Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi, in a written answer on 18 June 2026, defended the European Food Safety Authority's (EFSA) handling of the cereulide contamination in infant formula, stressing the legal separation between risk assessment and risk management. The answer came in response to a priority question from ECR MEP Jessika van Leeuwen, who criticised the slow EU response to the contamination first detected by Nestlé in November 2025. Várhelyi stated that EFSA's mandate is limited to scientific assessment, not crisis management, and that the Commission requested an urgent acute reference dose (ARfD) on 27 January 2026, with EFSA delivering within three days. The Commission acknowledged the need for improvement, announcing a lessons-learned exercise to evaluate communication protocols and information flows, and discussions with Member States to establish permanent legal limits for cereulide in infant formula. The answer provides concrete follow-up steps but does not admit regulatory failure, instead attributing delays to the system's design. The Commission's stance protects EFSA's independence but may frustrate MEPs seeking faster action. Stakeholders impacted include EU consumers (infant health), baby food producers (compliance costs), national food safety authorities (coordination burden), and EFSA (reputational risk).