Keeping European food safe

The agency was set up in Parma (Italy) in 2002, following a series of food crises in the late 1990s, the most famous being ‘mad cow disease’. By bringing together top European experts to provide precious scientific advice, it helps EU countries and institutions in all matters concerning food safety.

Ensuring the quality and safety of what we eat is one of the EU’s top priorities, and common rules have been put in place to monitor the whole food chain ‘from the farm to the fork’. Laws include a ban on advertising food with high salt, sugar or fat content as being good for your health, measures to improve the control of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and better labelling of food ingredients to help people suffering from food allergies.

The EU is also promoting food quality and diversity. European ‘traditional speciality guaranteed’ logos protect traditional and regional products such as Belgian ‘Kriek’ beer or Finnish ‘Kalakukko’ bread, ensuring that the huge diversity of culinary traditions around Europe is preserved and valued.