This brief EU Industrial policy overview for the Agri-food sector is an extract of the report published January 22, 2014. This staff working document illustrates trends and the impact of the crisis on production, investment, productivity, employment, skills and innovation. It also describes the EU performance in the international arena and considers possible benefits from improvements in the internal market regulations.

With an annual turnover over EUR 1 trillion and around 4 million employees, the agri- food industry is part of a complex supply chain, which encompasses also agriculture and distributive trade. Taken as a whole, this value chain generates a total value added of € 715 billion per year — almost 6% of the EU Gross Domestic Product. On average, 15% of household expenditure is on food and drink. The sector not only feeds people,it also responds to cultural, health, ethical demands and many other qualities that consumers demand from their food, including convenience.
Moreover, the EU is the world's biggest exporter and importer of agricultural and food products and accounts for about 19% of total global export flows.

FoodDrinkEurope launched its 2013-2014 Competitiveness Report, urging EU institutions to deliver an industrial policy tailored to increase the competitiveness of the food and drink sector.

Marine Proteins and Peptides
Biological Activities and Applications
Kim, Se-Kwon (ed.)

Food proteins and bioactive peptides play a vital role in the growth and development of the body's structural integrity and regulation, as well as having a variety of other functional properties. Land animal-derived food proteins such as collagen and gelatine carry risks of contamination (such as BSE). Marine-derived proteins, which can provide equivalents to collagen and gelatin without the associated risks, are becoming more popular among consumers because of their numerous health beneficial effects. Most marine-derived bioactive peptides are currently underutilized. While fish and shellfish are perhaps the most obvious sources of such proteins and peptides, there is also the potential for further development of proteins and peptides from sources like algae, sea cucumber and molluscs. Marine-derived proteins and peptides also have potential uses in novel products, with the possibility of wide commercialization in the food, beverage, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries, as well as in other fields such as photography, textiles, leather, electronics, medicine and biotechnology.

Patent Cases
The European Patent Office (EPO) has already granted many hundreds of patents on genetically engineered plants and animals (see statistics) and has even started to grant patents on normal, non modified plants .

However, legally speaking, there is still uncertainty on where patentability ends. Both the EPC and the EU directive 98/44/EC set limits to patentability of living organisms. Nevertheless, the EPO has repeatedly granted patents which clearly go behond these limits. Some of them have been revoked following an opposition procedure. In other cases the EPO has interpreted the laws in such a way as to undermine the limits of patentability.

Pharmaceutical companies stand ready to be tested in a world where a drug's success is more closely tied to its performance.
The challenges mount with competition from generics and growing pressure to reduce costs.
Now, insurers and integrated providers are driven by models that reward health outcomes and cost savings.
For success, drug makers are exploring real-world evidence, new payment models, and the right partnerships.