Tag: Food Safety

EU Agriculture Ministers back European Commission’s vision on agrifood

25 Mar 2025

This week, European ministers of agriculture discussed the European Commission’s Vision for the Future of Agriculture and Food for the first time since Commissioner Hansen presen...

Bisphenol A, R3PACK welcomes the ban from consumer products, calls for stricter protections

30 Jan 2025

The R3PACK Consortium welcomes the recent Bisphenol A ban adopted by the European Commission. Additionally, the consortium strongly encourages policymakers to prioritise public hea...

Brazilian hormone beef a major stumbling block ahead of Mercosur talks at G20

15 Nov 2024

The EU-Mercosur talks around Monday’s G20 in Brazil have found a new major obstacle on the way that directly affects consumer protection around food: Brazilian meat containing es...

A double standard in global trade and EU health protection: How Europe’s banned pesticides end up on our plates

08 Oct 2024

A new report by PAN Europe reveals that hazardous pesticides banned in Europe can still be found in European consumers’ diets. These toxic pesticides, often produced by...

SAFE launches its podcast SAFE bites

29 Jul 2024

On this podcast we talk about food-related issues important for European consumers. Every episode will be focused on something relevant for consumers to learn about, like food labe...

Trust in food industry declining

24 May 2024

Trust in the food industry is on the decline among consumers. Sustainability concerns are a key factor. As reported by FoodNavigator Europe, a survey conducted by the EIT Food Cons...

Empowering consumers, EFSA launches the 2024 Safe2Eat Campaign

13 May 2024

EFSA, alongside its EU Member State partners, reintroduces a revitalised effort to promote food safety throughout Europe with its 2024 Safe2Eat campaign. This campaign builds upon ...

SAFE response to Public Consultation on Food safety – plastic food contact materials (FCMs)

16 Apr 2024

SAFE welcomes the proposed revision of quality control rules for plastic food contact materials (FCMs). However, it considers that it does not go far enough. There are remaining co...

Crackdown on PFAS, US and France move to protect consumers from forever chemicals

15 Apr 2024

Several states are initiating measures to safeguard their consumers from PFAS, or Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly dubbed ‘forever chemicals’ due to their ...

Sweeteners controversy leaves consumers confused

08 Mar 2024

Important sugar consumption is known to increase the risk of development of obesity and non-communicable diseases such as dental disease. Shoppers are increasingly concerned in red...

Antimicrobial resistance, insights from EFSA and ECDC report

05 Mar 2024

The report issued by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) highlights the ongoing challenge of antimicrobial r...

Glyphosate found in ready-made soups in Italy

27 Feb 2024

The consumer rights magazine Il Salvagente (a member of SAFE) conducted an investigation on ready-made soups, discovering that these products often contain glyphosate. Upon examini...

NGTs, MEPs vote in favour of mandatory labelling

08 Feb 2024

The European Parliament adopted its position on New Genomic Techniques (NGTs), voting in favour of mandatory labelling. A development welcomed by SAFE, which believes that the regu...

Labelling challenges for plant-based food

05 Feb 2024

As reported by Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI), vegan and plant-based foods lack of a legal definition. Nevertheless, about a 76,4% of consumers believe food labeled a...

Commission authorises GMOs for food and animal feed

26 Jan 2024

The European Commission has granted approval for the utilisation of genetically modified maize and has also extended the authorisation for two genetically modified oilseed rapes fo...

Food contaminated with inorganic arsenic: health risks confirmed

25 Jan 2024

The European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) recent risk assessment on inorganic arsenic in food reaffirms the findings of a previous study from 2009, confirming health risks ...

European Parliament vetoes Commission’s proposal to tolerate MRLs for thiacloprid

19 Jan 2024

The European Parliament voted against the European Commission’s proposal to tolerate maximum residue levels (MRLs) for thiacloprid above the determination threshold for around th...

Engineered nanomaterials in food, SAFE is concerned about food safety

15 Jan 2024

SAFE Food Advocacy Europe is worried about the impact on food safety by the delegated act that the European Commission is going to adopt to adjust and adapt the definition of engin...

Herbicide exposure has negative effects on brain function in adolescents, study reports

19 Oct 2023

A new study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives highlights a concerning link between herbicides like glyphosate and impaired brain function in adolescents. L...

Bisphenol A in foods, the role of microplastics

12 Oct 2023

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EFSA has re-evaluated the risk of exposure to mineral oil hydrocarbons through food

14 Sep 2023

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) announced that it has re-evaluated the risk assessment of mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOH), substances derived primarily from crude oil, but...

Global Food Safety

21 Aug 2023

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WHO says aspartame safe to consume despite weak cancer link

20 Jul 2023

According to two separate reports published on Friday by researchers affiliated to the World Health Organisation (WHO), aspartame is safe to consume even though there is weak evide...

06 Jul 2023

Strengthening food safety, sustainability, and inclusion for European consumers SAFE’s EU Elections 2024 Manifesto Safe Food Advocacy Europe – SAFE, as an umbrella orga...

Microwaving plastic baby food packaging releases microparticles, study reports

04 Jul 2023

Scientists from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln have discovered that plastic baby pouches emit significant amounts of microplastic particles when heated in a microwave oven, pac...

