Recent research efforts by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to support novel food risk assessments include a study of the effects that processing methods for novel and genetically modified foods can have on proteins, as well as the development of a fit-for-purpose, in vitro toxicity assessment approach for novel proteins.
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.
The European Commission has published a draft regulation that, if adopted, would require EU Member States to conduct whole genome sequencing (WGS) analysis during foodborne illness outbreak investigations involving several important pathogens, and to report the results of WGS analyses.
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).
According to a European Commission (EC) draft document, the responsibility for major parts of EU food safety policy may shift from DG SANTE to other EC departments. EC confirmed the existence of this document but denied its relevance to the future of the EC’s organization.
