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Chemical Safety
Chemical safety in the EU food chain concerns the use, control and monitoring of chemical substances that are intentionally used in food production and distribution, as well as contaminants that enter food unintentionally from the environment or from production processes. The Commission explains that chemicals can play useful roles — for example as additives, flavourings, veterinary medicines, pesticides or food-contact materials — but they may also create risks for consumers through side effects, residues or contamination.
The EU approach is based on balancing the benefits of chemical substances with the need for a high level of consumer protection. According to the Commission, this balance is pursued through risk analysis procedures grounded in scientific evaluation, while also taking into account practical considerations such as the feasibility of controls. In other words, EU chemical-safety legislation is designed not simply to permit or ban substances, but to regulate them through authorisation, limits and monitoring.
The page divides EU chemical-safety legislation into several main areas. First, food additives may be used only if they are explicitly authorised, often subject to quantitative limits and restricted uses in specific foods. Second, the legislation on flavourings limits undesirable compounds and relies on safety evaluations before flavouring substances can be authorised. Third, the rules on contaminants follow the principle that contaminant levels should be kept as low as reasonably achievable through good practice, with maximum levels set for certain substances such as mycotoxins, dioxins, heavy metals, nitrates and chloropropanols.
Another major component concerns residues of veterinary medicinal products and plant protection products. The Commission notes that these substances are subject to scientific assessment before authorisation, and that maximum residue limits (MRLs) are established where necessary. In some cases, the use of specific substances may be prohibited altogether. This shows that chemical safety is closely linked not only to food processing, but also to the earlier stages of animal production and crop management.
Check the EU legislation on food contact materials, which must not transfer components into food in quantities that could endanger human health or alter the composition, taste or texture of food. This makes chemical safety broader than ingredients and residues alone: it also covers the containers, packaging and other materials that come into contact with food throughout the supply chain.
Finally, the section points to operational tools and further sub-areas, including incident-management procedures for new food-safety incidents involving chemical substances, more detailed pages on contaminants, residues of veterinary medicinal products, food contact materials, and longstanding EU action on topics such as hormones in meat. Overall, the page presents chemical safety as a broad, science-based regulatory field aimed at ensuring that chemical substances in or around food are assessed, controlled and kept within limits consistent with public health protection.
The EU approach is based on balancing the benefits of chemical substances with the need for a high level of consumer protection. According to the Commission, this balance is pursued through risk analysis procedures grounded in scientific evaluation, while also taking into account practical considerations such as the feasibility of controls. In other words, EU chemical-safety legislation is designed not simply to permit or ban substances, but to regulate them through authorisation, limits and monitoring.
The page divides EU chemical-safety legislation into several main areas. First, food additives may be used only if they are explicitly authorised, often subject to quantitative limits and restricted uses in specific foods. Second, the legislation on flavourings limits undesirable compounds and relies on safety evaluations before flavouring substances can be authorised. Third, the rules on contaminants follow the principle that contaminant levels should be kept as low as reasonably achievable through good practice, with maximum levels set for certain substances such as mycotoxins, dioxins, heavy metals, nitrates and chloropropanols.
Another major component concerns residues of veterinary medicinal products and plant protection products. The Commission notes that these substances are subject to scientific assessment before authorisation, and that maximum residue limits (MRLs) are established where necessary. In some cases, the use of specific substances may be prohibited altogether. This shows that chemical safety is closely linked not only to food processing, but also to the earlier stages of animal production and crop management.
Check the EU legislation on food contact materials, which must not transfer components into food in quantities that could endanger human health or alter the composition, taste or texture of food. This makes chemical safety broader than ingredients and residues alone: it also covers the containers, packaging and other materials that come into contact with food throughout the supply chain.
Finally, the section points to operational tools and further sub-areas, including incident-management procedures for new food-safety incidents involving chemical substances, more detailed pages on contaminants, residues of veterinary medicinal products, food contact materials, and longstanding EU action on topics such as hormones in meat. Overall, the page presents chemical safety as a broad, science-based regulatory field aimed at ensuring that chemical substances in or around food are assessed, controlled and kept within limits consistent with public health protection.
