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Sécurité sanitaire des aliments : comment la science protège la santé des consommateurs
27/06/2025 —
Research

Food safety: how science protects consumer health

From food production to consumption, ANSES provides scientific expertise to ensure that food is as safe as possible. This includes developing analytical methods, conducting studies on the safety of novel foods, and monitoring food poisoning incidents. On World Food Safety Day, discover seven concrete actions taken by our scientists to protect consumer health.
intoxications causées par des produits à base de CBD contenant d’autres substances
19/06/2025 —
Expert assessment

Increase in cases of poisoning caused by CBD products containing other substances

Since 2024, the number of cases of poisoning involving the consumption of cannabidiol (CBD) products has increased significantly. These products are sold in stores, in vending machines and on the Internet in the form of e-liquid for electronic cigarettes, smokable products, food supplements and foodstuffs (oils, capsules, sweets, chocolate, etc.). Most of these cases of poisoning are caused by prohibited substances (synthetic cannabinoids) contained in these products without the consumer’s knowledge, or by THC levels above 0.3%. The ANSM and ANSES are drawing attention to these risks.
Laboratoire de Fougères
19/06/2025 —
Research

50 years of the Fougères Laboratory

Located in a livestock farming region at the heart of Brittany since 1975, the Fougères Laboratory has evolved to specialise in risks associated with veterinary medicinal products and chemical contaminants in food. Tahar Ait Ali, the Laboratory’s Director, tells us about its history and activities.
Les capsules des bouteilles en verre contaminent les boissons avec des microplastiques
20/06/2025 —
Research

The caps of glass bottles contaminate beverages with microplastics

Microplastics are present in all beverages, but those packaged in glass bottles contain more microplastic particles than those in plastic bottles, cartons or cans. This was the surprising finding of a study conducted by the Boulogne-sur-Mer unit of the ANSES Laboratory for Food Safety. The scientists hypothesised that these plastic particles could come from the paint used on bottle caps. Water and wine are less affected than other beverages. These findings have highlighted a source of microplastics in drinks that manufacturers can easily take measures to address.
consommation alimentaire de réglisse
12/06/2025 —
Expert assessment

Think twice before consuming large amounts of liquorice to avoid the risk of hypertension

Liquorice is used as an ingredient in certain food supplements and as a flavouring in beverages and foods. Following numerous reports of adverse effects, some of them severe, ANSES assessed the risks associated with the consumption of products containing liquorice. Its expert appraisal shows that repeated high consumption of beverages and foods containing liquorice can lead to hypokalaemia (a drop in blood potassium levels) and high blood pressure, thereby increasing cardiovascular risk. Some people are particularly sensitive: pregnant or breastfeeding women, children, people with cardiovascular problems (such as hypertension), or kidney or liver problems. ANSES recommends that food labels indicate the presence of liquorice or its main active ingredient, glycyrrhizinic acid, even in small quantities.
Une méthode innovante pour mieux mesurer l'exposition alimentaire à l'arsenic
23/05/2025 —
Research

An innovative method to more accurately measure dietary exposure to arsenic

Some forms of arsenic are toxic and even carcinogenic. ANSES’s Laboratory for Food Safety has developed an innovative method that will enable their concentration in different foods to be more accurately measured. This breakthrough will enhance the assessment of consumer exposure and health risks.
Grippe du porc : comment un nouveau virus a pris le dessus sur les autres lignées en France
07/05/2025 —
Research

Swine flu: how a new virus has taken over other genotypes in France

In 2020, a new genotype of swine influenza virus, responsible for swine flu, emerged in France and quickly replaced certain previous strains. Scientists at ANSES’s Ploufragan-Plouzané-Niort Laboratory conducted a study to understand how this rapid change could have occurred. The emergence of a new genotype poses a risk to the health of pigs and humans alike.
Antiparasitaires : utilisez un produit adapté à votre animal de compagnie
02/05/2025 —
Daily life

Use the right antiparasitic product for your pet

The use of external antiparasitics is a good way to protect pets from ticks, fleas and mosquitoes. However, using a product that is not intended for the animal being treated can cause serious, sometimes fatal, effects. Every year, dozens of cats and rabbits suffer adverse effects from the use of antiparasitic products intended for another species.
Bouteilles de protoxyde d'azote
16/04/2025 —
Daily life

Cases of nitrous oxide poisoning still on the rise

Since 2020, reports of poisoning related to the misuse of nitrous oxide, or ‘laughing gas’, have been steadily increasing. This gas can lead to dependence and to severe, sometimes irreversible complications affecting the nervous and cardiovascular (heart and blood vessels) systems if taken repeatedly and/or in large quantities. Nitrous oxide is mainly consumed by teenagers and young adults: according to data from a Santé publique France survey, in 2022, 14% of 18-24-year olds had already tried it and more than 3% reported having consumed it within the last year. Not all of these young users are aware that it can be dangerous. In response to this public health issue, the ANSM, ANSES and Santé publique France are reiterating the measures that should be taken to prevent and manage the risks associated with nitrous oxide consumption.

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