Approximately 46 percent of honey imported to the EU is adulterated, according to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). These findings are the result of an EU-coordinated action, titled, “From the Hives.”
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 Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled to annul the European Commission’s 2019 classification of titanium dioxide, which is also known as E171 and is used to add white color to foods, as a carcinogen.
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.
The European Commission has recently published revisions to its regulation on the use of ethylene oxide in food additives, setting stricter limits for the substance.
The European Commission has recently updated its import controls regulation to increase checks for aflatoxins, pesticides, and microbiological contaminants.
The EU experienced more food safety notifications through its online Rapid Alert System for Food and Food Network in 2021 than in years prior, with pesticides, food contact materials, and fraud highlighted in a Administrative Assistance and Cooperative Network
report.
The European Food Safety Commission (EFSA) has published guidelines for reporting whole genome sequencing (WGS) data to its One Health WGS System, which will support outbreak investigations and other EFSA activities.
