In a debate on the contamination of eggs with the insecticide Fipronil, many Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) criticised national authorities for delays in notifying the EU’s Rapid alert system for food and feed (RASFF) and called for the information-sharing system to be improved. Some even suggested fines for member states which fail to share crucial food safety information, while others called for truly dissuasive sanctions for fraudulent producers or suppliers of pest-control products. Fipronil, an insecticide used inter alia to kill fleas and mites, is classified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as moderately hazardous. Its use in the EU is prohibited for all food-producing animals. Quality control of our food is one of the many areas where chemistry plays a major role.
Source: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/