Food Safety in Europe

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is the keystone of EU risk assessment regarding food and feed safety. In close collaboration with national authorities and in open consultation with its stakeholders, EFSA provides independent scientific advice and clear communication on existing and emerging risks.

EFSA is an independent European agency funded by the EU budget that operates separately from the EC, European Parliament, and EU Member States.

While EFSA is the risk assessment agency for food safety, risk management is carried out by the EC and the EU member states. Several of the European states that are in different stages of preparing themselves for the membership in the EU, such as Serbia, or have association agreements, like Norway, Iceland, and Switzerland, are under EFSA regulation.

EFSA was set up in January 2002, following a series of food crises in the late 1990s, as an independent source of scientific advice and communication on risks associated with the food chain. EFSA was created as part of a comprehensive program to improve EU food safety, ensure a high level of consumer protection and restore and maintain confidence in the EU food supply.

Established provisionally in Brussels, Belgium in 2002, and moved to its current home in Parma, Italy in 2005, EFSA provides independent scientific advice on all matters linked to food and feed safety, including animal health and welfare and plant protection, and also provides scientific advice on nutrition in relation to Community legislation.

EFSA communicates to the public in an open and transparent way on all matters within its remit. EFSA’s risk assessments provide risk managers (consisting of EU institutions with political accountability, i.e. European Commission, European Parliament and Council) with a sound scientific basis for defining policy-driven legislative or regulatory measures required to ensure a high level of consumer protection with regards to food safety.

In May 2003, as a fully-fledged independent EU agency, EFSA established its Scientific Committee with oversight of eight panels. The panels include scientists from all over Europe and cover food and feed safety, nutrition, animal health and welfare, plant protection, and plant health.

In carrying out its work, EFSA also considers the possible impact of the food chain on the biodiversity of plant and animal habitats. EFSA performs environmental risk assessments of genetically modified crops, pesticides, feed additives, and plant pests. In all these fields, EFSA’s most critical commitment is to provide objective and independent science-based advice and clear communication grounded in the most up-to-date scientific information and knowledge.—L.L.L.