The EU is making changes to the levels of arsenic allowed to be present in certain foods. The European Commission published Regulation (EU) 2023/465, amending Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006, which sets forth maximum levels of contaminants, such as arsenic, in certain foods.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) data on from humans, animals, and food are compiled annually by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in a yearly EU Summary Report. Alongside the report, EFSA has also published data visualization tools and resources on AMR on zoonotic pathogens in Europe.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has established a new Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) for copper, and has determined that, at present, the EU population’s combined exposure to copper from all sources does not pose a health concern.
The European Center for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC) has released 2021 epidemiological reports for common foodborne illnesses listeriosis, campylobacterosis, hepatitis A infection, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infection, salmonellosis, and yersinosis.
There was an overall increase in reported cases of zoonotic diseases and foodborne illness outbreaks in 2021 compared to 2020, the latest EU One Health 2021 Zoonoses Report revealed. However, cases and outbreaks are still below the levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic.
New EU legislation restricts the amount of green tea extract containing (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) that can be present in food and sets labeling requirements, for food safety reasons. EGCG is a catechin, which are flavinols that may lead to liver damage.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published six key recommendations for advancing food safety based on discussions held at the recent ONE—Health, Environment, and Society—Conference.
Following food fraud investigations, the European Commission (EC) recently set new limits on certain antioxidants in tuna; specifically, ascorbic acid, sodium ascorbate, and calcium ascorbate.
