show 60 Minutes in 2004, hoodia has become the most infamous weight management ingredient in town.

I t's got a fifth of the world's population, an economy growing at more than 10% and food production staff paid less than $500 a year. Not surprisingly, China is doing a roaring trade in the production of (cheap) food ingredients. But food manufacturers looking for quality as well as price should be aware of the risks as well as the rewards of sourcing their raw materials from China.

One of the biggest costs for small businesses trying to get to grips with the Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation was the initial failure of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to provide regulatory guidance for submissions under article 13 of the Regulation (which covers claims supported by generally accepted science).

The study of nutrient-gene interactions has been christened 'nutrigenomics'. Its application is to understand the molecular mechanisms of how nutrients influence biological processes. Although the influence of diet has been recognised as an important constituent in the development of human health and disease, recent evidence has highlighted the cause and effect relationships in vivo.

It might be the Viagra of all superfruits, but time is rapidly running out for the humble goji berry - at least in the EU - unless somebody, somewhere, provides regulators with compelling evidence that that it was consumed here in significant quantities before May 1997.

No piece of legislation from Brussels has ever been greeted with unbridled joy. But EC Regulation 258/97 is regarded by those subject to it with a sense of frustration almost unprecedented in the field of EU food regulation. And there is a lot of competition, observe the cynics.