A report by the European Court of Auditors has identified “notable gaps” in the EU legal framework around food labeling and enforcement of regulations, and offered recommendations for improvement.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is seeking stakeholder input on a new draft guidance regarding the characterization and risk assessment of microorganisms used in foods.
The European Commission amended its regulation on the microbiological criteria for foods to revise the requirements for food business operators regarding Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat (RTE) foods.
As a result of Operation OPSON 2024—an EU-wide coordinated effort targeting fraudulent and counterfeit foods—22,000 tons of food and 850,000 liters of beverages, totaling €91 million, were removed from the market.
The European Commission’s annual report on EU Member States’ official food safety controls in 2022 highlighted successes, areas for improvement, and challenges.
The European Parliament blocked two European Commission decisions that would have set tolerances for EU-banned pesticides in a range of imported foods.
A recent European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) project explored new methods to understand the immunotoxicity of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). At the same time, one Swiss canton has called on Parliament to develop a PFAS action plan after finding widespread contamination on farms, and has banned the sale of beef with high levels of the chemical.
Pesticide residues were detected in 92 percent of conventionally grown Dutch strawberries, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and other toxic chemicals were found in more than two-thirds of samples, according to a recent, small-scale study from Pesticide Action Network Netherlands.
Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) is a highly pervasive type of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) in European tap and bottled water and its ubiquitous presence necessitates EU-wide safe drinking water limits, according to a report from Pesticide Action Network Europe (PAN Europe).
