Europe’s gardeners and farmers probably won’t have their Monsanto Roundup weed killer or other similar herbicides taken away from them now that the influential European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has found that the ingredient glyphosate is unlikely to cause cancer in humans. Glyphosate, which has been around since the 1970s,
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European Union Expands COOL Requirements Beyond Beef
Almost a decade after the first country-of-origin labeling (COOL) of beef was required in Europe, no packaged unprocessed meat product may now be legally sold in any European Union member country without a label stating where the animal was reared and slaughtered. Europe’s new law, effective April 1, covers fresh,
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Journal Dedicates Issue to Climate Change and Food Safety
Food Research International has published a special issue dedicated to the impacts of climate change on food safety. The collection of research examined issues such as pesticide use, parasite transmission, mycotoxin production on tomatoes, paralytic shellfish poisoning, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, and the relationship between flooding and leafy greens contamination. The issue
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Belgium Takes a Serious Look at the Food Safety of Insects
Neither Belgium nor the European Union has any specific regulations regarding breeding and marketing insects for human consumption, but the trade is tolerated. And why not? Insects, according to the Scientific Committee of the (Belgium) Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain, “offer great potential” as alternative sources
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Confusion Greets New EU Food-Labeling Rules
New rules went into effect Dec. 13 throughout the European Union to help people avoid 14 allergens in food by requiring labels, providing information on food allergies and intolerance, and offering voluntary best practices on cross-contamination controls for pre-packed and loose food items. The new rules impact restaurants, bakeries, delis
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Analysis: 30 Percent of NZ Baby Food Contained Pesticide Residues
According to a recent analysis of a government study, New Zealand baby food contained nearly 800 times more pesticides than baby food in Europe. 
The analysis results and the perceived risks to New Zealand babies were presented Thursday to the parliament in Wellington by Dr. Meriel Watts of the Pesticide
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Risk Assessment vs. Risk Management: What’s the Difference?
(This article was posted April 16, 2014, on the European Food Safety Authority website and is reposted here with permission.) The decision to separate the tasks of risk assessment and risk management just over a decade ago has transformed the safety of Europe’s food. And, while there is wide recognition
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Blog: U.S. Gets Gold Medal in ‘Food Safety Olympics’ With EU
Usually it’s David Acheson, a former top Food and Drug Administration (FDA) official, who stirs things up with his speeches or guest commentaries from The Acheson Group. But, this time, it’s the consulting firm’s chief science officer, Jennifer McEntire, who came up with a sort of food safety Olympics between
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The View From Kiev: Ukraine’s Food Safety Improvements Will Eventually Align With the EU
Food is a big part of the current political upheaval in Ukraine. As the world’s third-largest wheat exporter, the news from Kiev has already roiled the Chicago Board of Trade, and Russian threats to block imports from Ukraine are ratcheting up tensions. Much more in the background, but every bit
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Monsanto Steps Out of Europe's GMO Line
St. Louis-based Monsanto has permanently stepped out of Europe’s application line for growing new crops using genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Instead, the world’s largest seed company is going to work on increasing its sales of non-GMO seed and other farm products in Europe. Jose Manuel Madero, Monsanto’s president and managing
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