In January the European Commission's president, Jacques Santer, surprised the outside world, and many of his colleagues, by announcing his intention to reform the way the commission prepared, implemented, and supervised legislation relating to the food union citizens eat. Prompted mainly by the crisis caused by bovine spongiform encephalopathy, the reforms may redress some of the current imbalance between consumers and producers of food. This week his proposals will get the go ahead-or otherwise-from the European Parliament.

Cynics would say that the proposals are more a ploy to ensure the political survival of Mr Santer and his colleagues, rather than a genuine attempt to …