The European Commission aims to assure a high level of food safety and animal & plant health within the EU through coherent Farm to Fork measures and adequate monitoring, while ensuring an effective internal market.
The implementation of this integrated Food Safety policy in the EU involves various actions, namely:
- to assure effective control systems and evaluate compliance with EU standards in the food safety and quality, animal health, animal welfare, animal nutrition and plant health sectors within the EU and in non-EU countries in relation to their exports to the EU;
- to manage international relations with non-EU countries and international organisations concerning food safety, animal health, animal welfare, animal nutrition and plant health;
- to manage relations with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and ensure science-based risk management.
The integrated approach to food safety is covered by the following web sections:
Food Safety
Every European citizen has the right to know how the food they eat is produced, processed, packaged, labelled and sold.
The central goal of the European Commission's Food Safety policy is to ensure a high level of protection of human health regarding the food industry — Europe’s largest manufacturing and employment sector.
The Commission's guiding principle, primarily set out in its White Paper on Food Safety, is to apply an integrated approach from farm to fork covering all sectors of the food chain.
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Animals
The objective of the Animal Health policy is to raise the health status and improve the conditions of the animals in the EU, in particular food-producing animals, whilst permitting intra-Community trade and imports of animals and animal products in accordance with the appropriate health standards and international obligations.
The general aim of the Animal Welfare policy is to ensure that animals don’t need to endure avoidable pain or suffering and obliges the owner/keeper of animals to respect minimum welfare requirements.
The EU zootechnical legislation aims at the promotion of free trade in breeding animals and their genetic material considering the sustainability of breeding programs and preservation of genetic resources.
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Plants
The European Commission takes actively part in the setting of international phytosanitary and quality standards for plants and plant products.
EU legislation has, over the years, provided for the harmonised protection of our 'green resources'. Issues like pesticides, plant variety rights or Genetically Modified Organisms are some of the topics you will find in this section.
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Horizontal topics related to Food Safety
A selection of topics that span across more than one of the main pillars of the Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE).
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News
EFSA published a new statement on genetically modified Soybean for food and feed uses on 28 October. In accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 on genetically modified food and feed, the public may make comments on this opinion for 1 month.
The FOLOU project, funded under the Horizon Europe Programme, is launching a Twinning Regions Programme to help European regions and their actors tackle the challenge of food losses in primary production.
The Official Control Regulation requires Member States organising risk-based controls to identify and combat fraudulent and deceptive practices along the agri-food chain.
Welcome to the September edition of the Hub’s newsletter! In this issue, we bring you the latest food waste data from the catering sector from the International Food Waste Coalition, as well as updates on efforts to reduce food losses in Sweden, the Netherlands, and more.
On Sunday 29 September, the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste (IDAFLW) will be observed for the fifth time.
The Commission reports on official controls on food and feed, animal health and welfare, plant health and plant protection products performed in 2022 in EU countries.
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.
On the overall operation of official controls carried out in Member States (2022) to ensure the application of food and feed law, rules on animal health and welfare, plant health and plant protection products
The Official Control Regulation requires Member States organising risk-based controls to identify and combat fraudulent and deceptive practices along the agri-food chain.
EFSA published a new opinion on genetically modified maize for food and feed uses on 1 August. In accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 on genetically modified food and feed, the public may make comments on this opinion for a period of 1 month.