News

Food Safety Authority of Ireland is warning people, especially pregnant and breastfeeding women, not to eat calabash chalk because it contains high levels of lead, which can harm babies and unborn children.

According to the latest data from European Food Safety Authority, most food samples tested across Europe met EU rules for pesticide residues. Based on more than 125,000 food samples, the report shows that pesticide levels in food continue to pose a low risk to human health.

EFSA and its partners across Europe are continuing the Safe2Eat campaign in 2026 to help people make safe and informed food choices using clear, science-based information. Starting in April 2026, the campaign builds on previous success and aims to reach more people and improve understanding of food safety across Europe and beyond.

New results from the Food Standards Agency’s consumer survey, Food and You 2, show that many people in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland changed their diet in the past year for health and environmental reasons.

A new system for how EFSA guidance documents are described, stored, and accessed will make them easier to find, understand, and use for EFSA scientists, as well as for partners, stakeholders, and applicants.

Take part in a quick 5-minute anonymous survey to help improve Listeria detection and food safety practices across the industry. The purpose of this survey is to gather insights from food business operators and regulatory bodies on current practices and knowledge of Listeria. Your input will support research shared with key bodies like the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland.

The Watson Project’s “Food Detectives” comic explains how food fraud happens and why it’s important to track where food comes from, building on the Euronews series. It also shows how an EU-funded HorizonEU project is developing tools to trace food along the supply chain, helping prevent fraud and making food safety science easier to understand.

Avian flu cases in birds across Europe are starting to fall after a very high peak over autumn and winter. Overall outbreaks were still higher than usual, but the risk to the public remains low.

The European Commission has introduced TraceMap, an AI tool that helps authorities identify food fraud, track contamination and recall products faster.

The meeting, chaired by Susan Jebb of the Food Standards Agency, will take place at Best Western Hotel Rembrandt at 9:00 am on Wednesday, 25 March, and is open to the public to attend in person or online with prior registration.

The agreement shows a shared goal to encourage innovation and competitiveness while keeping high safety standards. Over the next three years, the partners will work together on science-based solutions to support safe, sustainable and resilient food systems, aligned with One Health.

Experts say sucralose is safe at its currently approved levels, as people consume less than the safe daily limit, but there isn’t enough evidence to say it would be safe to use it more widely.