Last updated on 11 Dec, 2023

European Food Safety Authority – Maltese Focal Point

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has initiated Focal Points in the Member States to act as an interface between EFSA and the different national food safety authorities, research institutes, consumers and other EFSA-related stakeholders. The Focal Points ensure the exchange of food safety information between EFSA and national stakeholders through a national network.

EFSA is the keystone of European Union food and feed safety risk assessment. 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 connected with national food safety authorities via the EFSA Advisory Forum (AF). Through the AF, Member States advise EFSA on scientific matters as well on EFSA’s work programme and priorities.

The AF also helps address emerging risk issues as early as possible.

The main benefits anticipated from this cooperation includes the sharing of the burden of risk assessments, easy access to expertise not available at home and, in general, making the most efficient use of sparse and finite resources.

Maltese Focal Point of EFSA

In Malta, the Focal Point of the European Food Safety Authority is the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority (MCCAA).

What is the role of the Focal Point?

The role of the Focal Point is to act as a collaborative centre in Malta with the primary responsibility to support the Maltese representative of the Advisory Forum in gathering data and transferring information between EFSA and relevant bodies in Malta, which include risk managers, national authorities, stakeholders and research institutes in the fields of risk assessments on food and feed safety, animal and plant health, animal welfare and nutrition, and in communications in these areas.

The tasks for the Focal Point in supporting the Advisory Forum member of Malta shall be as follows:

1. Ensure the exchange of information on:

The development of important risk assessment initiatives in Malta and in EFSA;
Results of relevant scientific research projects;
Ongoing risk assessments and opinions under preparation ;
Issues that may give rise to potential divergences of opinions between Malta and EFSA ;
Ensure close cooperation as far as appropriate on the preparation of EFSA’s and Maltese competent authorities’ Work Programmes;
Requests for specific information.

2. Provide advice on:

Scientific actions of common interest that could be undertaken within the network, in particular in the framework of Article 36;
Review or proposals for new designations for updates of the list of competent organisations in Malta (Article 36 List);
Assignment of tasks to Competent Organisations on the List;
Monitor progress and performance of scientific work undertaken by Maltese organisations on the List;
The development and maintenance of databases of scientific experts and research organisations in Malta that could assist EFSA and the national authorities in conducting collaborative work in support of risk assessments in the area of food and feed safety;
Roster of national experts;
Requests to national experts.

3. Provide support on:

Disseminating materials concerning EFSA within Malta;
Organising and co-ordinating in Malta the exchange of information and documentation concerning scientific activities of relevance to EFSA;
Providing an interface between EFSA and national level stakeholders;
Raise EFSA’s visibility in Malta.

#EUandMyFood |We all love food

Pesticides

We would like to inform you that on 26 June 2019, EFSA published the 2017 European Union report on pesticide residues in food:

The 2017 European Union report on pesticide residues in food

Please do not hesitate to contact [email protected] for any enquiries.

Animal Health and Welfare

EFSA was awarded by the annual Ombudsman Award for Good Administration 2019 – section Excellence through collaboration for the initiatives and projects it carried out, in particular the EFSA’s MUST-B project and the EU Bee Partnership.

The link to the dedicated EFSA news story where you can also find out more about the bee health projects is the following:

Bee health: EFSA’s work recognised at EU awards

EFSA Third Scientific Conference

We are glad to inform you that the special issue of the EFSA Journal on the EFSA Conference 2018 - Science, Food, Society is now available for consultation and download.

The link to the dedicated EFSA Journal webpage is the following:

Special Issue: Proceedings of the Third EFSA Scientific Conference: Science, Food and Society Guest

Data Visualisation Products

We would like to remind you that EFSA has developed several tools to graphically display data. One of these is the interactive tool explaining the main issues and concepts within chemical mixtures through graphics and animations. The tool complements the guidance on harmonised methods for assessing risks from combined exposure to multiple chemicals for humans, animals and the environment.

Please follow the link to the tool: Chemical Mixtures Interactive Infographic

Scientific Opinion ‘Appropriate age range for introduction of complementary feeding into an infant’s diet’

We would like to inform you that on 12 September 2019, EFSA published the Scientific Opinion ‘Appropriate age range for introduction of complementary feeding into an infant’s diet’.

