While there have been certain improvements to the public health situation in some regions, like Europe and China, there has been a significant rise in the number of COVID-19 cases in countries like the United States, Brazil and India.

Thousands of years ago, Hippocrates said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”, today in 2020, we are still a long way from knowing how food can improve our immune system.

In some countries, the COVID-19 pandemic seems to be under control despite certain spikes in infections in some regions or states. That is the case, for instance, of Spain and Australia. Lockdowns and other restrictions have ended and borders are starting to be reopened to international travelers. However, other countries such as the US, Mexico, Brazil, India and Iran are reporting rises in the number of coronavirus cases.

On June 8, 2020, Vietnam approved the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement.

The European Commission launched and initiative to review to what extent the objectives of reducing pesticides have been met and options for further reducing pesticide use to help meet the goals of the Farm to Fork Strategy and the European Green Deal.

On June 25, 2020, the European Commission published the Commission Implementing Regulation 2020/869 of 24 June 2020 amending Implementing Regulation (EU) No 540/2011 as regards the extension of the approval periods of the active substances beflubutamid, benalaxyl, benthiavalicarb, bifenazate, boscalid, bromoxynil, captan, cyazofamid, dimethomorph, ethephon, etoxazole, famoxadone, fenamiphos, flumioxazine, fluoxastrobin, folpet, formetanate, metribuzin, milbemectin, Paecilomyces lilacinus strain 251, phenmedipham, phosmet, pirimiphos-methyl, propamocarb, prothioconazole and S-metolachlor.

The European Commission published the Commission Regulation (EU) 2020/770, the Commission Regulation (EU) 2020/785, and the Commission Regulation (EU) 2020/856, amending Annexes II and III to Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards maximum residue levels of active substances in or on certain products.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published the reasoned opinions on setting of import tolerances for flonicamid and flupyradifurone.