Food safety Archives

A majority of European consumers want to see compulsory labelling on food products containing genetically modified crops, according to a recent Ipsos report, but industry players insist that this is impossible to implement.

European countries performed differently in a study that measures the state of global food security, showing an internal discrepancy within the bloc that put Europe behind North America in the ranking of regions.

The Farm to Fork Strategy is at the heart of the European Green Deal, aiming to make food systems fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly.

The EU executive looks set to press ahead with a "new approach" to genetically modified (GM) crop authorisations in the wake of persistent lack of political support for the technology in the European Parliament.

After the United Kingdom voted against including guarantees on food standards in its post-Brexit legislation this week, experts have warned that a no-deal Brexit holds wide-ranging ramifications for food safety and businesses.

Civil society organisations are calling on the EU to halt the production and export of banned pesticides to third countries, some of which they say can be detected in food sold back to the EU market.

The French government intends to allocate €100 million to develop the country's plant-based protein production. The decision, however, is based more on commercial rather than environmental concerns. EURACTIV France reports.

An outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium linked to Brazil nuts imported from Bolivia has been reported in several EU countries, prompting the European Commission to trigger its rapid alert system. 

In her latest investigation, EURACTIV Bulgaria’s Valia Ahchieva reveals the use of EU-banned pesticides, conflicts of interest, siphoning of European funds, lies and gross neglect of human health and bees’ life by the authorities.

While the EU considers the potential role of new innovative techniques to protect harvests from pests and diseases, on the other side of the Channel, the UK is getting ready to open the door to new gene-editing technologies post-Brexit.

The EU's determination to become a global leader in sustainability will be matched by investments in solutions to deliver on the commitments set out in the EU's new food policy, Commissioner Stella Kyriakides told EURACTIV.com in an exclusive interview.

Looking at the future of agriculture in general, and the fertiliser industry in particular, the challenges of sustainable food production are apparent. Growing food demand will force farmers to invest in innovative tools to increase production, ensuring maximum efficiency from …

More than 65 organisations and individuals across producer, veterinary, research, and academic sectors have co-signed a letter calling for more support in the global meat sector in the wake of the coronavirus crisis and urging authorities to refute claims that the crisis stemmed from the livestock sector.

The EU is preparing to change its agricultural storage policy at a time when the COVID-19 health crisis has highlighted the weaknesses of its reserves. EURACTIV France reports.

After several delays, the EU's new flagship food policy was finally released on Wednesday (20 May), confirming the aspiration of the EU executive to transform the European way of producing, distributing and consuming food.

The European food supply chain and food safety system are proving to be extremely resilient,  according to Europe's People Party (EPP) coordinator at European Parliament's Agriculture Committee, Herbert Dorfmann, as people still manage to find available and safe food on supermarket shelves even in time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although coronavirus can survive on surfaces for a limited time, food safety regulations in EU member states ensure a high level of protection against contaminated food, said the chief of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Bernhard Url in an interview.

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.

In addition to longstanding objectives like the reduction of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, the European Commission envisages setting three more targets in its new flagship food policy, EURACTIV can reveal.

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.

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.

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.

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.