EU acts on food safety as pesticide probe draws to a close

The European Food Safety Authority has taken steps to improve its transparency and communication of risk, but two investigations have recommended further regulatory changes.

On 16 January, the European Parliament resoundingly endorsed a report by its special pesticides committee calling for greater transparency and accountability in the EU’s pesticide approval procedures.

Specifically, the report calls on the EU and its member states to provide funding for research into the effects of pesticides on human health and the environment, in particular looking at long-term impacts. It also calls on the European Commission to assess whether member state authorities should provide safety data on pesticides, with the support of the European Food Safety Authority (Efsa). This would replace the present system under which this data is provided by the companies that want to sell the products.