The link to the dedicated EFSA Journal webpage is the following: Appropriate age range for introduction of complementary feeding into an infant’s diet

Please do not hesitate to contact [email protected] for any enquiries.

EU‐FORA: Series 2

We would like to inform you that the Second Special Issue of EFSA journal containing the Technical Reports of the second cohort of EU-FORA fellows, has been published.

Please follow the link to the Special Issue: Special Issue: EU‐FORA: Series 2

Re-evaluation on sweeteners

According to Article 32 of Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, all food additives permitted before 20 January 2009 should be subject to a new risk assessment by EFSA. The programme for the re-evaluation of approved food additives has been set up by Commission Regulation (EU) No 257/2010, which foresees in article 3(b) that the re-evaluation of all approved sweeteners listed in Directive 94/35/EC shall be completed by 31 December 2020.

In order to ensure an effective re-evaluation, it is important that EFSA retrieves all relevant data for the re-evaluation of the selected food additives. As outlined in Regulation (EC) No 257/2010 on the re-evaluation of food additives, in the course of the re-evaluation procedure, EFSA shall:

a) examine the original opinion and the working documents of the Scientific Committee on Food (‘SCF’) or EFSA;

b) examine, where available, the original dossier;

c) examine the data submitted by the interested business operator(s) and/or any other interested party;

d) examine any data made available by the Commission and Member States;

e) identify any relevant literature published since the last evaluation of each food additive.”

In order to address this work a “Protocol for the assessment of hazard identification and characterisation of the sweeteners” has been developed.

All the scientific details on this protocol can be found here: https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/consultations/call/190705.

This document outlines the draft protocol for the hazard identification and characterisation of sweeteners in the context of Regulation (EC) No 257/2010 by the EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Flavourings (FAF Panel), supported by the Working Group on the re-evaluation of sweeteners. This draft protocol has been developed with the aim of defining as much as possible beforehand the strategy to be applied for collecting and selecting data, appraising the relevant evidence, and analysing and integrating the evidence in order to draw conclusions that will form the basis for the scientific opinions.

This protocol has been developed following the principles and process illustrated in the EFSA PROMETHEUS project (PROmoting METHods for Evidence Use in Scientific assessments) (EFSA, 2015). This protocol is iterative by nature and will be subject to a pilot phase. Should the need to amend the protocol emerge as the assessment proceeds, such amendments will be clearly documented and justified.

This protocol is applied to hazard identification and hazard characterisation. Exposure will be assessed following a separate protocol which will also undergo public consultation later in autumn.

Risk characterisation will be performed based on the outcome of hazard characterisation and exposure assessment

Mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH) in infant formula

The European Commission has asked EFSA to carry out a rapid assessment on the risks for public health related to the presence of mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH) in infant formula and follow-on formula. This follows the recent detection by NGO Foodwatch of MOAH in certain batches of infant formula in France, Germany, and the Netherlands.

The Commission has asked competent national authorities in these countries to sample the concerned batches and investigate the source of contamination. The results from this sampling will then be assessed by EFSA and we are required to deliver our evaluation to the European Commission by 18 November.

Further information about this request can be found in the mandate http://registerofquestions.efsa.europa.eu/roqFrontend/questionLoader?question=EFSA-Q-2019-00691 from the European Commission to EFSA.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact: [email protected]

Previous EFSA’s work: in 2012, EFSA published a scientific assessment on risks to human health through dietary exposure to MOH. More information on this opinion can be found in the news story and scientific opinion HERE.

Mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH) in infant formula - EFSA report published

The technical report “Rapid risk assessment on the possible risk for public health due to the contamination of infant formula and follow-on formula by mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons” was published on Monday 18.11.2019. Please follow the link to the report: Rapid risk assessment on the possible risk for public health due to the contamination of infant formula and follow-on formula by mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons.

Updates on Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs)

EFSA has published its latest summary on the monitoring of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) in the EU. The report provides results on data collected in 2018 by all EU Member States, Iceland, North Macedonia, Norway and Switzerland.

The main findings are:

One case of classical BSE in cattle (out of 1,181,934 animals tested) was reported in the EU. Three cases of atypical BSE were reported.
There were 934 cases of scrapie in sheep (out of 325,386 tested) and 523 cases in goats (out of 138,128 tested).
One case of chronic wasting disease (CWD) was reported in a wild moose, the first reported CWD case in the EU (out of 8,185 cervids tested).

