51% of DG SANTE Agri-Food Controls in 2026 Target Third Countries: Inside the European Commission’s Audit Programme
Saturday, 28 February 2026
The European Commission’s 2026 Health and Food Audits and Analysis Programme sends an important signal to global agri-food exporters. The message is clear:EU import controls are entering a new phase of intensified scrutiny. In response to rising concerns around food safety, regulatory alignment, and the integrity of third-country control systems, the EU is significantly scaling up audits of non-EU countries. The focus areas for 2026 include: 🔸 Pesticide residues🔸 Pharmacologically active substances in animal products🔸 Contaminants and mycotoxins🔸 Food contact materials (including recycled plastics)🔸 Microbiological risks🔸 Animal health and welfare standards The Commission has committed to a 50% increase in audits of non-EU countries between 2025–2027. In 2026 alone, 51% of agri-food controls will target non-EU countries, compared to 33% in 2025. For exporters to the EU market, this marks a structural recalibration of import scrutiny. The emphasis is no longer limited to product-level compliance, it extends to the robustness of official control systems in exporting countries. In times of geopolitical instability and economic uncertainty, regulatory certainty becomes even more critical. The EU is reinforcing its food safety perimeter. If your business exports to the European Union, 2026 will require: 🔸 Robust residue monitoring aligned with EU MRLs🔸 Strong and defensible official certification systems🔸 Full traceability across the supply chain🔸 A documented and demonstrable compliance culture🔸 Preparedness for on-site Commission audits Preparedness is not optional. It is strategic for market growth and business expansion. Below is the list of sectors falling under heightened European Commission scrutiny in 2026, together with the planned audits for non-EU countries. dfk DFK Safe Food Environment · Regulatory Services EU Food SafetyIncreased Audits 2026 Food categories under highest scrutiny in third-country controls, verified from the European Commission DG SANTE Health and Food Audits and Analysis Programme 2026 159 Total Controls 51% Non-EU Focus, up from 33% 150 Audits Planned ~50% Increase in non-EU audit share 2025-27 Food Categories Ranked by Planned Audit Intensity, Third Countries # Food Category and Scope Audits Relative Intensity Priority 1 Fish, Fishery Products and Fish Oil China, Chile, Oman, Panama, Türkiye, Uruguay; plus 7 desk-based audits (Papua New Guinea, Senegal, Cabo Verde, Solomon Islands, Taiwan, Nigeria, Malaysia) 13audits High 2 Residues of Pharmacologically Active Substances, Food of Animal Origin Tunisia, Panama, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Republic of Korea, Bangladesh, Uruguay, Türkiye, Moldova, plus 1 TBD; desk-based assessment of 30 non-EU countries 10audits High 3 Plants and Plant Products, Phytosanitary Controls Uganda, Costa Rica, China, Japan (Bonsai), Peru, Thailand, plus 1 TBD 7audits High 4 Pesticide Residues, Food of Plant Origin Kenya, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Madagascar 5audits High 5 Food Contact Materials, Recycled Plastics United Kingdom, India, Türkiye, China; first coordinated audit programme on this topic launched in 2026 4audits New Topic 6 Meat and Meat Products, Beef and Poultry Brazil (beef), Argentina (poultry and wild hare), United Kingdom (beef), Uruguay (beef) 4audits Medium 7 Animal Health, Poultry Meat and Eggs China, Thailand, United States 3audits Medium 8 Live Bivalve Molluscs Japan, Vietnam 2audits Medium 9 Microbiological Safety, Food of Non-Animal Origin Serbia, Türkiye 2audits Medium 10 Contaminants, Food of Non-Animal Origin United States; Türkiye (product-specific details per Annex 4 country audit descriptions: aflatoxin in peanuts; mycotoxins in pistachios and dried figs) 2audits Medium Primary Risk Concerns Driving the 2026 Audit Programme Pesticide Residues (MRL Compliance) Veterinary Drug Residues Mycotoxins and Aflatoxins Microbiological Safety Food Contact Material Migration Animal Disease Certification Chemical Contaminants (incl. heavy metals, where relevant) Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Countries Facing Multiple Audit Topics in 2026 Türkiye Vet. drug residues, pesticides and contaminants Fishery product production controls Food contact materials (recycled plastic) Mycotoxins in pistachios and dried figs Microbiological safety (FNAO) Food irradiation facilities China Poultry meat and eggs, animal health Fish oil for human consumption Food contact materials (recycled plastic) Plant and plant products export controls Uruguay Fishery products Beef production controls Vet. drug residues and contaminants Bangladesh Pesticide residues, food of plant origin Vet. drug residues and contaminants Panama Fish oil for human consumption Vet. drug residues and contaminants Thailand Poultry meat and eggs, animal health Pesticide residues, food of plant origin Plant and plant products export controls New Audit Topics Launched in 2026 Fish Oil: first coordinated audit programme on this topic, covering China, Chile, Oman, Panama; EU Member States France and Germany, targeting products for human consumption. Food Contact Materials with Recycled Plastics: first coordinated audit programme on this topic in EU (Netherlands, Poland) and third countries (UK, India, Türkiye, China), addressing chemical migration risks from recycled packaging. How Audit Outcomes Affect Market Access A negative Commission audit outcome in a third country can trigger trade-restrictive measures including enhanced border checks or import suspension. Audits verify the competent authority’s official control system, not just individual product lots. Results are published on the DG SANTE audit portal and inform EU import policy decisions. Source: EC DG SANTE · Health and Food Audits and Analysis Programme 2026 · EW-01-25-098-EN-N dfk Safe Food Environment
