BRUSSELS — European Union leaders earlier this month agreed in principle on a proposal to create a food safety agency. That means appropriate legislation could be forthcoming by the end of the year.

Leaders of the European Union met in Nice, France in during the second week of December.

Officials say the proposed European Food Authority would work to ensure food safety in Europe but would not have any rule-making powers.

The goal of the of the organization is to streamline the existing rules applied by EU nations to ensure safe foods and to regain public confidence in the European food industry, which has recently been slumping because of incidents such as the recent BSE (mad cow) epidemic and the 1999 Belgian dioxin scare.

Under the commission’s proposal, the authority would consist of nearly 350 members, have access to high-level scientific information and be able to reach agreements on any safety issues that may arise.

–Jeff VanPelt