EFSA’s Safe2Eat 2026 brings food-safety science into everyday kitchens

The European Food Safety Authority has launched the 2026 edition of its Safe2Eat campaign, a public information initiative designed to make food-safety science easier to use at home. In an announcement published on 16 April 2026, EFSA said the campaign would focus on the everyday decisions people make when buying, storing, preparing and eating food.

Safe2Eat is now in its sixth year and reaches 23 countries across Europe and neighbouring countries. Its purpose is not to promote a particular product or diet. Instead, it connects official food-safety information with ordinary kitchen routines, including reading labels, handling raw ingredients, storing food correctly and understanding what is in a packaged product.

What Safe2Eat 2026 covers

EFSA has organised this year’s campaign around three areas. The first is safe food practice: advice on labels, handling, storage and preparation. The second is food and health, including balanced diets, nutritional needs and the evidence behind health claims. The third is what is in your food, with information about additives, flavourings, novel foods and allergen labelling.

That structure matters for home cooks because food safety does not begin when a pan reaches the stove. It starts when a shopper checks the package, continues when raw and ready-to-eat foods are separated, and still applies after cooking when leftovers are cooled and stored. EFSA’s campaign presents these choices as part of one connected food-safety system rather than as isolated kitchen rules.

The announcement also reports results from an Ipsos survey conducted in November 2025. In the countries surveyed, Safe2Eat reached 41% of citizens. EFSA said people who had encountered the campaign reported paying more attention to food safety, thinking more critically about food choices and taking greater interest in the science behind safe food. Those are reported survey findings, not a product test or a guarantee of behaviour change, but they explain why EFSA is continuing the campaign in 2026.

An eight-minute kitchen check

The campaign is broad, but its advice can be turned into a short routine before and after cooking. The following checklist combines EFSA’s 2026 themes with the four basic food-safety steps published by FoodSafety.gov: clean, separate, cook and chill.

Read before opening. Look at the product name, ingredient list, allergen information and storage instructions before you start. Keep the packaging nearby if you are cooking for someone with an allergy or intolerance. Do not rely on memory when a label is available, and do not assume that a familiar recipe contains the same ingredients every time.
Clean the starting point. Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before handling food and after touching raw meat, poultry, seafood or eggs. Clean utensils, boards and work surfaces as you move between raw and ready-to-eat ingredients. FoodSafety.gov also advises against washing raw meat or poultry because splashing can spread harmful germs around the kitchen.
Separate raw and ready-to-eat food. Use different boards or plates for raw ingredients and food that will be eaten without further cooking. Keep raw meat, poultry, seafood and eggs away from salads, bread, cooked food and other ready-to-eat items. Store raw packages in leakproof containers or bags so juices cannot drip onto other food in the refrigerator.
Cook with evidence, not appearance. Colour, texture and cooking time are not reliable substitutes for a food thermometer. Check the thickest part of the food without touching bone, fat or gristle, then compare the reading with the relevant official minimum-temperature chart for that food. If you are cooking for a vulnerable person, take extra care with foods that may carry a higher risk when undercooked.
Chill promptly. FoodSafety.gov advises refrigerating perishable food within two hours, or within one hour when it has been exposed to temperatures above 90°F (32°C). Its guidance sets the refrigerator at 40°F (4°C) or below and recommends shallow containers for leftovers so they cool more quickly. Use an appliance thermometer rather than relying only on the dial setting.

This checklist is deliberately simple, but it addresses the points where a meal can become unsafe: contaminated hands or surfaces, cross-contamination, insufficient cooking and slow cooling. The practical value of Safe2Eat is that it places those steps alongside label reading and allergen awareness, so the cook considers both the food’s ingredients and the way it is handled.

Why the announcement is useful now

EFSA’s news is timely for anyone planning everyday meals because it does not depend on a new appliance, a special ingredient or a change in cooking style. The same method works for a weekday pasta dish, a packed lunch or a large family meal. It also gives readers a clear starting point when online food-safety claims conflict: check the label, use the official country-specific guidance available through Safe2Eat, and follow established handling, cooking and storage instructions.

The campaign’s wider message is that safe food is supported by science before it reaches the kitchen, but household habits still matter. A trustworthy label can only help if it is read. A safe cooking temperature only helps if it is checked. Refrigeration only protects leftovers when they are cooled and stored promptly.

EFSA’s 2026 Safe2Eat resources are available through its campaign page and toolkit, while FoodSafety.gov provides the detailed clean, separate, cook and chill guidance used in this checklist. Together, they offer a practical way to turn a broad public announcement into a repeatable routine: check what is in the food, keep raw and ready-to-eat items apart, verify cooking, and control time and temperature after the meal.