Please follow the links to the topic and the report:

Topic - Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs)

Report - The European Union summary report on surveillance for the presence of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) in 2018

Should you have any questions, please write back to [email protected]

Phthalates in plastic food contact materials

On 10^th December 2019, EFSA published a scientific opinion on the update of the risk assessment of di-butylphthalate (DBP),butyl-benzyl-phthalate (BBP), bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP), di-isononylphthalate (DINP) and diisodecylphthalate (DIDP) for use in food contact materials.

The publication was accompanied by the news story “FAQ on Phthalates in plastic food contact materials”, which is available in English, French, German and Italian.

The key messages are:

Current exposure to five phthalates from food is not a concern for public health. Dietary exposure to the group of DBP, BBP, DEHP and DINP for average consumers is seven times below the safe level, while for high consumers it is four times lower. For DIDP, dietary exposure for high consumers is 1,500 times below the safe level.
EFSA’s expert have set a new temporary group tolerable daily intake for four of the five substances of 50 µg/kg bw per day based on the effects they can have on the reproductive system and in particular a reduction in the hormone testosterone in foetuses. For DIDP, an individual TDI of 150 µg/kg bw per day was set, based on its effects on liver (also on a temporary basis).

For further information on the scientific opinion, please contact Katharina Volk ([email protected]).

For further information on the news story, please contact Anthony Smith ([email protected]).

Salmonella the most common cause of foodborne outbreaks in the European Union

On 12^th December 2019, EFSA and ECDC published a news story on “Salmonella the most common cause of foodborne outbreaks in the European Union”, which is available in English, French, German and Italian.

For your information, the key messages are:

Nearly one in three foodborne outbreaks in the EU in 2018 were caused by Salmonella. In 2018, EU Member States reported 5,146 foodborne outbreaks affecting 48,365 people.
Salmonellosis was the second most commonly reported gastrointestinal infection in humans in the EU (91,857 cases reported), after campylobacteriosis (246,571).
By far the highest increase in 2018 was in the number of West Nile virus infections. Cases of this West Nile virus were seven times higher than in 2017 (1,605 versus 212) and exceeded all cases reported between 2011 and 2017.
Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) has become the third most common cause of foodborne zoonotic disease with 8,161 reported cases – replacing yersiniosis with a 37% increase compared to 2017.

For further information on the expert working group, please contact Frank Boelaert ([email protected])

Rapid Outbreak Assessment report “Multi-country outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis infections linked to eggs”

On Thursday, 6th February 2020, EFSA and ECDC published the Rapid Outbreak Assessment report “Multi-country outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis infections linked to eggs, fourth update”.

The main conclusion of the report is that the outbreak is still ongoing and since no evidence was provided that the source of contamination has been eliminated, it is expected that further infections will occur and that new cases will be reported in the coming months. Additional investigations are necessary to identify the source of contamination.

For further information on the report, please contact Mirko Rossi ([email protected] )

Coronavirus: no evidence that food is a source or transmission route (09.03.2020)

Rapid Outbreak Assessment report “Multi-country outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis infections linked to eggs”

We would like to inform you that EFSA published the Rapid Outbreak Assessment report “Multi-country outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis infections linked to eggs”

Please follow the link to the dedicated EFSA Journal webpage: Multi‐country outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis infections linked to eggs, fourth update

Lumpy skin disease: south-east Europe remains disease-free

EFSA published a Scientific Report on “Lumpy skin disease epidemiological report IV: data collection and analysis”, accompanied by a news story “Lumpy skin disease: south-east Europe remains disease-free”.

The key messages are:

No new outbreaks of lumpy skin disease were reported in south-eastern Europe in 2019, meaning that most of the region has now been clear of the disease since 2016.
The mass vaccination campaign supported by the European Commission continued in south-eastern Europe in 2019, covering more than 1.8 million cattle.
An increased number of outbreaks were reported in neighbouring territories compared to 2017 and 2018, including outbreaks close to Greece, which poses a risk of spread to south-eastern Europe.

For further information on the Scientific Report, please contact Alessandro Broglia ([email protected]).

For further information on the news story, please contact Simon Terry ([email protected]).

