About: EFSA Archives

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.

The WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) is standing firmly by its opinion that glyphosate, the world’s most commonly used weedkiller, is probably carcinogenic to humans despite a new large-scale study suggesting the opposite.

Scientists have come to Brussels to warn policymakers of the negative impact of pesticides on bees as the Commission prepares to propose a full ban on neonicotinoids.

The EU on Wednesday (25 October) postponed a vote on renewing the licence for the controversial weedkiller glyphosate, which the European Parliament wants to ban in five years' time amid criticism that it may cause cancer.

Lawyers on the “Monsanto papers” case accused the EU agencies responsible for food safety and chemicals of “wilfully sawing off certain studies” in their risk assessment of glyphosate.

As member states are due to vote on two key dossiers, maize farmers claim that EU regulation restricting access to plant protection products and plant genetics has reduced their competitiveness worldwide and that such regulation is not based on science.

Representatives of the EU’s 28 member states voted yesterday (19 July) in favour of a European Commission proposal to reduce the presence in food of acrylamide, a known carcinogenic substance present in fries, crisps, bread, biscuits, or coffee.

Close to half of the experts at the European Food Security Agency have conflicts of interest that call into question the validity of the agency’s work, according to a new study by Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO). EURACTIV France reports.

Green MEPs have lodged a complaint to denounce the lack of transparency in EFSA’s assessment of glyphosate. They hope to change the internal rules of the agency to boost transparency and limit lobby influence.

Studies by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) about the risks of the glyphosate pesticide have different conclusions. Belgian MEP Bart Staes told EURACTIV Germany that EFSA needs to make its findings public so they can be scrutinised.

A new report accuses glyphosate producers of “buying science” in order to secure the substance's position in the EU market.

The world’s most widely used insecticides would be banned from all fields across Europe under draft regulations from the European Commission, seen by EURACTIV’s partner The Guardian.

Two new surveys have found high levels of acrylamide, a known carcinogen, in UK-made baby biscuits and Belgium's favourite fast food.

NGOs are warning Italy that it should not extend a grace period, and ensure that pesticides containing glyphosate do not contain the toxic co-formulant POE-tallowamine.

As the world focuses elsewhere, two untested varieties of genetically modified maize are slowly manoeuvring their way through the legislative hoops of the European institutions towards Europe’s fields, writes Mute Schimpf.

A vote on the European Commission’s draft regulation on acrylamide, a contaminant formed in foods when cooked at high temperatures, will take place next year, an EU spokesperson told EURACTIV.com.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has asked the public for input on the complex question of the "cocktail effects" of chemical substances. EURACTIV's partner Journal de l'Environnement reports.

A European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) report has warned that 6.5% of food imports from third countries contain pesticide residue that exceeds the EU's maximum permitted level. EURACTIV Spain reports.

The EU's food safety watchdog faces a funding shortfall over the next five years but will not discuss the issue with Health Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis when he visits its Parma headquarters for the first time today (27 April).

The EU postponed a decision Tuesday (8 March) on whether to extend the approval of a crucial weedkiller ingredient for another 15 years amid international uproar that it may cause cancer.

The head of Europe's food safety watchdog has written to a group of nearly 100 senior scientists strongly rejecting their criticisms in an ongoing row about the safety of weed-killer ingredient glyphosate.

A ruling by the French Constitutional Council has undermined the country's ban on Bisphenol A. France's highest court ruled that manufacturers can continue export products that contain the substance. EURACTIV France reports. 

Widely-used pesticides made by Bayer CropScience and Syngenta pose a risk to bees, the European Union's food safety watchdog said yesterday (26 August), reinforcing previous research that led to EU restrictions.

The French Council of State has questioned the constitutionality of the country’s ban on Bisphenol A in food packaging, following a request from the plastics industry. The chemical was outlawed in January this year. EURACTIV France reports.