Three EU Regulations in Six Months: Karlsruhe Symposium Puts the Regulatory Wave into Perspective
Stricter Listeria criteria, a new Packaging Regulation, and the Deforestation Regulation will impact the food industry almost simultaneously. The 11th Karlsruhe Food Symposium on September 30 and October 1, 2026, will provide expert insights.
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The second half of 2026 will demand a lot from the food industry. Within a few months, three major EU regulations will come into effect. Stricter microbiological criteria for Listeria monocytogenes will apply from July 1, 2026. The new Packaging Regulation will start to apply on August 12, 2026. The Deforestation Regulation for large and medium-sized enterprises will follow on December 30, 2026. Three deadlines, three legal fields, all within a single half-year.
It all starts with microbiological safety. Regulation (EU) 2024/2895 amends Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005. It applies from July 1, 2026. For ready-to-eat foods that support the growth of Listeria monocytogenes, the criterion "not detectable in 25 grams" will in future be applied throughout the entire shelf life, including at retail. The manufacturer must demonstrate that the limit of 100 colony-forming units per gram is not exceeded throughout the entire shelf life. Manufacturers who fail to provide this proof will be held more strictly liable than before.
Six weeks later, packaging legislation takes hold. The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) is Regulation (EU) 2025/40. Its effective date, as it currently stands, is August 12, 2026. From this date, limit values for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) will apply to food contact packaging. Additionally, requirements for recyclability and recycled content will be introduced. This affects every business that packages products.
The cycle concludes at year-end. The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 as amended, applies to large and medium-sized enterprises from December 30, 2026. Micro and small enterprises will follow on June 30, 2027. Supply chains involving products such as cocoa, coffee, soy, palm oil, and beef are affected. The due diligence requirements extend deep into procurement.
Each of these regulations is demanding in itself. Taken together, they create a peak workload. This is precisely where the 11th Karlsruhe Food Symposium comes in. Over two days, experts from microbiology, food law, packaging technology, and auditing will bring these topics together. It's not about individual paragraphs. It's about understanding what the sum of these requirements means for day-to-day operations.
The program includes, among other things, a microbiology update, the traditional legal update, and best practices for the Deforestation Regulation. Further sessions will focus on PFAS compliance in practice, the Packaging Regulation, and crisis and resilience management. The event concludes with a workshop on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in quality management.
The symposium does not replace legal advice. It does not replace self-monitoring. It provides guidance.
"In the second half of 2026, three major regulations will impact businesses almost simultaneously. Those who read each regulation separately will lose track. Those who consider them together will save time."
Dr. Andrea Dreusch, Symposium Organizer and Director of Food Safety SeniorExperts
The symposium is recognized as a professional development course. It awards 13.5 ZFL points and 13 ATF points.
Date and Event Details
Event: 11th Karlsruhe Food Symposium (KALS 2026)
Date: September 30 and October 1, 2026
Location: GenoHotel Karlsruhe
Publications & Technical Papers
Practical experience — passed on in specialist literature, training courses and contributions on food safety.
Director Food Safety Senior Experts, Microbiologist & Food Safety Expert
With decades of experience in audits, quality management and crisis situations, she combines scientific principles with operational practice. Her publications make complex topics such as HACCP, food safety culture and risk analysis understandable and directly applicable. For companies that not only pass certifications, but also want to sustainably improve their systems.
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