About: EFSA
EU should celebrate but not remain complacent about food safety
As Europe celebrates World Food Safety Day for the first time, Bernhard Url welcomes the fact that every year, on June 7, the world’s attention will be drawn to the crucial role that food safety plays in our daily lives and to its importance in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
EFSA boss: Next time we should also assess consequences without glyphosate
The next re-authorisation process for the controversial glyphosate weedkiller should also include an assessment of a potential ban of the substance in terms of food availability, biodiversity and farmers’ income, Bernhard Url told EURACTIV.com in an interview.
EFSA: No cure for olive plants pest, the whole EU is at risk
In two opinions released on Wednesday (15 May), the EU Food Safety Agency confirmed that there is still no known way to eradicate the xylella fastidiosa from a sick olive tree. Control measures can contain the disease, but they have to be applied, EFSA's director told EURACTIV.
EU’s FAO candidate champions producing ‘more and better’
There is no universal solution to producing more and better produce, according to the former head of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), who is now running to become director general of the UN's food and agriculture agency (FAO).
Greens save glyphosate from EU ban calls, as deal with EPP triumphs
The Greens in the European Parliament have blocked an amendment calling for the ban of Monsanto's controversial weedkiller, as part of a broader political deal with the centre-right European People's Party (EPP) to back a report calling for a rethink of the EU's pesticide approval system.
Four things to watch ahead of final EU vote on pesticides
European Parliament lawmakers will today (16 January) vote on a non-binding report calling for a rethink of the EU’s authorisation procedure for pesticides.
Europe’s food safety system ‘overstretched’, auditors say
The European Union’s food safety system is respected across the globe but it’s now “overstretched”, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) said in a report published on Tuesday (15 January), urging policymakers to bolster implementation capacity.
German MEP: Politicians should trust EFSA, set aside their personal views
EU politicians should show trust in the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and put their personal opinions on food safety assessments on hold, centre-right MEP Peter Jahr told EURACTIV Germany in an interview.
MEPs ready to negotiate EFSA’s transparency rule, but need to find a new negotiator
The long and troubled parliamentary procedure to overhaul the current food transparency rules for European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) ended in an unexpected twist as the EPP’s rapporteur Renate Sommer asked to withdraw her name from the report just passed by the Parliament's plenary.
Ideological divisions mar the pesticide special committee’s last act
A deeply divided European Parliament’s PEST Committee stuck to its broad mandate and approved a diluted final report on pesticides, as political confusion continued to hinder attempts to revise the current protocol for their authorisation.
EU agriculture ministers to decide on EFSA’s budget, sources say
The exact amount of money that the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) will receive under the new food transparency rules will be decided at the level of agriculture ministers, sources close to the issue told EURACTIV.com.
New food transparency rules risk falling victim to EU institution spat
The future of the new proposed rules on food transparency is unclear, as the European Parliament and the Commission disagree on the timeframe to move the discussion forward.
EFSA re-confirms toxicity of organic pesticide, exposes PEST Committee boss
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) released fresh data, which re-confirm the toxicity of copper compounds, pesticides that are used in organic farming.
Business confidentiality: The ‘hot potato’ of new EU transparency rules on food
EU stakeholders are playing ping-pong with the body that will be responsible for deciding whether or not to break business confidentiality and make industry studies public, in line with the terms of the new transparency rules on food safety. EURACTIV.com reports from Parma.
EFSA boss: Our advice should not be misused for short-term political interests
The selective approach of some campaign groups regarding the credibility of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) results in a “general erosion of trust” in the bodies designed to protect public health, EFSA director Bernhard Url told EURACTIV.com in an interview.
Is recycled plastic safe for food packaging? EU seems to think so
The European Commission is preparing to fast-track approval of 140 recycling processes for use in food and drinks packaging, despite warnings that second-hand plastics risk containing toxic chemicals that are dangerous for human health.
Eating crickets is good for you, study finds
Eating crickets help support the growth of beneficial gut bacteria, is not only safe at high doses but may also reduce inflammation in the body, a new study finds. For consumers in North America and Europe, crickets and other edible insects are currently getting popular, a trend the EU’s new Novel Food Regulation may significantly strengthen.
New pesticide may harm bees as much as those to be replaced
A new class of pesticides positioned to replace neonicotinoids may be just as harmful to crop-pollinating bees, researchers cautioned Wednesday (15 August).
Environmentalists clash with EFSA over neonicotinoids ban ‘exceptions’
Environmental NGOs have questioned the European Food Safety Authority's (EFSA) scientific capacity to grant EU member states emergency authorisations for neonicotinoids, whose usage was recently banned.
EFSA boss: EU food law overhaul ‘a big step towards transparency’
The European Commission has learned its lesson from the glyphosate controversy and is coming forward with “bold proposals” on transparency, says Bernhard Url. The raw data of all industry-funded studies related to pesticides will be made publicly available under Commission plans, he told EURACTIV in an interview.
Greenpeace: Commission and member states playing ‘hide and seek’ on neonics ban
The European Commission is playing hide and seek with member states regarding a ban on neonicotinoids, and this benefits pesticide manufacturers who keep on killing bees and the environment, Greenpeace claims.
Salmonella on the rise again, EU officials admit
The incidence of Salmonella in humans was almost halved between 2004 and 2009 but new figures show that it has re-appeared, causing worries for food producers and health workers, but also for EU policymakers.
Commission’s formaldehyde U-turn shows need to separate science from politics, emotion
Chemicals, even naturally occurring ones, often sound scary, and they certainly can be hazardous. But most, when appropriately managed, deliver significant benefits, writes Rick Phillips.