EFSA’s Panel on Food Additives and Flavorings (FAF) found no safety concerns associated with the currently reported uses and use levels of acesulfame K (E 950), aspartame (E 951), and salt of aspartame-acesulfame (E 962).
Regulation (EU) 2025/179, which came into effect on August 23, requires EU Member States to conduct WGS on five key pathogens during foodborne illness outbreak investigations. An interview with EFSA’s Dr. Frank Verdonck unpacks the new rule and previews the upcoming Science Meets Policy conference.
Four Salmonella Enteritidis ST11 outbreaks identified in France between May and July 2026 were linked to homemade egg-based foods and traced to a common egg distribution network in Poland. The same Polish food group was implicated in another multinational salmonellosis outbreak in 2016–2020.
The microbiological quality of most ready-to-eat (RTE) plant-based meat, dairy, and fish substitutes was satisfactory, but elevated levels of pathogens and indicators in some commodities raised process and hygiene concerns. An analysis of the products’ physico-chemical properties suggested they could support microbial growth.
The European Food Safety Authority published an updated scientific opinion on emerging and novel brominated flame retardants in food. Insufficient data prevented full risk assessments for most of the 27 chemicals evaluated.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) lowered the acceptable daily intake for trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) to a quarter of the previously established level, and also set an acute reference dose for the chemical for the first time.
At least 106 people have been infected by the outbreak strain in 13 European countries. Young people are disproportionately affected. Some sickened children reported eating the noodles and seasoning dry, without adding boiling water as instructed on the package.
Dioxins and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (DL-PCBs) are environmental contaminants generated as byproducts of industrial processes and waste incineration. EFSA’s risk assessment resulted in a lower tolerable weekly intake, which Europeans generally exceed.
Drawing from EFSA risk assessments, OpenFoodTox provides structured summaries of hazard information for thousands of individual substances, including food additives and flavorings, pesticides, contaminants, and food contact materials.
EFSA conducted an acute exposure assessment for glycerol in slushies and dealcoholized wine following reports of toddlers and young children experiencing glycerol intoxication due to excessive slushie consumption in a single sitting.
