EFSA Press Releases

Bisphenol A update: EFSA calls meeting and invites contributions from Member States

At the meeting, EFSA will outline its draft opinion on BPA, which is currently being prepared by EFSA’s scientific panel on food contact materials (CEF Panel), prior to its expected adoption in May 2010. The meeting will allow Member States to contribute …

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 …

Food safety in Europe – status quo and future prospects: Asia Pacific Weeks meeting, Berlin

Catherine Geslain-Lanéelle Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, Introduction It gives me great pleasure to address this meeting of the Asia Pacific Weeks business and science programme and I would like to thank the organisers for their kind …

Further update on EFSA’s work on the evaluation of nutrient sources in food supplements

EFSA was asked by the European Commission for scientific opinions on the safety and bioavailability of these nutrient sources prior to any approval of their continued use for nutritional purposes in food supplements. EFSA has been unable to complete …

EFSA and ECDC highlight importance of cooking sprouts thoroughly to reduce risk of further E. coli O104 outbreaks

The assessment focuses on the hypothesis that the outbreak originates from sprouts. As it is impossible to test all foods for all types of contaminants, it is crucial that the hypothesis that is generated at the start of the investigation process allows …

EFSA re-evaluates safety of bisphenol A and sets Tolerable Daily Intake

The re-evaluation of BPA focused on effects on reproduction and the endocrine (hormonal) system, about which there has been much scientific debate. Having considered both the pre-2002 and new studies available, the Panel concluded that the no-observed- …

EFSA evaluates possible risks from the pesticide chlormequat in grapes

Following information from food business operators on table grapes containing residues of the pesticide chlormequat, the European Commission has requested urgent scientific advice from EFSA on possible risks for public health[1]. The use of the pesticide …

EFSA publishes a BSE/TSE risk assessment of the use of bovine dried blood products as an ingredient for feeds destined for farmed ...

The Panel noted that in line with another previous opinion on fishmeal there is only a remote risk of fish themselves contracting BSE through potentially BSE blood-contaminated feed. However, the Panel said that a human or animal health risk may arise if …

EFSA meets the four Member States presently involved in carrying out GMO environmental risk assessments

During the meeting, participants discussed the evaluation of data presented in the applications and the risk assessment of herbicide tolerant and insect resistant GM crops. Member States also shared individual risk assessment experiences from specific GMO …

EFSA consults on guidance on risk-benefit assessment of food

EFSA’s Scientific Committee recommends a three-step approach consisting of: an initial assessment which considers whether a risk-benefit assessment is actually needed or, alternatively, if the health risk clearly outweighs the health benefit (or vice versa …

Food Safety and Nutrition: from Science to Policy, Athens

Catherine Geslain-Lanéelle  Dear Minister, Member of EFSA’s Management Board (Konstantinos), President of EFET (Antonis), Chair of EFSA’s Stakeholder Platform (Andreas), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, Introduction On behalf of EFSA I would …

EFSA publishes Geographical BSE-Risk (GBR) assessments for Australia, Canada, Mexico, Norway, South Africa, Sweden and the United ...

In 2003 EFSA was requested by the European Commission (EC) to re-assess the Geographical Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) risk (GBR) for 13 countries: Australia, Botswana, Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Namibia, Norway, Mexico, Panama, …

EFSA meets Italian government on school and transport links

“I am grateful to Undersecretary of State Letta for the agenda of this meeting which lists the most important issues for EFSA’s establishment in Parma,” Geslain-Lanéelle said. The meeting, which was an opportunity to take stock of developments so far, …

Update on EFSA’s evaluation of a study on food colours and behaviour

An ad-hoc working group of the AFC Panel has been set up involving statisticians and experts in the field of child behaviour since these key areas were identified as crucial for the evaluation. Toxicologists and a specialist in allergy from EFSA’s AFC and …

Aflatoxins in food: EFSA assesses new proposed maximum levels for almonds, hazelnuts and pistachios and advises the European ...

Aflatoxins occur naturally in foods such as nuts, figs and other dried fruits, spices and crude vegetable oils. They are produced by moulds that grow on plants before harvest or on the foods during storage. They are undesirable because they have been shown …

What’s on the menu in Europe?

Are intakes of food additives safe for all population groups? Are fat intake levels going down in the EU? Are consumers exposed through their diet to high levels of heavy metals such as cadmium? Who is most at risk of deficiencies in nutrients such as iron …