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 Europe
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.” …
The U.K. Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has dismissed a competitor’s complaint alleging that Unilever UK Ltd.’s commercial for its pyramid-shaped teabags “exaggerated the capability and performance of the advertised product.” Tata Global Beverages reportedly argued that (i) the visual demonstration used in a TV commercial for PG Tips tea was misleading, (ii) Unilever’s claim that “the tea has more room to move freeing the great fresh taste” could not be substantiated, and (iii) “the comparison with a round teabag denigrated Tata’s brand ‘Tetley’ because they believed that they were an identifiable competitor and that the ad portrayed the brand in a negative light.” According to ASA, Unilever not only countered that the visual demonstration in question “imitated consumer behavior when making tea,” but noted that the claims reflected the results of product testing and mathematical modeling supplied to ASA for review. Denying that the ad made a direct comparison to…
The European Union (EU) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC)—Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Swaziland—have agreed to protect each other’s geographical indication (GI) names on agricultural products. The EU lists 251 GIs it seeks to protect for a variety of products, focusing especially on dairy products like cheese, while South Africa’s 105 GIs are primarily wine-related. As a result of the agreement, the countries will allow the labeling of a product as the GI only if it originated from a designated area, but they will respect previously registered trademarks. “[GIs] are a key tool to protect the know-how of farmers and develop added value in quality agricultural products,” said EU Agricultural Commissioner Dacian Ciolos. See Law360, July 22, 2014. Issue 531
At the request of 13 member states, the Council of the European Union (EU) has adopted a draft directive granting its member states “more flexibility to decide whether or not they wish to cultivate genetically modified organisms (GMOs) on their territory.” In a July 23, 2014, press release, the council states that it sought “to provide a sound legal basis in the related EU legal framework in order to allow member states to restrict or prohibit the cultivation, in all or part of their territory, of GMOs that have been authorised or are under authorisation at the EU level.” The measure was originally proposed in 2009 but stalled after a 2011 draft; in June 2014, the EU Environmental Council reached a political agreement that led to this draft directive, which the council projects will be adopted in 2015. See Law360, July 23, 2014. Issue 531
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 Danish Ministry of the Environment has stated that the government intends to pressure the European Commission to phase out certain phthalates—including BBP, DEHP, DBP, and DIBP, which are used to soften plastics such as food containers—after the European Court of Justice found that Denmark’s proposed ban on them conflicts with EU regulations. Environment Minister Kirsten Brosbøl said, “I’m putting pressure on the Commission to speed up assessment and regulation of these substances in the EU. I haven’t given up on the ban or other regulation on phthalates, and therefore I’ve asked the Danish EPA to look into whether there is a new basis for Danish phthalate regulations, if the assessment by the European Chemicals Agency does not result in common EU regulations.” According to Brosbøl, the ministry will step up efforts to educate consumers “about products containing harmful chemistry and increase the use of the Nordic Ecolabel on products…
The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) recently issued a draft “Carbohydrates and Health” report urging Public Health England (PHE) to halve the current population guidelines for added sugar intake. An independent expert panel that advises government agencies on nutrition and dietary matters, SACN created a Carbohydrates Working Group at the request of the U.K. Food Standards Agency and Department of Health to clarify “the relationship between dietary carbohydrates and health.” To this end, the working group reviewed scientific literature on “the terminology, classification and definitions of types of carbohydrates in the diet,” as well as evidence concerning the effects of dietary carbohydrates on oral, colorectal and cardiovascular health. After analyzing 225 prospective cohort studies and 403 randomized controlled trials, the working group concluded that although “total carbohydrate intake appears to be neither detrimental nor beneficial to cardio-metabolic health and colorectal health,” the consumption of added sugars increases energy intake…
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…
