EFSA Press Releases

Non-dioxin like PCB contaminant levels decreasing in food and animal feed - continuing effort needed to further reduce possible ...

Following risk assessments carried out by previous EC Scientific Committees* on the presence of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs in the food and animal feed chain, EFSA’s CONTAM Panel was asked by the European Commission to carry out an assessment of NDL-PCBs …

EFSA takes forward work on cumulative effects of pesticides

EFSA’s Panel on Plant Protection Products and their Residues (PPR) concluded that it would be necessary to reach international consensus on which groups of pesticides could be looked at together through a cumulative risk assessment approach. The Panel …

EFSA opinion on suitable indicators for both the occurrence and toxicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in food

In 2002, the former Scientific Committee on Food (SCF) identified 15 PAHs as being carcinogenic and suggested to use benzo[a]pyrene as an indicator of occurrence and effect of the carcinogenic PAHs in food. In 2005, these findings were confirmed by the …

EFSA publishes guidance on the safety evaluation of food enzymes

An enzyme is a protein that promotes or accelerates a biochemical reaction. Enzymes may be added to food to perform a technological function in manufacturing, processing, preparation, treatment, packaging, transport or storage. As an example, food enzymes …

EFSA updates processes for handling Declarations of Interest

EFSA’s independent status is one of the main reasons it was set up. Consequently, experts working for EFSA are required to make annual Declarations listing all relevant interests arising from employment, fees, affiliations, etc. which are published online. …

EFSA recommends continuation of EU sheep breeding programme to reduce risk of scrapie and BSE

The European Commission (EC) has put in place since 2001 a comprehensive programme[1] to protect both consumers and animals from risks related to TSE/BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy). Since its establishment in 2002, EFSA has provided scientific …

EFSA's GMO Panel provides reply to European Commission request on GM rice LLRICE601

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) was asked by the European Commission to provide scientific support concerning the safety of the long grain GM rice LLRICE601 which had been inadvertently released in the United States (US) and exported to the …

Previous cargoes of food transport ships evaluated by EFSA

The nine substances and five mixtures/groups of substances in question have a variety of different industrial or agricultural uses. EFSA’s expert Panel on contaminants in the food chain (the CONTAM Panel) assessed their safety as previous cargoes on the …

EFSA now open for business

This is a major milestone in European food safety,’ said Geoffrey Podger, EFSA’s Executive Director. ‘It means that we have arrived at the point where the Authority can begin the core work that it was set up to do, That is; to have the best available …

EFSA Stakeholders elect new chair, discuss strategy, plans ahead

Members elected Andreas Varlamos as the new Platform chair. Mr Varlamos is a member of the management board of Greek consumer association “The Quality of Life”, (EKPIZO), which is a member of the European Consumers’ Organisation, BEUC. “I am honoured that …

EFSA Panel recommends further evaluation of ragweed

The EFSA Plant Health Panel examined in detail documents provided by Poland and Lithuania and evaluated the quality, quantity, accuracy and relevance of data. The Panel concluded that the evaluated risk assessments did not provide sufficient evidence to …

EFSA report on animal diseases transmissible to humans

EFSA has today published its first [1] annual Community summary report on trends and sources of zoonoses. The report provides data on 11 zoonotic diseases from the 25 European Union (EU) countries [2] and Norway for 2004 and data for previous years from …

EFSA launches public consultation on developing a harmonised approach for the environmental risk assessment of additives used in ...

The European Directive on the assessment of additives in animal nutrition[1] stresses the importance of assessing the environmental impact of feed additives, since they are typically used over an extended period of time, often for large numbers of animals …

'The Role of EFSA: Legislative Processes in the EU', Seminar on Food Law and Regulations on Hygiene and Control, Oslo

Catherine Geslain-Lanéelle Ministers, ladies and gentlemen, It gives me great pleasure to be here with you today in Oslo and I am very grateful to the organisers (the Norwegian Ministries of Health and Care Services, Agriculture and Food, and Fisheries and …

EFSA appoints 13 additional Panel experts

A call inviting European experts to apply for membership of selected Panels was published in December 2003 in the Official Journal of the European Communities, in selected scientific journals and on the Authority’s website. 241 Scientists responded to the …

Technical meeting: EFSA health claims evaluation under Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006

Catherine Geslain-Lanéelle   Ladies and gentlemen,  Introduction It gives me great pleasure to open this important meeting and I would like to begin by welcoming you all to EFSA and to Parma. We have organised this meeting as part of our ongoing programme …

EFSA reaffirms safety of MON 863 maize

EFSA evaluates Salmonella contamination of pigs at slaughter

Objectives, sampling frame, diagnostic testing methods, as well as data collection, evaluation, reporting and timelines of the baseline survey are all specified in Commission Decisions 2006/668/EC[2] and 2007/219/EC[3] concerning a baseline survey on the …

Five years on, EFSA looks to the future

Since EFSA’s foundation, much has changed in food and feed safety. The Summit provided an opportunity for key decision makers and actors in the EU food safety system, to reflect on experience gained over the past five years and to consider a number of …

EFSA delivers advice on data requirements for pesticides evaluations

EFSA’s advice is based on its expert knowledge of the latest scientific methodologies and approaches in pesticides risk assessment. This will assist the European Commission in revising requirements based on Directive 91/414/EEC on the placing of plant …