The “Food safety in the EU – Special EUROBAROMETER Report” was released in September 2025, and it contains the following topics: 

• Perceptions of Food Safety Risks in the EU

• Sources of Information and Trust

• Food Safety Responsibilities and Institutions

• Food-Related Concerns Beyond Safety

• Reactions to Food Safety Incidents and Labelling

• Socio-demographic and Behavioural Analysis

The report comprehensively covers all 27 EU Member States, presenting data country. The results are grouped and compared by region (e.g., Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western Europe), and country-specific profiles are provided, including those for Romania, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, and others.

The Special Eurobarometer 103.3 – “Food Safety in the EU” (September 2025) provides several insights that are particularly relevant for agri-food industry actors across EU countries.

• Briefly, the main points of concern are the following:

• Food producers and processors need to place stronger emphasis on transparent residue management, safer production inputs, and clearer safety communication along the supply chain.

• Consumers tend to trust scientists, consumer organisations, and public food safety authorities at both the EU and national levels much more than industry representatives, influencers, or social media sources. 

• Agri-food companies are therefore encouraged to invest in traceability systems and adopt digital or QR-code-based labelling that allows consumers to access verifiable data on food safety and sourcing.

• The concept of food safety is increasingly linked with broader concerns about environmental sustainability, animal welfare, climate impact, and nutrition quality. For the industry, this means that safety standards should no longer be addressed in isolation, but rather integrated into sustainability reporting and communication frameworks that demonstrate the connection between safe, sustainable, and healthy food.

• The report also highlights regional variation within the EU. Companies operating across multiple EU markets should therefore adapt their communication and compliance priorities to the local risk perceptions and cultural context.

• Agri-food companies need to ensure that their crisis management systems are aligned with EU mechanisms such as the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) and EFSA’s risk communication principles.