European watchdog spearheads campaign to promote food safety awareness among consumers

03 Aug 2021 --- The European Food Safety Authority’s (ESFA) new #EUChooseSafeFood campaign aims to raise awareness of the science behind EU food safety, and to help consumers make informed decisions about everyday food choices. 

The objective of the EU-wide campaign is to encourage Europeans to make confident food choices by explaining the critical role played by science and scientists in food safety.

From helping to decipher labels and understand additives, to providing advice on why raw potatoes should not be stored in the fridge, the campaign will offer practical information to consumers.

“The EU food safety system gives every European citizen the right to know how the food they eat is produced, processed, packaged, labeled and sold,” ESFA states.

“As part of this system, EFSA’s impartial experts review scientific data and studies to evaluate food risks. This ensures that all products on our markets and in our shops are safe.”

The campaign will offer practical information to consumers, such as how to decipher labels and understand additives.Social media campaign
Primarily targeting 25 to 45-year-olds, #EUChooseSafeFood will also explain EFSA’s role in contributing to European regulations that protect consumers and the entire food chain.

The campaign is organized in cooperation with nine EU Member States: Austria, Croatia, Italy, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia and Spain.

An #EUChooseSafeFood toolkit including visuals, short films and social media posts in different languages is available on the campaign website, making it easy for national authorities and associations to get involved in the campaign.

The initiative comes at the heels of a recent crackdown on rampant cases of food and beverage fraud across several EU markets led by Europol and Interpol. 

Fake honey made with corn syrup and sugar alterations accounted for a significant volume of confiscated goods. In addition, major infringements on alcoholic drinks led to seizures of 1.7 million liters of beverage products, while illegal horse meat was also targeted. 

In other food safety news, it was reported earlier this year that the number of reported human cases of illness caused by Campylobacter and Salmonella bacteria across Europe appears to be stabilizing, over the past five years. This is according to a report on zoonotic diseases by the ESFA and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

Edited by Benjamin Ferrer