EFSA publishes “2025 Report on Emerging Risks and Horizon Scanning”

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has officially released its 2025 Annual Report on Emerging Risks and Horizon Scanning Activities. The document highlights EFSA’s strengthened framework for anticipating potential hazards, tracking weak signals, and evaluating drivers across the agri-food chain to safeguard public health and ensure regulatory preparedness.

Throughout 2025, EFSA examined 55 potentially critical issues, conducting in-depth analyses on 43 and subjecting 25 to structured assessments through European expert networks, such as the Emerging Risks Exchange Network (EREN) and the Stakeholder Discussion Group on Emerging Risks (StaDG-ER).

Following thorough evaluation, four specific issues were formally classified as emerging risks:
1. Antiparasitic drug resistance: Rising resistance to antiparasitic treatments in livestock, posing threats to animal health and food security.
2. Bongkrekic acid contamination: The toxin bongkrekic acid in fermented food products, known to cause severe foodborne illness.
3. Bio-based packaging hazards: Potential chemical contaminants associated with the increasing adoption of bio-based and biodegradable food-contact materials.
4. Fishery product fraud: The illegal use of Cafodos (a chemical mixture) to mask spoilage and alter the appearance of fresh fish.

To enhance proactive detection, EFSA significantly expanded its use of advanced computational methods in 2025. By deploying its fully operational Emerging Risk Analysis Platform (ERAP) and integrating artificial intelligence—including generative AI, logistic regression, and weighted analytical models—EFSA analyzed patterns from the Joint Research Centre (JRC) Food Fraud Monthly Reports and EU agri-food fraud notifications to identify potential food safety risks early.

EFSA’s horizon scanning activities also evaluated several topics requiring additional research before definitive safety conclusions can be drawn, including:
• Inorganic arsenic levels in plant-based dairy and meat alternatives
• Unexpected microbiological and chemical risks tied to vertical farming
• Antimicrobial resistance in probiotic strains
• Safety implications of emerging novel food production technologies

The report stresses that global drivers—such as climate change, technological shifts, and geopolitical instability—are rapidly altering hazard exposure levels. To maintain effective defense mechanisms, EFSA underscores the vital need for a coordinated European early-warning system for emerging chemical risks and continued inter-agency cooperation.

Source:

EFSA