Antimicrobial resistance in the EU: infections with foodborne bacteria becoming harder to treat

EFSA and ECDC published the annual EU Summary report on antimicrobial resistance in zoonotic and indicator bacteria from humans, animals and food, accompanied by a news story “Antimicrobial resistance in the EU: infections with foodborne bacteria becoming harder to treat”.

The key messages are:

Salmonella and Campylobacter are becoming increasingly resistant to ciprofloxacin, one of the antibiotics of choice for treating infections caused by these bacteria.
Data from humans, animals and food show that a large proportion of Salmonella bacteria are multidrug-resistant (resistant to three or more antimicrobials).
Combined resistance – simultaneous resistance to two critically important antimicrobials – to fluoroquinolones and third generation cephalosporines in Salmonella and to fluoroquinolones and macrolides in Campylobacter remains low.

For further information on the Scientific Report, please contact Pierre-Alexendre ([email protected]).

For further information on the news story, please contact Francesca Matteucci ([email protected]).

Launch of EFSA website in Spanish

EFSA has launched an additional language version of their website in the fourth most spoken language worldwide: Spanish.

On various occasions it was requested that EFSA’s information material should be available in other EU languages - besides EN-DE-FR-IT - this request arising most frequently for Spanish.

Before coming to this decision, EFSA considered:

The considerable number of enquiries received via our “Ask EFSA Service” every year by Spanish citizens and Spanish-speaking countries
The considerable number of articles and media enquiries by Spanish media every year
Spanish being spoken in many countries outside the EU (500 million people in total, globally), including countries with whom EFSA has bilateral scientific cooperation programmes (i.e. Chile)
An analysis of EFSA’s website traffic showing a significant number of visits from Spanish-speaking audiences
Recommendations stemming from the analysis of an in-depth survey on multilingualism in the EU institutions conducted by the European Ombudsman.

In conclusion, in 2019 the EFSA Management Team endorsed the launch of a pilot project for the Spanish translation of the EFSA website.

Today’s milestone marks the gradual, step-wise introduction of wider multilingualism into EFSA communications.

Please follow the link to the news on the EFSA website and on the social media: La EFSA incorpora el español

International Year of Plant Health: EFSA launches new website

To mark the International Year of Plant Health, EFSA has launched a dedicated website highlighting the work it is doing with its partners to combat plant pests and protect Europe’s crops, parks and gardens.

The website will be updated throughout the year with news and information on activities aimed at raising awareness about plant health in Europe and beyond, contributing to the efforts lead by the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Plants make up 80 percent of the food we eat. Yet, they are under constant attack from pests, with the FAO estimating that up to 40 percent of food crops are destroyed globally each year. Factors such as climate change, globalisation of trade and tourism are making things worse. That is why the United Nations have declared 2020 the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH): to raise awareness of how protecting plant health can help end hunger, reduce poverty, protect the environment, boost economic development, and contribute to achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

2020 is not only the International Year of Plant Health, but also the year when the new Plant Health Law is implemented across the European Union. EFSA has embarked on several interconnected projects that support the European Commission’s efforts to protect the EU from plant pests and diseases and to help Member States prepare for future threats. Additionally, EFSA is planning a full year of activities in support of the IYPH which will also be highlighted on the new website.

EFSA’s dedicated microsite allows users to delve into several different topics and explore its work such as horizon scanning, the work EFSA does to track of emerging pests; pest surveillance, for which EFSA provides a toolkit that includes pest survey cards, survey guidelines, and statistical tools; the 20 priority pests identified by the European Commission; the high-risk plants whose entry into the EU is prohibited; as well as pest risk assessments and pest categorisations.

Please follow the link to the new website: https://bit.ly/2vN3pMy

New EU report on pesticide residues in food

EFSA has published the European Union report on pesticide residues in food which now also includes data from 2018. On the EFSA website you can find some dashboards visualising selected data. The dashboards are simple and intuitive, allowing you to visualise the number of samples in single countries, per food group, number of quantified residues per sample, and so on, by simply clicking on them. They are available in English.

Please refer to the following links to the dedicated webpage where to read the report and find the data dashboard and the links to the social media:

Report -The 2018 European Union report on pesticide residues in food

Data Dashboard - The 2018 European Union Report on pesticide residues - the EU-coordinated programme results

For any further questions, please contact [email protected].

