A new opinion from the EU food safety agency (EFSA) has found 10 nitrosamine substances, found in many processed foods, to be carcinogenic, concluding current exposure levels are a ‘health concern’ for all ages.
EU countries have backed the European Commission's proposal to ban the use of the common food additive titanium dioxide after the European food safety agency deemed it to be unsafe, paving the way for a potential ban in 2022.
The European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) has deemed titanium dioxide, a widely used food additive, to be unsafe in its latest study, contradicting an earlier conclusion and paving the way for an EU-wide ban after a decade of debate.
The European Commission has urged caution about the expiry date marking of highly perishable food after multinational food concern Danone announced plans to get rid of the 'use by' reference for its dairy products.
There is currently “no evidence that food is a likely source or route of transmission” of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) has concluded.
While insect-based foods have so far been quite a niche product, they are viewed as a highly promising solution to the challenges facing the food industry. Although new EU regulations should pave the way for these products - European eating habits might have to change too. EURACTIV Germany reports.
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.
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.
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.
The risk of toxic substances contaminating food already exists with virgin plastic, so it will only be higher with recycled packaging coming from old plastics that may contain banned chemicals, says Floriana Cimmarusti.
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.
Belgium has been aware of a potential problem with fipronil in the poultry sector since June, its food safety agency admitted, adding that it did not say anything because of a fraud investigation.
Four sports foods trade associations launched a joint initiative on Monday (26 June) calling on the European Commission to amend EU food legislation and come up with harmonised rules to regulate their products and ensure their proper use and equal treatment in all member states.
Studies on the safety of GMOs, glyphosate or other pesticides could enjoy higher levels of trust from the general public if there were stronger guarantees that the science behind them is really independent, says Bernhard Url, executive director of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
The debate on the toxicity of pesticides and the role of big multinationals in agriculture is a legitimate one to have, says Bernhard Url, the head of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). But it goes beyond the realm of science, he told EURACTIV in an interview, calling on politicians to assume their responsibilities and make their own decisions.
Campaigners today (22 December) published a survey identifying high levels of the cancer-causing substance acrylamide in a range of gingerbread varieties on the German market.
EU consumers should not be worried about safety standards for food and health being jeopardised by negotiators in the free-trade talks between the EU and the US, insisted Cecilia Malmström.
Experts from the European Food Safey Authority (EFSA) have confirmed previous conclusions that acrylamide, a chemical substance formed when heating foods like potato chips, barbecued meat, and bread, potentially increases the risk of developing cancer.
In his confirmation hearing at the European Parliament in Brussels on Tuesday, Lithuanian Commissioner-designate for Health and Food Safety Vytenis Andriukaitis said that “supporting universal health coverage, strengthening primary care, improving quality and safety, promoting e-health” will be among his priorities.
Despite record opposition among EU member states, European ministers failed to agree on Tuesday to ban a genetically-modified maize to be grown on EU soil. With 19 votes against, 4 abstentions and only 5 in favour, the disagreement will now leave in the hands of the European Commission whether to allow or not the insect-resistant maize for cultivation.
In the wake of the horse meat scandal, the European Commission unveiled plans on Monday to impose bigger fines on food producers who commit fraud. The proposal comes after horse DNA was found in up to 5% of EU products labelled as beef, after the Commission carried out food tests across the continent.
Horse DNA has been found in up to 5% of EU products labelled as beef, according to results published on Tuesday by the European Commission. Additional tests on horse carcasses revealed a 0.5% contamination of phenylbutazone or 'bute', a potentially harmful drug banned from human consumption. The Commission dismissed concerns that bute traces or horse meat consumption pose a risk to human health and called the scandal a 'food fraud'.
Up to 5% of European Union products labelled as beef contain horsemeat, according to results published by the European Commission yesterday (16 April).
EU ministers will hold a meeting in Brussels tomorrow (13 February) to deal with the fallout from the horsemeat scandal as investigations in France and the UK continued yesterday.
