The European Ombudsman has issued a January 28, 2015, decision directing the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to revise its conflict-of-interest rules after the agency “failed to ensure that those experts who work in academia declare all relevant information to EFSA.” Stemming from a complaint filed by GeneWatch, the decision focused on an EFSA working group on genetically modified (GM) insects that included an academic expert whose employer has financial ties to a biotechnology company that “promotes genetically modified insects.” In particular, the European Ombudsman dismissed the agency’s reasoning that “employment by a university has never been considered a conflict of interest at EFSA,” as such a prohibition would disqualify the most qualified individuals from working groups. The decision instead places the onus on EFSA to gather additional information about the nature of the university’s financial relationships and the mechanisms in place “to prevent communication and instructions from the investment arm…
Category Archives European Food Safety Authority
The European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA’s) Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes, Flavorings and Processing Aids (CEF) has issued a scientific opinion finding that bisphenol A (BPA) poses “no health concern for any age group from dietary exposure or aggregated exposure.” Published January 21, 2015, the scientific opinion assessed exposure in three ways: (i) “external (by diet, drinking water, inhalation, and dermal contact to cosmetics and thermal paper”; (ii) “internal exposure to total BPA (absorbed dose of BPA, sum of conjugated and unconjugated BPA)”; and (iii) “aggregated (from diet, dust, cosmetics and thermal paper), expressed as oral human equivalent dose (HED) referring to unconjugated BPA only.” Using new data and methodologies, EFSA previously established a temporary tolerable daily intake (t-TDI) for BPA at 4 micrograms per kilogram of body weight per day, from 50 µg/kg bw/day. This latest scientific opinion confirms that the highest estimates for human exposure to BPA…
The European Food Safety Authority (ESFA) has opened a public consultation on a draft scientific opinion finding that “single doses of caffeine up to 200 mg and daily intakes of up to 400 mg do not raise safety concerns for adults.” Authored by EFSA’s Nutrition Unit, the draft opinion also concludes that (i) “it is unlikely that caffeine interacts adversely with other constituents of ‘energy drinks’—such as taurine and D-glucurono-γ-lactone—or alcohol”; (ii) “for pregnant women, caffeine intakes of up to 200mg a day do not raise safety concerns for the fetus”; (iii) “for children (3-10 years) and adolescents (10-18 years), daily intakes of 3mg per kg of body weight are considered safe”; and (iv) “single doses of 100mg may increase sleep latency (the amount of time it takes to fall asleep) and shorten sleeping time in some adults.” EFSA has requested comments by March 15, 2015. See EFSA News Release,…
The French Directorate-General for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) has released a guidance document detailing the implementation of new rules that ban the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in all food contact materials in their finished state as of January 1, 2015. The second part of a law that first prohibited BPA in products intended for children younger than age 3, the new rules apparently bar the use of BPA in (i) packaging and articles intended to come into contact with food, and (ii) containers and utensils, including kitchen utensils, tableware and dishes. These rules do not apply to industrial materials and equipment used in the production, processing, storage, or transportation of foodstuffs. See DGCCRF Guidance, December 8, 2014. In a related development, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has announced that it has finalized a scientific opinion on BPA. Slated for release in January 2015, the…
A “hand-shake” agreement between the European Union’s Parliament and Council will reportedly end an ongoing dispute over member state control of internal food markets in relation to genetically modified organism (GMO) cultivation. European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Vytenis Adriukaitis reportedly said, “The agreement, if confirmed, would meet member states’ consistent calls since 2009, to have a final say on whether or not GMOs can be cultivated on their territory, in order to better take into account their national context and, above all, the views of their citizens.” Under the proposal, each EU country would have the authority to prohibit or restrict GMO cultivation for reasons other than food safety, including those involving socioeconomic effects, environmental concerns and agricultural policy goals. Current law allows member states to petition the European Food Safety Authority to limit such cultivation, but they must present scientific evidence showing the product is not safe to…
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has launched a risk assessment in response to the European Commission’s urgent request for scientific advice on the H5N8 avian influenza A virus detected in Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Focusing on the role of wild birds as vectors, EFSA plans to release a December 2014 report that will provide risk managers “with independent scientific advice and assistance on animal health and welfare related to avian influenza and any possible food safety issues.” See EFSA News Release, November 26, 2014. In a related development, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has amended an interim rule restricting the importation of live birds and poultry, hatching eggs and poultry products “from regions where any subtype of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is considered to exist.” Effective December 1, 2014, the final rule now permits the importation of HPAI-resistant species, including pigeons…
The Pew Charitable Trusts and Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) have released an October 2014 report urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to reevaluate its current meat and poultry inspection system. Seeking to identify innovations that could better protect consumers, Meat and Poultry Inspection 2.0 compares U.S. regulations to those used in Australia, Denmark, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Sweden. It also examines scientific assessments undertaken by the U.K. Food Standards Agency and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) as part of their efforts to modernize food safety regulations. “Modernizing government inspection of meat and poultry plants would focus resources on the food safety risks posed by bacteria and other microbiological and chemical hazards, and away from some human and animal diseases, such as tuberculosis and brucellosis, that have been successfully controlled in most developed countries,” argues the report. “However, out of a concern that modernizing government…
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published a scientific opinion calling chronic dietary exposure to perchlorate a potential concern, “in particular for the high consumers in younger age groups of the population with mild to moderate iodine deficiency.” In addition to considering scientific literature on perchlorate levels in fruit juices, alcohol beverages, milk, and infant formula and breast milk, EFSA’s Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM) analyzed 4,731 fruit and vegetable samples to estimate chronic and short-term exposure to perchlorate in the food chain. The report also identified several contamination sources, including natural fertilizers, industrial emissions and chlorine-based products that degrade to perchlorate. According to the CONTAM Panel, which found the highest mean perchlorate concentrations in leafy vegetables and herbs, the average chronic dietary exposure for adults ranged from a minimum lower bound (LB) of 0.03 µg/kg body weight (bw) per day to a maximum upper bound…
The European Commission (EC) and European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) have launched public consultations seeking comments on endocrine active substances and draft genetically modified (GM) plant guidance. In accordance with regulations governing biocides and plant protection products, the commission has asked the public “to help define criteria for endocrine disruptors” as part of its effort to identify and regulate substances that interact with human and animal hormone systems. “Endocrine disrupting chemicals have triggered a substantial debate: there are strong signals from science, there is increasing public and political concern and awareness, while some stakeholders still have doubts,” said European Commissioner for the Environment Janez Potočnik. “Europe is watching—we need these criteria to improve protection and give industry the certainty it requires. Citizens and stakeholders can help us make an informed decision.” See EC Press Release, September 29, 2014. In addition, EFSA’s Panel on Genetically Modified Organisms has requested views on…
The Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) has released the first part of its bisphenol A (BPA) report, which provides an overview of regulatory and scientific developments through March 2014. Slated for publication in 2015, the second part of the report will assess the European Food Safety Authority’s final opinion on the risks of BPA exposure for consumers; a Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks assessment of patients exposed to BPA; and two advisory reports from the Dutch Health Council on prenatal BPA exposure and BPA analogues. In addition to summarizing what is known about BPA’s environmental impact, the current report addresses human BPA exposure via consumer products, food, medical devices, and inhalation during the manufacture of BPA-containing epoxy resins. Based on this overview, RIVM concludes that despite various studies associating BPA with adverse immune effects, obesity, diabetes, and prostate cancer, “[t]here is still…
