Food safety

EFSA will keep British experts despite Brexit [Part II]

The European Food Safety Authority will keep UK experts in its ranks despite Brexit, because science does not recognise borders "and we want to have the best people", the EU food watchdog chief told EURACTIV.com in an exclusive interview.

EFSA chief: Assessing fast-changing agrifood innovation is key challenge [Part I]

Being equipped with the right methods to assess industry’s rapidly changing innovation will be a key challenge for the European Food Safety Agency, (EFSA), Bernhard Url, the EU food watchdog's chief, told EURACTIV.com in a wide-ranging interview.

Europe aims to make its food a global green standard, despite trade concerns

Ahead of a much-anticipated ‘Farm to Fork’ strategy to accompany the EU Green Deal, some EU policymakers say Europe’s food should be protected from American pressure.

‘New GMOs’: Kyriakides gets off on wrong foot with biased consultation

The new EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides recently told EURACTIV.com that her “priority is to gather more information” on gene editing. To this end, she said, "we will be preparing a study on new genomic techniques, foreseen for spring 2021”. Clearly, the design and set-up of such a study will be crucial to its outcome, writes Nina Holland.

EU health chief wants more information on gene editing

The new EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides wants more information about the controversial issue of gene editing and for now, she seems less enthusiastic than her predecessor Vytenis Andriukaitis.

MEP: Green Deal should ensure EU food sector’s competitiveness

With the new European Green Deal, all actors across the food chain will need to adjust to new EU standards. But policymakers also have to make sure EU industry is protected against unfair competition, MEP Maria Spyraki told EURACTIV.com.

Innovation, CAP and Green Deal: A tough equation?

The new Green Deal will have a direct impact on the ongoing negotiations about the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) as EU farmers will be asked to re-adjust the way they work to the new green objectives.

Avian flu hits Germany

The avian flu that broke out in Eastern Europe at the start of the year was also detected in Germany for the first time this week. Politicians and Germany's poultry trade association are calling for strict precautionary measures. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Could Germany impose a tax on meat?

Shortly before Germany launches its "green week", Lower Saxony's conservative agriculture minister, Barbara Otte-Kinast (CDU), raised the issue of introducing a meat tax, again, which is something animal welfare activists have been demanding for years. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Welfare of rabbits farmed in Europe not up to scratch, says EFSA

The welfare of adult rabbits kept in conventional cage systems is worse than that of those housed in other systems used in the EU, EFSA has concluded in an extensive study which investigated rabbit welfare in the EU.

Cancer fight ‘hype’ and labelling war loom amid risk of over-ambition

From the commitment to fighting (and possibly defeating) cancer to the food labelling minefield, the bar will be set pretty high when it comes to health and food safety in 2020. Will the EU be able to live up all its over-ambitious promises?

Kyriakides: Curbing pesticide dependency to set a world sustainable standard

Currently renowned for producing safe, nutritious and high-quality foodstuffs, the European farming sector should also become a world standard for sustainability, according to the new Food Safety Commissioner Kyriakides.

Andriukaitis: Europe should take lead in science-based plant innovation

The EU is leading the science-based fight against climate change and it will also lead on science-based plant innovation, writes former EU Health Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis.

MEPs slam gene-editing court ruling as damaging for SMEs

It is much easier for larger companies to implement new GM legislation, but it's the smaller ones that are most affected by the recent gene-editing ruling, the chair of the agriculture committee (AGRI) MEP, Norbert Lins, told EURACTIV.com at the sidelines of a recent plant breeding conference.

Aristoil: Getting the best out of Mediterranean olive oil

Aristoil, an EU-funded Interreg MED project, has been trying to boost the competitiveness of the Mediterranean olive oil sector by providing innovative methods to identify the “healthiest” part of it.

EU will not renew authorisation of ‘bee killer’ substance thiacloprid

Based on a conclusion by the EU's food safety authority (EFSA), the EU Commission announced on Tuesday (22 October) that it will not renew the authorisation of the "bee killer" substance thiacloprid. This means that the substance can still be used until April 2020. EURACTIV Germany reports. 

Biotechnology: Europe’s next ‘hot potato’

The discussion over the future of biotechnology in Europe heated up after the EU Court ruled in July last year that gene editing should, in principle, fall under the GMO Directive. We focus on the future of biotechnology in Europe, the regulatory framework of the so-called new plant-breeding techniques, as well as GMOs.

Andriukaitis: 100-year old production models cannot achieve food sustainability

According to the UN, the amount of food produced globally needs to double to feed a rising world population. Policymakers are poring over ways to ensure the sustainability of food systems while emerging new technologies, promising to tackle climate change, still face resistance.

Contaminated meat scandal exposes Germany’s food safety flaws

Three people died because bacteria-contaminated food from a meat producer was sold on the European market. Although the authorities knew about the bacterial discovery, the company was only closed after two weeks. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Fourteen mayors sign declaration to promote sustainable food policies in their cities

Fourteen cities announced on Thursday (10 October) that they would pay particular attention to the sustainable and healthy food supply in their cities in the future. This way, they aim to save 60% of the carbon emissions in the food sector. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Bordeaux winegrowers want to leave chemicals behind to save the environment

Fewer chemical inputs tend to make the vine more robust and also ensure the terroir is better expressed in the wine's aroma, according to experts. France's vineyard sector is also interested in new grape varieties that are resistant to heat and disease. EURACTIV France reports.

Organic wine gradually leaving its mark in the French wine industry

While the French people are consuming less wine, they are drinking more organic wine. However, the expense of going 'bio' proves to be an important risk for winegrowers. EURACTIV France reports.