Category: European Food Safety Authority
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EFSA Issues Guidance for Two-Year Whole Food Studies
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has issued guidance principles for conducting two-year whole food studies “to assess the risk of cancer and/or toxicity from the long-term consumption of such foods by humans.” Acting at the behest of the European Commission, EFSA relied on testing guidance (TG) 453 from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and…
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EFSA Proposes Fluoride and Molybdenum Intake Requirements
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has proposed adequate intake (AI) levels for fluoride and molybdenum as part of its effort to provide dietary reference values (DRVs) for micronutrients, including vitamin C, folate, iron, zinc, calcium, and iodine. Finalized by EFSA’s Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA Panel) after a public consultation, the…
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EFSA Approves Use of Advantame Sweetener
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has concluded that the sweetener advantame is safe for human consumption. Derived from aspartame and vanillin, advantame is reportedly 37,000 times sweeter than sugar and 100 times sweeter than aspartame and can be used to enhance flavors such as fruit, citrus and mint and to extend the sweetness duration…
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EFSA Concludes BPA Exposure “Lower Than Previously Estimated”
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has issued a draft assessment of consumer exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), provisionally concluding that “for all population groups diet is the major source of exposure to [BPA] and exposure is lower than previously estimated.” According to a July 25, 2013, news release, EFSA used exposure modeling and new human biomonitoring data to refine…
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EFSA to Complete Draft Opinion on Acrylamide in 2014
Responding to a request from the European Commission, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has announced plans to complete a draft scientific opinion on acrylamide by mid-2014 using “hundreds of scientific studies” as well as new data from food business operators, consumer organizations and other stakeholders. According to a July 15, 2013, news release, EFSA’s Panel…
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EFSA Finalizes Guidance on Pesticide-Related Risk to Bees
Following a request from the European Commission concerning the declining health of bees in Europe, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published new guidance for assessing the potential risks to bees from the use of pesticides. Noting that a previous risk assessment for honeybees did not fully account for risks from chronic or repeat…
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EFSA Announces Public Consultation on Feed Additive Guidance
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has launched two public consultations on draft guidance for feed additives. Issued by EFSA’s Panel on Additives and Products or Substances Used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP), the first draft document offers guidance “for the preparation of dossiers for the renewal of the authorization for feed additives.” Under Article 14…
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EFSA Recommends Improvements to Meat Inspection Procedures
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recently published its recommendations for improving meat inspection procedures in the European Union (EU) after a previous assessment found that “traditional practices… are not always suitable for detecting the main meat borne hazards such as Campylobacter and Salmonella or contamination by chemical substances.” Billed as “a major piece of work…