Salmonella Cases Reduced by Almost One-half
EU - Salmonella – a bacterium causing salmonellosis in humans – was until 2005 the most common food-borne disease in European Union (EU) with almost 200.000 reported human cases that year. It is estimated...

Ag Council Discusses Welfare and MRLs
EU - The Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting last week covered animal welfare during transport – a key area for the incoming Danish presidency - bluetongue vaccination, maximum residues limits...

EU Steps up Dioxin Contamination Prevention
EU – The European Commission is to put forward new proposals to improve the protection of consumers and industry against a possible dioxin contamination.

Study Recommends Changes to Meat Inspection
EU - Current meat inspection methods do not enable early detection of some major hazards according to the European Food Safety Authority's (EFSA) first stage of a major piece of work that will provide...

EFSA Panel Shows Risks of Antimicrobial Use
EU - The use of antimicrobials in food producing animals is a risk to public health and it can help to spread the bacterial strains.

EFSA Publishes Report on Viral Food-Borne Illness
EU - Up-to-date information on food-borne viruses has been published by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

Report on Antimicrobial Resistance in Bacteria
EU - European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) have published their first joint report on antimicrobial resistance in zoonotic bacteria affecting...

Food Labels to be Clearer for Consumers
EU - Food shoppers will be able to make better informed, healthier choices as the result of new EU food labelling rules approved by MEPs on Wednesday, according to the European Parliament.

EFSA Launches Update on GM Risk Assessment
EU - The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has launched updated guidance for food and feed risk assessment of genetically modified (GM) plants.

Vet Week Highlights Responses to Food Crises
EU - A series of crises over the past 15-20 years, from BSE and Foot-and-Mouth disease (FMD) to dioxin contamination, led the EU to overhaul its entire Food Safety system making it today one of the safest...

EU Celebrates Veterinary Week
EU - This is Veterinary Week 2011 and in the EU, they are celebrating the role of the veterinary profession in keeping food in the EU safe.

First Guidelines on Nano-Technology in Feed & Food
EU - European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published its first practical guidance for assessing nano applications in food and feed.

EU to Target Antimicrobial Resistance in 2012
EU - When Denmark takes over the EU Presidency on 1 January 2012, antimicrobial resistance will be a priority, especially for pig farmers.

MEP Calls for Tougher Controls on Animal Antibiotics
EU - Public health officials have long warned of the dangers of the over-use of antibiotics in humans. The same applies to animals, and since the increase this overuse produces in antimicrobial resistance,...

Human Illness from Salmonella Falls, Campy Rises
EU - The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) have published their annual report on zoonoses and food-borne outbreaks in the European...

Brussels Closes Pigmeat Storage Aid
EU - The private storage aid for pig meat introduced in the EU a few weeks ago because of the dioxin crisis has been suspended with retroactive effect from Tuesday 22 February.

EU Adopts Statement on Germany's Dioxin Incident
EU - Member States have adopted a united statement on the recent dioxin incident in Germany.

Pork Crisis: Wake-up Call on Food Dependency
EU - Europe's livestock farming crisis is a wake-up call that the region could become dependent on ever increasing food imports as farmers, unable to pass on soaring feed costs to supermarket shoppers,...

Agriculture Ministers Back Pig Meat Private Storage
EU - European Agriculture Ministers this week backed moves for private storage of pig meat following representation from a Belgian delegation about the difficult situation of the pig meat market in the...

EFSA Launches Consultation on Use of Nanomaterials
EU - The European Food Safety Authority has launched a public consultation on its draft guidance document for engineered nanomaterial (ENM) applications in food and feed.

EFSA Shares Progress on Work on Emerging Risks
EU - EFSA has shared progress on its work on emerging risks in feed and food with participants from around the globe at its recent 15th Scientific Colloquium.

EC Proposes Ban on Use of Cloned Animals
EU - The European Commission has proposed a temporary five year ban on the use of cloned animals for food, says a leaked draft report of DG SANCO due to be adopted by the College of Commissioners next...

EFSA Issues Update on Animal Cloning
EU - The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published a scientific statement on animal cloning following the endorsement of its Scientific Committee. It covers developmental abnornalities and food...

Safety of Vitamin E as a Feed Additive
EU - An investigation into the use of vitamin E as a supplement in animal feed, has found that there is no concern for consumers when it is used at practical levels.

EFSA Evaluates Factors Contributing to MRSA in Pigs
EU - EFSA has published an evaluation of factors that may contribute to the spread of MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) in pig holdings in the European Union, following on from...

MEPs Veto 'Meat Glue' Authorisation
EU - The European Parliament has blocked the authorisation of "meat glue" thrombin as a food additive.

MEPs Vote to Exclude Food from Cloned Animals
EU - Food derived from cloned animals and their descendants must be excluded from draft legislation on the authorisation of "novel foods", Environment Committee MEPs said on Tuesday, 4 May. Foods produced...

Report on Antimicrobial Resistance Raises Concerns
EU - The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has reported on antimicrobial resistance in zoonotic bacteria over 2004-2007. One area of concern is a high level of fluoroquinolone resistance recorded in...

Iceland's Volcano Poses 'Negligible' Risk to Food Safety
EU - The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has issued scientific advice on short-term risks for food and feed safety in the EU following Iceland volcano eruption, and found the potential risk posed...

EFSA Assesses Risk of Salmonella from Pig Meat
EU - The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has assessed the public health risks from Salmonella in pigs and the impact of possible control measures.