Escherichia coli (E. coli ) is a bacterium found in the digestive tract of humans, other mammals and birds. Although the majority of E. coli strains are harmless, some of them can cause serious cases of diarrhoea and even, less often, death. ANSES has developed a faster and more targeted method for detecting pathogenic E. coli in food, in particular in raw milk products.

Every week in France, 83% of children and adolescents and nearly 80% of working adults and students take one or more meals outside their home. ANSES conducted a review of the foods consumed and the nutritional intakes of these meals taken away from home. Mass catering, i.e. school and company canteens, appears to be more in line with current dietary recommendations than other categories of out-of-home catering. The Agency therefore advocates providing easier access to it for as many people as possible. Conversely, ANSES warns of the poor nutritional quality of fast-food restaurants, which are increasingly popular with the French.