EFSA launches public consultation on toxic food contaminants PBDEs

19 Jun 2023

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) launched a public consultation on health risks associated with polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in food. According to the draft scie...

Acrilammide, il pericolo nascosto negli alimenti. Appello di Safe

10 May 2023

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EFSA, nitrosamines in food raise health concerns

29 Mar 2023

According to the assessment conducted by EFSA on the health risk associated with the presence of nitrosamines in food, these compounds may pose a health concern for consumers. Ten ...

EFSA, mineral oil hydrocarbons in food are a “potential health concern”

21 Mar 2023

While the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) provisionally confirmed that some substances in the group know as mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH) are a possible health con...

Food safety, EU Commission adopts rules to lower arsenic levels in food

03 Mar 2023

The European Commission adopted new rules to lower the presence of arsenic in food products. Lower maximum levels (MLs) are being adopted as an important measur...

European Commission adopts stringent residue limits for pesticides to protect pollinators

02 Feb 2023

The European Commission adopted new rules that aim to lower the Maximum Residues Levels (MRLs) of the pesticides clothianidin and thiamethoxam in food. The European Court of Justic...

Total copper intakes below new safe level, EFSA says

20 Jan 2023

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has established a new acceptable daily intake (ADI) for copper and assessed that the combined exposure to copper from all sources doe...

PFAS: European Commission adopts new rules against dangerous contaminants in food  

07 Dec 2022

The European Commission adopted new rules to protect citizens against chemicals that can have negative consequences on the immune system, the development of foe...

Acrylamide in food: the urgent need to reform the current legislation

10 Mar 2022

Acrylamide is a chemical compound generated during high-temperature cooking processes that transform sugar and amino acids present in food products. For many years the scientific c...

New evidence on a potential correlation between the consumption of ultra-processed foods and early death

25 Jan 2022

The term ‘ultra-processed foods’ refers to products that have undergone a substantial amount of industrial processing and whose nutritional labels generally report a long list ...

New French study on heavy metal exposure in adults and children

07 Jul 2021

On July 1st, 2021 an epidemiological study on heavy metal impregnation in adults and children was released by the French National Public Health Agency. The study – ...

Ethylene oxide in foods: still a long way to go in reaching coordination

01 Jul 2021

In the past few months, organisations have revealed that non-compliant products containing ingredients illegally processed with ethylene oxide were still being sold without proper ...

EFSA report offers snapshot into pesticide residues on food

11 Apr 2020

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 ParliamentR...

EFSA chief: EU food safety rules ensure protection against COVID-19

07 Apr 2020

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 c...

Commissioner Kyriakides respond to 34 MEPs’ letter on E171

23 Jan 2020

On 17 December 2019, a cross-party coalition of 34 MEPs sent a letter to Health and Food Safety Commissioner Stella Kyriakides to ask for an extension of the French ban on the whit...

European civil society groups urge EU Commissioner to ban E171 in food

06 Dec 2019

On 5 Dec 2019, European civil society groups have sent a joint letter to Ms. Stella Kyriakides – European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety on the issue of the white co...

Divided opinions about the French ban on E171

27 Jun 2019

A recent evaluation of titanium dioxide in food from the French national food safety agency ANSES belied EFSA’s assessment of this substance. The evaluation highlighted significa...

Food Scandal breaks out in France as distributed burger meat fails to meet quality standards

11 Jun 2019

Another food scandal broke out in France, as it was revealed that beef burgers of Polish origin that failed to meet legal standards were sold to charities tackling food poverty. Th...

Coca-Cola funds an Institute to influence obesity policy in China

10 Jan 2019

While obesity rates in China are hitting records, the Coca-Cola Company is putting scientific evidence into Chinese policies to promoto exercise and downplay the role of diets in t...

UN stays silent on fat tax and labelling

19 Dec 2018

Last week, the United Nations adopted a draft resolution on improving global nutrition. The agency called for improved education to tackle obesity, but remained silent on key issue...

Action needed to ensure a higher level of protection from pesticides in Europe

07 Dec 2018

An open letter of EU coalition of concerned citizens and NGOs calls EU regulators for a higher level of protection from pesticides by fulfilling the 15 manifesto demands. Read the ...

Joint letter on the EU delegated act on the measurement of food waste

22 Nov 2018

The European Commission will soon adopt a delegated act establishing a common methodology for food waste measurement. However, it appears that the latest draft of the delegated act...

New report points at reduction of animal products to initiate a Low-Carbon Transition in the food sector

13 Nov 2018

Consumption of animal products such as meat and dairy has increased at an unprecedented pace since 1950s. Less animal products not only means healthier food, but also an earth-frie...

Rigorous Science, Safe Food, and a Healthy Environment – A Manifesto

31 Oct 2018

The European Union has one of the best regulations for pesticides in the world – in theory. But it is not implemented in practice. SAFE has joined the new  “Citizens for Scien...

About the fast-track approval of 140 new plastic recycling processes: risks and challenges

07 Sep 2018

Is it safe to use recycled plastic in food and drink packaging? Secretary General Floriana Cimmarusti talked to Euractiv about the risks of a fast-track approval of 140 recycling p...