The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has revised the rules governing “Declarations of Interest” as part of its ongoing effort to increase openness and transparency. Effective September 30, 2014, the updated rules clarify how the agency uses such declarations “to prevent the occurrence of conflicts of interest among the members of its governance bodies and its staff,” including those serving on EFSA’s Management Board, Advisory Forum, Scientific Committee, Scientific Panels, and Working Groups, as well as external experts, observers, tenderers, and grant beneficiary participants. Among other things, the new rules specify that a “food safety organization” “must receive more than 50% of its funding from public sources.” They also provide “a precise definition of what is meant by family members, namely spouses, registered partners and dependent descendants,” in addition to making annual Declarations of Interest “obligatory for all staff members.” “EFSA is committed to reviewing its policies and procedures to…
Category Archives European Food Safety Authority
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has rejected the evidence submitted by France “in support of its request to prohibit the cultivation of genetically modified [GM] maize MON 810 in the EU.” As requested by the European Commission, EFSA reviewed the French report but determined that none of the cited studies “would invalidate the previous risk assessment conclusions and risk management recommendations made by the EFSA GMO Panel.” Noting that many of the issues in question were previously addressed by the GMO Panel, EFSA also considered the concerns raised by French authorities “in light of the most recent and relevant scientific data.” Based on these findings, the agency ultimately found “no specific scientific evidence, in terms of risk to human and animal health or the environment, that would support the adoption of an emergency measure on the cultivation of maize MON 810 under Article 34 of Regulation (EC) 1829/2003.” …
After revisiting a prior safety assessment, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has established an acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 4 mg/kg bw/day for the food coloring known as Sunset Yellow. EFSA’s Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources Added to Food (ANS) recommended raising the ADI—previously set at 1 mg/kg bw/day—in light of a 28-day study report, a 2011 evaluation conducted by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives and additional toxicological information made available since the 2009 assessment. “Exposure estimates for Sunset Yellow FCF based both on the currently authorized MPLs [Maximum Permitted Levels] and reported use levels are well below the new ADI of 4 mg/kg bw/day for all population groups,” noted the ANS Panel. “Overall, the Panel concluded that, using data provided by the food industry and Member States, the reported uses and use levels of Sunset Yellow FCF (E 110) would not be of…
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has launched an open consultation on a discussion paper titled “Transformation to an Open EFSA,” which sets forth “a conceptual framework, a step-by-step methodology and a plan for the transformation of the [agency] into an Open Science organization over the next five years.” Launched in January 2013 after the Corporate European Observatory (CEO) raised concerns about the agency’s ties to industry, the Open EFSA initiative seeks to ensure that citizens can participate in a decision-making process that is “clear, obvious and understandable without doubt or ambiguity.” Additional details about the CEO report and its aftermath appear in Issues 399 and 439 of this Update. More specifically, notes the discussion paper, the advent of societal trends such as crowd sourcing and open innovation—coupled with technological advances that foster the growth of global information networks—have presented new opportunities and challenges for civic engagement within EFSA’s current…
The European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA’s) Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM Panel) has published a draft scientific opinion on acrylamide (AA) in food that urges the further reduction of dietary exposure to the substance. According to the draft opinion, AA is formed when the sugars and amino acids in carbohydrate-rich foods—such as coffee, fried potato products, cookies, crackers, bread, and some baby foods—undergo a Maillard reaction during high-temperature cooking. Animal studies have allegedly linked AA consumption to an increased risk of certain cancers, although the panel noted that the substance’s effects on the nervous system, pre- and post-natal development, and male reproduction are not considered a concern based on current exposure levels. To estimate human dietary exposure to AA, the CONTAM Panel analyzed 43,419 results collected since 2010 by 24 EU member states and six food associations. The findings evidently showed that infants, toddlers and other children…
The European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA’s) Panel on Biological Hazards (BIOHAZ) has issued a scientific opinion on the risk posed by Salmonella and norovirus in fresh and frozen berries. According to BIOHAZ, which reviewed the limited data pertaining to the prevalence of these foodborne pathogens in berries, the risk factors for contamination are likely to include environmental conditions, contact with animal reservoirs and insufficiently treated compost, the use of contaminated water for irrigation or chemical applications, and cross-contamination by harvesters, food handlers or equipment. To mitigate these risks, BIOHAZ urges primary producers to implement Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) systems as well as Good Agricultural Practices, Good Hygiene Practices and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). More specifically, the scientific opinion identifies Norovirus in frozen raspberries and strawberries as “an emerging public health risk,” stressing the need for additional data to develop microbiological criteria for improved control of norovirus in…
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has launched a public consultation on a draft scientific opinion evaluating “allergenic foods and food ingredients for labeling purposes.” Prepared by EFSA’s Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA), the new draft updates previous scientific opinions “relative to food ingredients or substances with known allergenic potential listed in Annex IIIa of 2003/89/EC,” including cereals containing gluten, milk and dairy products, eggs, nuts, peanuts, soy, fish, crustaceans, mollusks, celery, lupin, sesame, mustard, and sulfites. To this end, NDA addresses the following topics: (i) “the prevalence of food allergies in unselected populations”; (ii) “proteins identified as food allergens”; (iii) “cross-reactivities”; (iv) “the effects of food processing on allergenicity of foods and ingredients”; (v) “methods for the detection of allergens and allergenic foods”; (vi) “doses observed to trigger adverse reactions in sensitive individuals”; and (vii) “approaches used to derive individual and population thresholds for selected allergenic…
The European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA’s) Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP Panel) has issued an opinion on Bacillus species used in animal production as microbial feed additives or as the source of other feed additives, mainly enzymes. Noting that the main “concern for humans, and, to a lesser extent livestock, associated with Bacillus is a capacity for toxin production,” the FEEDAP Panel cautions that the capacity for toxin production and the nature of the toxins produced is “unevenly distributed over the genus, occurring frequently in some species and more rarely in others.” According to the panel, the selection of strains belonging to the B. cereus taxonomic group for direct use in animal production is considered inadvisable. For other species, “concerns appear to be associated to the production of surfactin like-lipopeptides, although the relation between the presence of these compounds and/or other toxic factors and the…
The European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA’s) Panel on Additives and Products or Substances Used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP Panel) has proposed reducing the maximum amount of zinc permitted in animal feed “to ensure the health, welfare and productivity of the target species.” According to the FEEDAP Panel, which reviewed the available literature “as well as data received from national authorities of European countries and from stakeholders,” the new maximum levels include: (i) 150 mg of Zinc per kilogram (Zn/kg) complete feed for piglets, sows, rabbits, salmonids, cats, and dogs; (ii) 120 mg Zn/kg complete feed for turkeys for fattening; and (iii) 100 mg Zn/kg complete feed for all other species and categories. In addition, “the use of phytase in feeding piglets, pigs for fattening and sows would allow a further reduction of the newly proposed total maximum contents by 30% (from 150 to 110 mg Zn/kg feed for piglets and…
The European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA’s) Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA Panel) has published a scientific opinion proposing new dietary reference values for iodine. After conducting a public consultation on a draft opinion issued in January 2014, the NDA Panel has established adequate intakes (AIs) for infants, children and adults based on a large epidemiological study showing that “goiter prevalence is lowest for a urinary iodine concentration above 100 µg/L.” With this threshold in mind, the NDA panel has recommended the following AIs for iodine consumption: (i) 150 µg/day for adults; (ii) 200 µg/day for pregnant and breastfeeding women; (iii) 70 µg/day for infants ages 7-11 months; and (iv) 130 µg/day for children. Additional details about the draft scientific opinion appear in Issue 510 of this Update. Issue 523