Veterinary drug residues in animals and food

EFSA has published the report on veterinary residues in food and animals. The report summarises monitoring data collected in 2018. The data show high rates of compliance with recommended safety levels in the European Union.

Please refer to the following links to the dedicated webpages where to read the news in brief and the report:

News - Veterinary drug residues in animals and food: compliance with safety levels still high

Report - Report for 2018 on the results from the monitoring of veterinary medicinal product residues and other substances in live animals and animal products

ANSES opinions released in English on the work on Dietary guidelines for specific populations: pregnant and lactating women, children, elderly and infants

Please find below the ANSES opinions released in English on the work on Dietary guidelines for specific populations - pregnant and lactating women, children, elderly and infants - for which the Focal Point network had been solicited in 2017:

https://www.anses.fr/en/system/files/NUT2017SA0141EN.pdf

https://www.anses.fr/en/system/files/NUT2017SA0142EN.pdf

https://www.anses.fr/en/system/files/NUT2017SA0143EN.pdf

https://www.anses.fr/en/system/files/NUT2017SA0145EN.pdf

Information on postponement of the 41st international scientific conference HYGIENA ALIMENTORUM XLI

Due to the current epidemiological situation of COVID-19, the organizing committee of the 41st international scientific conference ’’HYGIENA ALIMENTORUM XLI- New trends in improving the quality and safety of meat and meat products“ decided to postpone this conference to the next year. Thus, the international scientific conference HYGIENA ALIMENTORUM XLI will be held from 19 to 21 May 2021.

Both the theme of the conference and the venue (Strbske Pleso in High Tatras National Park, Slovakia) remain the same.

The aim of the international scientific conference is to obtain new knowledge on the production, health safety and quality of beef, pork, mutton, goat and horse meat in relation to intravital effects and the application of animal welfare principles prior to slaughter. The scientific conference will also focus on new technological processes and the level of hygiene in carcass processing and meat handling to ensure health, safety and quality. In the field of meat products, the focus of the scientific conference is to promote modern technological production processes, pointing out solutions to improve safety and quality through the use of modern butchering technology, application of additives and packaging materials, taking into account the traditional quality of meat products, impact of retail on the quality of meat and meat products, possibilities of innovation in food sales and assessment of the situation of implementation of the European legislation and quality policy.

Please contact [email protected] in case of questions or for further details.

ANSES opinion released in English on the safety of use of berberine-containing plants in the composition of food

ANSES released in English the opinion on the safety of use of berberine-containing plants in the composition of food supplements, for which the Focal Point network had been solicited in 2018:

https://www.anses.fr/en/content/use-berberine-containing-plants-food-supplements

EFSA scientific opinion “The public health risk posed by Listeria monocytogenes in frozen fruit and vegetables including herbs, blanched during processing”

EFSA published the scientific opinion “The public health risk posed by Listeria monocytogenes in frozen fruit and vegetables including herbs, blanched during processing”. EFSA has in fact assessed the risks to public health from Listeria contamination of vegetables that are blanched – scalded in hot water or steam for a short time – before they are frozen. The risks associated with the consumption of these products is lower than for ready-to-eat foods such as smoked fish, cooked meat, sausages, pâté, soft cheese. The scientific opinion is accompanied by a news story “Listeria in frozen vegetables: how to reduce risks” which is available in English, French, German and Italian.

Please refer to the following links to the news story and scientific opinion:

Plant health: pest survey cards go digital

The first batch of EFSA’s plant pest survey cards are now available in an easy-to-use digital format. Ten of the existing 28 cards – which are designed to help EU Member States plan their annual survey of quarantine pests – have been published as “story maps” on EFSA’s website. They are smartphone-compatible.

The cards contain material that is essential for carrying out surveys that conform to current international standards, such as up-to-date information on the pest’s distribution, its host range, its biology and risk factors, as well as available detection and identification methods.

They are part of a plant pest surveillance toolkit that consists of pest‐specific documents, such as the survey cards, and documents that are relevant for all pests to be surveyed, including general survey guidelines and information on appropriate software.

The remaining 18 cards will be adapted to the new format later this year.

You can also find more information about EFSA’s work on plant health and, specifically, on pests surveillance in our web on the International Year of Plant Health: https://bit.ly/2vN3pMy

Annual Call for Data & Video Tutorial

A new video tutorial on how to prepare and submit data to EFSA has been published. The video is intended to support first time data providers or those who are less familiar with EFSA data submission practices, for example from industry, academia and research institutes.

