European Food Safety Authority

"EFSA" redirects here. For other uses, see EFSA (disambiguation).
European Food Safety Authority

Headquarters in Parma.
Authority overview
Formed 21 February 2002 (2002-02-21)
Jurisdiction European Union
Headquarters Parma, Italy
Motto Committed to ensuring that Europe's food is safe
Authority executive
  • Bernhard Url, Executive Director
Key document
Website www.efsa.europa.eu

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is the agency of the European Union (EU) that provides independent scientific advice and communicates on existing and emerging risks associated with the food chain.[1][2] EFSA was established in February 2002, is based in Parma, Italy, and has a budget for 2016 of €79.5 million.[3]

The work of EFSA covers all matters with a direct or indirect impact on food and feed safety, including animal health and welfare, plant protection and plant health and nutrition. EFSA supports the European Commission, the European Parliament and EU member states in taking effective and timely risk management decisions that ensure the protection of the health of European consumers and the safety of the food and feed chain. EFSA also communicates to the public in an open and transparent way on all matters within its remit.

Structure

EFSA is composed of four bodies:[2]

The Management Board sets the budget, approves work programmes, and is responsible for ensuring that EFSA co-operates successfully with partner organisations across the EU and beyond. It is composed of fourteen members appointed by the Council of the European Union in consultation with the European Parliament from a list drawn up by the European Commission, plus one representative of the European Commission.

The Executive Director is EFSA's legal representative and is responsible for day-to-day administration, drafting and implementing work programmes, and implementing other decisions adopted by the Management Board. They are appointed by the Management Board.

The Advisory Forum advises the Executive Director, in particular in drafting a proposal for the EFSA's work programmes. It is composed of representatives of national bodies responsible for risk assessment in the Member States, with observers from Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and the European Commission.

The Scientific Committee and its Scientific Panels provide scientific opinions and advice, each within their own sphere of competence, and are composed of independent scientific experts. The number and names of the Scientific Panels are adapted in the light of technical and scientific development by the European Commission at EFSA's request. The independent scientific experts are appointed by the Management Board upon a proposal from the Executive Director for three-year terms.

EFSA Journal

The scientific output of the European Food Safety Authority is published in the EFSA Journal, an open-access, online scientific journal. This concerns risk assessment in relation to food and feed and includes nutrition, animal health and welfare, plant health and plant protection.[4]

Criticism

EFSA has been criticised for their alleged overregulation,[5] as well as allegations of "frequent conflicts of interest".[6]

EFSA has also been criticised by the NGO CHEM Trust for misrepresenting the results of their expert committee's report on Bisphenol A in January 2015. EFSA claimed in the abstract, press release and briefing that Bisphenol A 'posed no risk' to health, when the expert report actually stated the risk was 'low' when considering aggregate exposure (beyond just food).[7] EFSA later modified the abstract to correct this error,[8] though the press release remains unchanged.[9] EFSA have argued that use of 'no health concern' in their press release and Bisphenol A briefing is to ensure these materials are accessible, though this rationale is disputed by CHEM Trust.[10]

See also

Notes and references

  1. ↑ "How the European Union works", booklet made by the European Commission
  2. 1 2 Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 January 2002 laying down the general principles and requirements of food law, establishing the European Food Safety Authority and laying down procedures in matters of food safety
  3. ↑ 67th Management Board meeting, EFSA press release, 3 December 2015
  4. ↑ "EFSA Journal". EFSA. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  5. ↑ Peterson, M.J.; White, Paul A. "Case Study: The EU-US Dispute over Regulation of Genetically Modified Organisms, Plants, Feeds, and Foods". International Dimensions of Ethics Education in Science and Engineering (9).
  6. ↑ "Food safety agency's reliability faces fresh criticism". EurActiv. 15 February 2012.
  7. ↑ CHEM Trust (21 January 2015). "Bisphenol A – new EFSA assessment cuts safe exposure level, calls for more research (updated)". CHEM Trust. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
  8. ↑ CHEM Trust (2 April 2015). "EFSA corrects its risk assessment of bisphenol A to acknowledge that experts didn’t say ‘no health concern’". CHEM Trust. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
  9. ↑ CHEM Trust (2 April 2015). "We write to EFSA: Why did you misrepresent the results of the Risk Assessment of Bisphenol A?". CHEM Trust. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
  10. ↑ CHEM Trust (22 April 2015). "EU Food Authority responds to letter on misleading communication on Bisphenol A risks, claims ‘simplification’ for ‘accessibility’". CHEM Trust. Retrieved 23 April 2015.

External links

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