The agri-food industry is the second largest economic sector in the EU, employing over 48 million people and is worth around €750 billion a year. The recent horse-meat scandal has exposed weaknesses in the agri-food chain and has damaged both consumers and traders trust and confidence in it. Given the importance of this sector to the economy of the European Union and to EU citizens, it is imperative that this issue is dealt with effectively.In response, the European Union has adopted a package of measures designed to strengthen the enforcement of health and safety standards for the whole agri-food chain, through a modernised, simplified and more risk-based approach to the protection of health alongside more efficient control tools to ensure proper application of operating rules. The reforms will also cut red tape for producers, processors and distributors by reducing almost 70 pieces of legislation down to 5 pieces. However, do these measures provide the detail and clarity needed to achieve the task of protecting consumers and at the same time allow agriculture and food industries to flourish?Innovation and technology also have an important part to play in developing the food chain and better informing consumers about food products. The crucial element in both regards is finding a balance. The risks of new technology need to be weighed against the refining of existing methods and whilst transparency needs to be increased, the impact of information sources from social media and informational technologies should be harnessed to provide accurate and useful advice.