In an updated risk assessment, EFSA identified five of eight Alternaria mycotoxins found in food and feed as genotoxic, dietary exposure to some of which exceeded the threshold of toxicological concern for DNA-damaging/carcinogenic properties among the general population. Young children had the highest estimated dietary exposure to Alternaria toxins.
The monitoring initiative set forth in Recommendation (EU) 2026/2335 is intended to improve data availability on the occurrence and distribution of the industrial chemicals in food, supporting more robust assessments of human dietary exposure.
The Safe Food, One Future Conference, taking place in Parma, Italy in the fall, will mark the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA’s) 25th anniversary and the launch of its new Strategy 2034.
A new paper outlines the scientific capabilities and investments that will be necessary to keep pace with food system innovation, emerging risks, and changing EU policy while supporting risk assessment. The paper will inform EFSA's forthcoming Strategy 2034.
The amendments to European food hygiene regulations would provide food business operators with greater flexibility in the storage of fresh meat from domestic ungulates (i.e., cattle, sheep, pigs) before freezing, based on a recent EFSA scientific opinion.
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.