The tutorial is a simple, step-by-step guide for data providers on how to properly classify and label their data, then upload their datasets on EFSA’s Data Collection Framework (DCF) platform. It includes instructions and advice on using the available tools to prepare datasets and setting up an account on the DCF.

Please find the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4xPXDiWnpw

The video accompanies the annual call for data on chemical contaminants in food.

Please address any technical enquiries regarding the reporting of data to [email protected].

Xylella fastidiosa: 37 new plant species added to host list

EFSA updated the database listing the plants that can host the Xylella fastidiosa pathogen.

Thirty-seven new plant species have been identified as hosts of the Xylella fastidiosa pathogen. Most were naturally (not artificially) infected and were found both in EU countries (France, Italy, Portugal and Spain) and non-EU countries (USA and Iran). The new hosts include common ornamental, wild and commercial plants such as fleabane (Erigeron sp.), Helichrysum stoechas, pistachio (Pistacia vera), and persimmon (Diospyros kaki).

Here you can find more information: https://bit.ly/3bJnKSH

The newly identified hosts are included in the latest update of EFSA’s database of plants that act as hosts for X. fastidiosa. The list now comprises 595 plant species; for 343 of the species, infection has been identified by at least two detection methods under natural or experimental conditions.

You can also find more information about EFSA’s work on plant health and, specifically, on pests surveillance in our web on the International Year of Plant Health: https://bit.ly/2vN3pMy

Pesticides: first cumulative risk reports published

EFSA has published two Scientific Reports: one on the cumulative dietary risk characterisation of pesticides that have acute effects on the nervous system and one on the cumulative dietary risk characterisation of pesticides that have chronic effects on the thyroid.

The documents were finalised following a two-month consultation period during which EFSA received feedback from a variety of stakeholders, including national institutions, academia, non-governmental organisations and commercial associations.

The overall conclusion for both assessments is that consumer risk from dietary cumulative exposure is, with varying degrees of certainty, below the threshold that triggers regulatory action for all the population groups covered.

Please refer to the following links to the dedicated webpage where to read the news story, the Frequently Asked Questions and the two reports:

News - Pesticides: first cumulative risk reports published

FAQs - Cumulative risk assessment of pesticides: FAQ

Reports

- Cumulative dietary risk characterisation of pesticides that have acute effects on the nervous system

- Cumulative dietary risk characterisation of pesticides that have chronic effects on the thyroid

Campylobacter: updated scientific opinion

EFSA has published the scientific opinion “Update and review of control options for Campylobacter in broilers at primary production”.

EFSA experts have in fact updated and reviewed on-farm control options for Campylobacter in broilers, identifying the most effective ones and assessing the advantages and disadvantages of each measure.

Please refer to the following links to the topic and to the scientific opinion:

Topic - Campylobacter

Scientific Opinion - Update and review of control options for Campylobacter in broilers at primary production

For any further questions on the scientific opinion, please contact  [email protected].

National risk assessment on heavy metal exposure published in Finland

Risk Assessment Unit of Finnish Food Authority has published the results of their new risk assessment on the dietary exposure of Finnish adults to cadmium, lead, arsenic, mercury, nickel and aluminium. The project continued an earlier assessment on the heavy metal exposure of Finnish children. Inorganic arsenic and lead were the two heavy metals with the highest risk to Finnish consumers, although the estimated exposure was lower than previously assessed by EFSA from EU data. The risk assessment report, including a summary in English, is available at:

https://www.ruokavirasto.fi/en/organisations/risk-assessment/projects-of-risk-assessment/chemical-food-safety/dietary-heavy-metal-exposure-of-finnish-adults/

Scientific opinion: risk assessment of ochratoxin A in food

EFSA has published a scientific opinion on public health risks related to the presence of ochratoxin A (OTA) in food.

New available data suggest that OTA can be genotoxic by directly damaging the DNA. Experts also confirmed that it can be carcinogenic to the kidney. Therefore a margin of exposure (MOE) was calculated, which is a tool used by risk assessors to consider possible safety concerns arising from the presence in food and feed of substances which are both genotoxic and carcinogenic.

