The consultation comes after extensive engagement with consumers, local authorities and industry, along with evidence from research (Opens in a new window) to better understand how food businesses could improve written information for consumers with a food hypersensitivity.

In current law, food businesses such as restaurants, cafes and canteens, are required to tell customers if the food they are serving contains any of the 14 mandatory allergens, choosing how they provide this information whether in writing or verbally.

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A new report by EFSA’s partners in the NAMs4NANO project proposes a system for promoting New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) to assess the potential food safety risks of nanoparticles.

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Germany has been hit hardest in a multi-country Salmonella outbreak linked to rocket from Italy.

As of late September, there are 98 cases in Germany. The Robert Koch Institut (RKI) believes this number may go up. There are 16 patients in Austria and 23 in Denmark.

The first cases were reported in Germany at the end of July. Since the beginning of August, there has been a significant increase in patients, with 16 to 18 cases per week. All federal states except Bremen and Saarland are affected.

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Fraud and non-compliance issues discussed in August by European countries were at their lowest level since reporting began in early 2024.

The number of food and other fraud suspicions raised by EU member states declined in August. The 222 alerts are down from 325 in July, 265 in June, 281 in May, 341 in April, 345 in March, and 318 in February. There were 277 in January.

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The European Commission (EC) has extended the deadline for its call for the next Executive Director of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Eligible candidates are invited to apply by 11 October 2024.

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The Food Standards Agency (FSA), working with Food Standards Scotland (FSS), is leading an investigation into the food supply chain of mustard ingredients which may have been contaminated with peanuts. 

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An analysis by the European Commission has found national authorities are largely doing enough to ensure companies are complying with the rules, but there are areas for improvement.

A report covers data submitted by European countries on their official controls and related EU Commission activities in 2022.

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The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has been involved in four E. coli outbreak investigations so far this year in the United Kingdom.

A Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) O145 outbreak was linked to unpasteurized milk cheese produced by Mrs. Kirkham’s in Lancashire. APHA contributed to the incident management team investigation, including an advisory visit and epidemiologically relevant sampling.

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Today, the European Commission published its 2023 report on the Alert and Cooperation Network, which facilitates cooperation and information exchange between Member States on official controls in the agri-food chain. The report reveals a significant increase in notifications compared to 2022 – a sign of the growth in cooperation between Member States in this area.

The Alert and Cooperation Network is composed of four sub-networks, each with an individual focus.

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Pesticide residues on fruits and vegetables are the top food safety fear among consumers in five countries.

Scientists from the not-for-profit group CABI used survey data from 8,644 people in Bangladesh, Ghana, Kenya, Pakistan, and Uganda. They assessed concerns about food safety risks, attitudes toward pesticide use in fruit and vegetable production, and how pesticide concerns and socioeconomic factors affect outlet choices.

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Scientists have revealed that lettuce contaminated by animal waste during flooding was the likely vehicle of infection in an E. coli outbreak in 2022.

In September 2022, a large outbreak of STEC O157:H7 was identified in the United Kingdom. It was one of the biggest E. coli outbreaks since the early 1980s.

In late August and early September, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) Gastrointestinal Bacteria Reference Unit (GBRU) reported a substantial increase in submitting certain fecal samples and isolates that were presumptive for STEC.

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Finland’s pig Salmonella control program helps to protect consumers but there is room for improvement, according to an assessment.

Ruokavirasto (The Finnish Food Authority) evaluated the public health and cost effects of the national Salmonella control program for pigs.

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Ethylene oxide, Sudan dyes, and products skipping border controls are examples of recent possible frauds and other non-compliances raised by EU member states.

The number of food and other fraud suspicions discussed by European countries increased in July. The 325 alerts are up from 265 in June and 281 in May, similar to the 341 in April, 345 in March, and 318 in February. There were 277 in January.

The issues identified are potential frauds. Listed non-compliances may prompt investigations by authorities in EU member states. Details come from a monthly report published by the European Commission.

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The FSAI Food Safety Consultative Council (FSCC) is a statutory consultative council established under Section 14 of the FSAI Act, 1998. The purpose of the Council is to facilitate consultations and discussions, for to promote higher standards and other matters relating to the functions of the FSAI with representatives of consumers, producers, retailers, distributors, caterers, manufacturers the food inspectorate and academia. 

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The European Commission has proposed legislation requiring EU countries to do whole genome sequencing (WGS) during foodborne outbreaks.

Officials said the plans would facilitate investigations into outbreaks and the timely detection of the source, which would limit the number of people sick and food recalls and withdrawals.

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I should know better, but I admit that I do it too. I've just pulled some sliced chicken out of the fridge, as I set out to make up some sandwiches. I notice the chicken is within its use-by date, but I'm still suspicious. Another member of the family has unlovingly ripped open the packaging and the slices have been sitting exposed in the fridge for several days. Wondering if the chicken is still usable, I give it a good sniff, hoping for some evidence that it is still good or has gone off.

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EFSA has recently published a call for proposals under the title "Contribution to the Risk Assessment of Novel Foods and Nutrient Sources in the EU (EUBA-EFSA-2024-NIF-01)".

The objective of the call is to establish cooperation with Competent Organisations from the EU Member States (MS), Norway and Iceland (i.e., “MS Competent Organisations” as described in Art. 36 of Regulation (EC) 178/2002) or consortia thereof for the evaluation of Novel Food dossiers submitted by applicants. Successful proponents will have to provide the capacity and expertise relevant for the evaluation of such dossiers. Indicatively, this includes expertise in chemistry, microbiology, biotechnology, food technology, the study of absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME), exposure assessment, and toxicology.

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Microorganisms, genetically modified or not, may be used in the food chain either as active agents, biomasses or as production organisms of substances of interest. The placement of such microorganisms or their derived substances/products in the European market may be subject to a premarket authorisation process. The authorisation process requires a risk assessment in order to establish the safety and/or the efficacy of the microorganism(s) when used in the food chain as such, as biomasses or as production strains. 

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The EFSA process of Environmental Scanning and Strategic Options Definition aims at identifying knowledge gaps and opportunities to fulfil EFSA's mission more efficiently and contribute to the definition of EFSA's work programme and long-term strategy. The identification of trends, drivers of change and emerging risks in the fields within EFSA's mission is one of the objectives of this process.

The Member States and stakeholders in the EFSA knowledge networks for emerging risks, namely the Emerging Risks Exchange Network (EREN) and the Stakeholder Discussion Group on Emerging Risks (StaDG-ER), have identified several emerging chemical issues/risks and analysed them according to the EFSA definition of emerging risks and characterisation criteria.

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Scientists have found an increase in botulism and salmonellosis in Ukraine compared to before the invasion by Russia.

To analyze the war’s effects on infectious disease epidemiology, researchers used open-source data on eight diseases from EPIWATCH, an artificial intelligence early-warning system.

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