5 Facts of the EU Food Chain

1. The agro-food industry is the second largest economic sector in the European Union (EU), employing over 48 million people, and it is worth some €750 ($875) billion a year to the economy.
2. Food cannot bear health claims unless these claims have been scientifically proven and authorized by the European Commission.
3. The EU’s animal disease eradication policy has helped to reduce the annual number of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) cases from 2,124 to 18 in the last decade.
4. As a result of the EU having introduced Salmonella control programs for poultry flocks, the number of cases of individual human Salmonella enteritidisdropped by 60% between 2007 and 2011.
5. The EU is a world leader in seed production: 60% of the world exports in seeds and plant reproductive material originates in the EU.

(Source: Matthew Delly, The Riverside Company, www.riversidecompany.com)