- Published in EU regulatory compliance, Food safety and trade
When Supplier Controls Matter More Than Your Own CCPs
Monday, 16 February 2026
A single ingredient , pre-cooked pasta, caused 7 deaths, 28 illnesses, 27 hospitalizations and brought 6+ brands into recall. This multistate Listeria monocytogenes outbreak was linked to prepared, ready-to-eat pasta meals. We are not here to speculate about failure or assign blame. But we should reflect. Irrespective of this specific case, where the exact root cause and system robustness are not fully clear, such incidents remind us of something critical: It is time for food safety to move beyond a purely HACCP-centered mindset. HACCP asks: That logic is vital, indispensable. But it is not sufficient. When conducting risk assessments and determining management strategies, food businesses must go beyond labeling controls as CCPs or PRPs. We need a broader, risk-based Food Safety Plan mindset. In cases like this, pre-cooked, hydrated components used in RTE foods inherently require elevated scrutiny not because something necessarily failed, but because the risk profile demands it. A broader system means: • Strong supply-chain preventive controls for high-risk ingredients.HACCP often treats supplier controls as PRPs. A Food Safety Plan treats high-risk incoming ingredients as Supply Chain Preventive Controls, applying CCP-equivalent rigor. • Sanitation Preventive Controls when the hazard is environmentalWhen environmental contamination is a reasonably foreseeable hazard, sanitation is no longer “just a PRP”, it becomes a managed preventive control. • Allergen Preventive Controls where cross-contact risk is significant.When severity is high, allergen management requires structured and robust preventive controls. • Verification beyond documentation.Does your supplier have validated preventive controls?Are you reviewing real performance data and environmental monitoring trends — not just Certificates of Analysis? • Environmental monitoring expectations at supplier level, where relevant. • Risk-based intensity of oversight proportional to severity. • and more…. Food Safety Plans change how we think. They shift us from diagram compliance to hazard-control strategy design. And that shift is not theoretical. It is necessary. If you manufacture or brand RTE foods, your strongest critical control may ALSO sit at your supplier’s site. I have prepared a very simplified illustration showing how HACCP and a Food Safety Plan approach may differ, both at the level of the pre-cooked pasta manufacturer and at the level of the brand owner using it in finished RTE products. Have a look at it here: If you have questions about what FDA registration means for your facility, which regulations apply to your operation, or how to design compliant food labels and build a compliant HACCP and Food Safety Plan for the US and EU market, DFK Safe Food Environment provides regulatory consulting, FSPCA training, and FSMA compliance support for domestic and international food businesses.
- Published in FDA Compliance, Food safety and trade, FSMA
EU Compliance Is Not FDA Compliance: What Ingredient Status Means for US Market Access
Thursday, 29 January 2026
If raw materials aren’t fully FDA-compliant but EU compliant, can we still sell the product in the US ? This question comes up often with complex formulations. From an FDA perspective, the logic is simple. Pointing to approval in other jurisdictions, relying on a long history of use elsewhere, or assuming that a low use level or a so-called “minor” ingredient will be overlooked is not a good argument or approach to access the US market. These factors may feel reassuring, but they do not establish legal status under FDA rules. What does work is a disciplined regulatory approach by mapping each ingredient and sub-ingredient to its US regulatory status, verifying that the intended use levels and conditions of use are covered, and reformulating where no valid approval or GRAS pathway exists. I have prepared this illustration that summarizes the decision logic used to determine a substance’s regulatory and legal status, and shows where compliance ultimately leads to the need for food additive authorization. If you find it useful and choose to share it, attribution would be appreciated. If you have questions, feel free to reach out anytime. We support food businesses with food labeling compliance, risk assessment and management, and food system compliance with the FDA. If you have questions about what FDA registration means for your facility, which regulations apply to your operation, or how to design compliant food labels and build a compliant HACCP and Food Safety Plan for the US and EU market, DFK Safe Food Environment provides regulatory consulting, FSPCA training, and FSMA compliance support for domestic and international food businesses.
