Pesticides are a key route of people's exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), found in food, water, soil, and air. The new EDC-Free Europe policy brief outlines the health and environment concerns on the Food and Feed Safety Omnibus (X) proposal and sets out recommendations to strengthen health protections. 

In 2009, the European Union committed to identifying and banning EDCs in pesticides and biocides. Under the pesticide legislation (EU Regulation 1107/2009), pesticides identified as endocrine disruptors are considered to be of equal concern as pesticides with carcinogenic properties. Yet, this commitment has not been fully implemented.  

The Food and Feed Safety Omnibus proposal risks weakening existing health and environment protections. EDC-Free Europe has identified two main concerns: 

  • Unlimited approvals to most active substances in pesticides: the proposal would remove mandatory periodic reviews, preventing reassessment in light of new scientific evidence. EDC-Free Europe recommends maintaining mandatory periodic re-evaluation.  
  • Approval by derogation for endocrine disruptors: the proposal expands the conditions under which pesticides can receive derogations, without explicitly excluding EDCs as it does for carcinogens. EDC-Free Europe recommends explicitly excluding endocrine disruptors from derogation provisions. 

Additional recommendations on the proposal:  

  • Maintain member states' ability to act on new science 
  • Avoid extensions of grace periods 
  • Maintain mandatory periodic re-evaluation for biocidal active ingredients according to the Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR, EU Regulation 528/2012) 

Read the full policy brief in English. 

In December 2025, in a letter submitted to DG SANTE ahead of the EU Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed (SCoPAFF), EDC-Free Europe set out the coalitions’ concerns regarding the Commission’s Food and Feed Safety Omnibus and the need to strengthen, and not weaken, existing pesticide legislation.  

For a comprehensive overview on the key elements necessary to improve the European regulatory framework on EDCs, read the EDC-Free Europe statement: 7 priorities to protect people and environment from harm caused by endocrine-disrupting chemicals or the summary.