Please refer to the following links to the dedicated webpages of the EFSA website where you will find the news and the relevant opinion:

News - Ochratoxin A in food: public health risks assessed

Scientific opinion - Risk assessment of ochratoxin A in food

For any further information on the scientific opinion, please contact [email protected].

EFSA Scientific Opinions on Food Contact Materials

The following scientific opinions have been published on the EFSA website:

EFSA-Q-No	Title of the scientific opinion	Adoption date	Link to EFSA website
2019-00150	Specific Migration Limits (SML) for substances used in plastic Food Contact Materials (FCM) – Review	29/04/20	http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/6124
2017-00444	Request for the evaluation of a substance: Di(m-2,2',2''-nitrilotris(ethanol)-diperchlorato)dinatrium, synonym: TEAP; Catena-nitrilotris(ethanol)-diperchlorato)dinatrium, CAS 156157-97-0	29/04/20	http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/6046
2018-00768	Request for safety evaluation of Veolia PET Germany GmbH recycling process (URRC)	29/04/20	http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/6125

EFSA scientific opinion “Welfare of pigs at slaughter"

EFSA has published the scientific opinion “Welfare of pigs at slaughter”.

EFSA has in fact provided its latest advice on welfare of animals during the slaughter process highlighting the lack of skills and/or training of the staff working in slaughtering as a serious welfare concern.

The scientific opinions on slaughter are based on the latest available scientific knowledge and are being developed in consultation with animal welfare experts from EU Member States.

The findings will be used by the European Commission in discussions with the World Organisation on Animal Health (OIE) aimed at aligning approaches to animal welfare at slaughter.

Please refer to the following links to the news story, topic page and scientific opinion:

News - Pigs at slaughter: measures to address welfare concerns

Topic Page - Animal welfare at slaughter

Scientific Opinion - Scientific opinion on welfare of pigs at slaughter

For any further questions on the scientific opinion, please contact  [email protected] or [email protected].

Risk assessment transmission SARS-CoV-2 in hospitality settings

This is to inform you of a risk assessment the Netherlands performed to assess the additional routes for transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in hospitality settings. It was found that exposure to SARS-CoV-2 by drinking from a rinsed glass that had been used by a person infected with SARS-CoV-2 is a real possibility, and that this risk can be reduced by washing the glasses in a dishwasher. The risk is mainly relevant due to the numbers of people involved in visiting hospitality settings. In addition, the risk increases with an increase in the background prevalence of COVID-19 in the population.

The Netherlands were alerted by a consumer question addressed to the Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority in the Netherlands. So far no international studies were found on this specific topic, and therefore it is being assumed that this risk assessment is of interest to the general population. This work will contribute to combat further transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in our communities.

Please refer to the following link for further information: https://www.rivm.nl/en/food-safety/front-office-food-and-product-safety/beoordelingen-front-office-voedsel-en-productveiligheid

Update of EFSA Topic Page on Animal Welfare

The EFSA topic page on animal welfare has been updated including information on 5 new mandates received in the context of the European Commission's Farm to Fork (F2F) strategy.

As part of F2F, the EU is undertaking a comprehensive evaluation of its animal welfare legislation, for which EFSA has been asked to provide new advice that reflects the most up-to-date scientific research and data.

The mandates also cover animal transport and cages.

You can find out more information on the webpage including links to the new mandates.

Dietary sugars – new date in 2021 for safety assessment

The timing of EFSA’s assessment of the safety of dietary sugars has been revised due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the review of the exceptionally high volume of scientific information being considered.

A public consultation on the draft scientific opinion is scheduled to take place in the middle of 2021 with final adoption coming before the end of the same year.

EFSA’s nutrition experts are attempting to set a tolerable upper intake level for total/added/free dietary sugars if the available data allow it. Otherwise, other values could be used to characterise the risk. EFSA scientific advice will help national authorities to establish recommendations on the consumption of dietary sugars and to plan food-based dietary guidelines.

EFSA scientific opinion "Risk assessment of glycoalkaloids in feed and food, in particular in potatoes and potato‐derived products"

EFSA has published the scientific opinion “Risk assessment of glycoalkaloids in feed and food, in particular in potatoes and potato‐derived products”.

EFSA has in fact assessed the risks to human and animal health related to the presence of glycoalkaloids in food and feed, particularly in potatoes and products derived from potatoes, identifying a health concern for infants and toddlers, considering both mean and high consumers.