- Published in FDA Compliance, FSMA
DFK Expands Support for Food Brewer’s Innovative Products
Thursday, 11 December 2025
Following a successful year of partnership, DFK is pleased to announce the extension of its collaboration with Food Brewer. Building on the progress and achievements of the past year, the renewed agreement expands our scope of support to include comprehensive regulatory compliance advisory services for Food Brewer’s cell-cultured and plant-based cocoa and coffee products. Under this extended scope, DFK will continue to provide specialized regulatory and quality assurance support, including guidance on documentation, HACCP plan enhancement, labeling compliance, and supplier verification systems. The service package also includes periodic regulatory updates and tailored advisory sessions to assist Food Brewer in navigating emerging regulatory landscapes for innovative food technologies. This collaboration reflects DFK’s ongoing commitment to supporting forward-thinking food companies in achieving compliance excellence and advancing sustainable, next-generation food solutions.
DFK at IAFP 2025: Addressing Chemical Hazards in Water Reuse
Wednesday, 30 July 2025
DFK was pleased to be invited to present at the 2025 International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) Annual Meeting in Cleveland, Ohio, 27-30 July . The symposium, “Managing Chemical Hazards in Water Reused in Food Production and Processing,” brought together experts to discuss one of today’s most pressing food safety challenges, the risk of emerging chemical contaminants risk in water reuse. These substances have been detected even in regions considered pristine, highlighting the global nature of chemical contamination. As water reuse becomes an increasingly important sustainability strategy in food production, managing chemical risks and ensuring regulatory alignment are more critical than ever. As part of the symposium, Dr Dima Faour-Klingbeil contributed a talk on “Regulations Around the Reuse of Water and Chemical Hazards in Food Industry Settings,” exploring how evolving regulations and risk management strategies can help safeguard food safety while supporting sustainable water practices. The session provided an excellent opportunity to exchange insights with international colleagues, bridging European and U.S. perspectives on emerging regulatory trends and scientific developments in food safety.
USAID Trade Reform & Development in Egypt (TRADE)- September 2022
Tuesday, 04 October 2022
As part an on-going integrated capacity enhancement initiative of the USAID TRADE project to strengthen the Egyptian Food Export Council (FEC) and their members’ capacity to access the US market, Dr Faour-Klingbeil delivered the official course “Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI)” for 12 SMEs at the FEC premises from 20-22 September 2022. The course aimed to support Egyptian SMEs in the food sector better understand how to develop a Food Safety Plan and meet the FDA food safety requirements to improve compliance and enhance their market access and food exports. As part an on-going integrated capacity enhancement initiative of the USAID TRADE project to strengthen the Egyptian Food Export Council (FEC) and their members’ capacity to access the US market, Dr Faour-Klingbeil delivered the official course “Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI)” for 12 SMEs at the FEC premises from 20-22 September 2022. The course aimed to support Egyptian SMEs in the food sector better understand how to develop a Food Safety Plan and meet the FDA food safety requirements to improve compliance and enhance their market access and food exports.
Joint FAO/WHO Expert meeting on the Safety and Quality of Water Used in Food Production and Processing
Saturday, 14 September 2019
Dr. Dima was invited to participate in the Joint FAO/WHO Expert meeting on the Safety and Quality of Water Used in Food Production and Processing in Geneva, Switzerland, 23-27 September 2019. The purpose of the meeting was to develop clear and practical guidance on the criteria and parameters that can be used to determine if water is ‘fit-for-purpose’ for several different agricultural purposes. This work is still under review. As a member of the FAO/WHO joint Expert Meeting on the Microbiological Risk Assessment (JEMRA), she contributed to developing practical guidance and fit-for-purpose microbiological criteria for water used in fresh fruit and vegetables and the published WHO document. Enjoy the read: FAO and WHO 2021. Safety and quality of water used with fresh fruits and vegetables. Microbiological Risk Assessment Series No. 37. Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/cb7678en
