Omnibus Law and Food Safety: what changes for the fruit and vegetable sector

What an omnibus law is and why it matters to the fruit and vegetable sector

European agriculture is facing an increasingly demanding scenario. While the European Union promotes the reduction of certain active substances and strengthens sustainability requirements, many of the new solutions for crop protection continue to face lengthy evaluation and authorization processes.

In this context, the Omnibus Package on Food and Feed Safety emerges—an initiative by the European Commission that aims to simplify procedures, reduce administrative burdens, and adapt parts of food and plant health legislation to current technological realities. Like any omnibus regulation, the proposal simultaneously amends different legal provisions through a single legislative process.

For the fruit and vegetable sector, the reform is particularly relevant because it affects areas such as plant health, the authorization of plant protection products, official controls, traceability, and food safety. It also responds to a longstanding demand from farmers, cooperatives, and technology companies: to accelerate the market entry of biological solutions and low-risk tools that allow competitiveness to be maintained without compromising sustainability goals.

Omnibus law, omnibus decree, and European omnibus proposal: key differences

The term omnibus law is used to describe regulations that introduce changes to multiple laws or regulations through a single text. Its main advantage is that it allows broad reforms to be addressed in a coordinated way, avoiding the need to process independent amendments for each affected rule.

The omnibus decree follows a different logic. It is typically used to quickly approve packages of measures considered urgent and may cover very diverse areas within a single text. In Spain, this formula has been used in recent years to promote economic, energy, or social measures that must later be validated by Parliament.

The initiative currently attracting the attention of the European agri-food sector does not fit exactly into either of these categories. The so-called Omnibus Package on Food and Feed Safety is a proposal driven by the European Commission to simultaneously review different regulations related to food safety, plant health, plant protection products, feed, and official controls.

For the fruit and vegetable sector, the key lies not in the legal format but in the scope of the reform. The proposal aims to facilitate the entry of new solutions into the market, simplify certain procedures, and adapt part of the regulatory framework to current agricultural challenges. Although it still needs to go through the European legislative process, it has already attracted the interest of producers, cooperatives, and technology companies due to its potential impact on competitiveness and innovation.

What could change in food and feed safety

Although many of the measures included in the Omnibus Package will not begin to be implemented until 2027, the direction set by the European Commission already allows anticipation of several relevant changes for the fruit and vegetable sector.

One of the main affected areas will be traceability. Brussels aims to promote the digitalization of control procedures and facilitate information exchange between operators, authorities, and laboratories, with the goal of maintaining food safety guarantees while reducing administrative burdens and improving document management.

The reform also seeks to harmonize the application of certain controls and requirements among Member States. For companies operating in multiple European markets, this could mean fewer administrative duplications and easier management of certificates, records, and other regulatory obligations.

Another objective is to improve information sharing and coordination between national authorities, which could speed up the handling of food safety alerts and strengthen response capacity to potential incidents throughout the supply chain.

These changes will also affect relationships between clients and suppliers. Traceability, transparency, and increasing documentation requirements will require more precise information to be shared throughout the value chain. Producers, exporters, logistics operators, and input suppliers will need to more easily prove product origin, applied processes, and compliance with regulatory and market requirements.

Beyond regulatory compliance, many companies see this regulatory evolution as an opportunity to differentiate themselves in increasingly demanding markets. However, the reform is not without debate. While the biocontrol sector welcomes faster authorizations and support for innovation, various organizations have expressed concerns that administrative simplification could affect safety guarantees and scientific assessment.

It is precisely this dual perspective—the opportunity to accelerate innovation and the need to preserve regulatory rigor—that is summarized in the following table.

How to prepare: steps for farmers, distributors, and technologists

Adapting to the new regulatory framework primarily involves strengthening document management and traceability systems. Producers, cooperatives, exporters, and suppliers will need to maintain more comprehensive and easily accessible records on product origin, treatments applied, and controls carried out. The digitalization of these processes will enable a faster response to audits, inspections, or potential food safety alerts. Although many of the planned measures still need to be specified, sector organizations agree that anticipating future regulatory requirements will facilitate adaptation and reduce operational and commercial risks.

Quick glossary on omnibus law and food safety

• Omnibus law: regulation that amends several laws through a single legislative text.
  • Biocontrol: set of technologies that use living organisms, natural extracts, or biological mechanisms to control pests and diseases.
  • Biopesticide: plant protection product based on microorganisms, natural extracts, pheromones, or other biologically derived substances used to protect crops.
  • Low-risk substance: active substance that meets specific safety criteria for human health and the environment established by European regulations.
  • Integrated Pest Management (IPM): strategy that combines biological, agronomic, physical, and chemical methods to control pests sustainably, prioritizing non-chemical alternatives when effective.
  • Maximum Residue Limit (MRL): maximum legal concentration of plant protection product residues allowed in food and agricultural products.
  • DG SANTE: Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety of the European Commission.
  • EFSA: European Food Safety Authority. Provides scientific assessments that underpin many regulatory decisions adopted by the European Union.

Frequently asked questions on omnibus law, food, and feed

What is an omnibus law?
A regulation that amends several laws at once through a single legislative text.

What is the difference between an omnibus law and an omnibus decree?
The main difference lies in who approves them and how they are processed. An omnibus law must go through Parliament, while an omnibus decree can be approved directly by the Government to implement urgent measures, although it must later be validated by Parliament.

What can an omnibus decree include in 2026?
It will depend on Government priorities, but these types of regulations typically group measures from different economic areas into a single text. In the agri-food sector, they may affect issues related to subsidies, taxation, transport, sustainability, or regulatory requirements.

How can it affect the rapid alert system for food and feed?
Although no substantial changes to alert mechanisms are proposed, the reform aims to improve coordination between EU countries and facilitate information exchange to speed up the management of potential food safety incidents.

Which fruit and vegetable sector companies should prepare?
Virtually the entire value chain may be affected by these changes, from producers and cooperatives to exporters, distributors, and logistics operators. Agricultural technology companies and input suppliers will also need to closely monitor regulatory developments, especially if they operate in markets that require high levels of traceability and documentation control.