Please refer to the following links to the news story and scientific opinion:

News - Glycoalkaloids in potatoes: public health risks assessed

Scientific Opinion - Risk assessment of glycoalkaloids in feed and food, in particular in potatoes and potato‐derived products

For any further questions on the scientific opinion, please contact  [email protected].

EFSA publications: Guidance on epidemiological studies

A draft guidance on appraising and integrating evidence from epidemiological studies for use in EFSA's scientific assessments has been published for a trial phase of one year. The document is available here: http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/6221

The respective guidance has been developed by EFSA’s Scientific Committee. Considerable effort has been put by a Scientific Committee working group in the development of three chapters providing an introduction on epidemiological studies, on key epidemiological concepts relevant for evidence appraisal and on appraising and integrating evidence from epidemiological studies, respectively.

The Scientific Committee agreed at its June 2020 plenary to publish a draft of its Guidance on appraising and integrating evidence from epidemiological studies for a trial phase of one year.

The finalisation of the guidance is envisaged after the trial phase in 2021.

EFSA launches new website to raise awareness of African Swine Fever

EFSA has been planning a major campaign to raise awareness of African swine fever (ASF) and to help halt its spread across the south-eastern region of Europe.

We are pleased to share with you the StopASF website: www.efsa.europa.eu/StopASF

Please note that the website is available in all the languages of targeted countries as well as in English, French, German, Spanish and Italian.

The video of the campaign, factsheets and infographics are available on the website. All material will be translated in the languages of targeted countries.

Together we can #StopASF

Website in different languages:

1	www.efsa.europa.eu/StopASF	(English)
2	www.efsa.europa.eu/StopASF/#/al/	(Albanian)
3	www.efsa.europa.eu/StopASF/#/ba/	(Bosnian)
4	www.efsa.europa.eu/StopASF/#/hr/	(Croatian)
5	www.efsa.europa.eu/StopASF/#/gr/	(Greek)
6	www.efsa.europa.eu/StopASF/#/me/	(Montenegrin)
7	www.efsa.europa.eu/StopASF/#/mk/	(Macedonian)
8	www.efsa.europa.eu/StopASF/#/rs/	(Serbian)
9	www.efsa.europa.eu/StopASF/#/si/	(Slovenian)
10	www.efsa.europa.eu/StopASF/#/it/	(Italian)
11	www.efsa.europa.eu/StopASF/#/fr/	(French)
12	www.efsa.europa.eu/StopASF/#/es/	(Spanish)
13	www.efsa.europa.eu/StopASF/#/de/	(German)

EFSA's scientific opinion "Risk to human health related to the presence of PFAS in food"

EFSA published today a scientific opinion on the risks to human health arising from the presence of perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in food.

Experts set a new safety threshold for the main PFAS, that accumulate in the body, a group tolerable weekly intake (TWI) of 4.4 nanogram per kilogram of body weight per week.

The scientific opinion addresses the feedback received from scientific organisations, citizens, and competent authorities in Member States during a two-month consultation period between February 2020 and April 2020.

To learn more, please refer to the following link to the scientific opinion:

Scientific Opinion - PFAS in food: EFSA assesses risks and sets tolerable intake

Publication of the Horizon 2020 Green Deal Call and European R&I Days

We are pleased to announce the publication of the Horizon 2020 Green Deal Call.

This new H2020 call will offer opportunities to foster the contribution of R&I to EU Green Deal objectives, such as those related to the Farm to fork Strategy, the Biodiversity Strategy or to the zero-pollution ambition for a toxic-free environment.

You will find online details on the topics of this Horizon 2020 call by clicking here, including opening date and deadline for submitting proposals (PDF text here).

Please note also that relevant calls in EFSA’s remit are directly accessible through EFSA’s Research Platform: http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/engage/research-platform

For questions or clarifications on this call or other Horizon 2020 activities you may approach the dedicated Research Enquire Service of the Commission (link) and/or the network of National Contact Points (link).

EFSA grant - Call for proposals - Framework Art.36 of Reg. (EC) 178/2002 | Deadline 15/01/2021

EFSA is promoting the call for proposals (grant) “Automating some specific steps of Systematic Review process using Artificial Intelligence” – reference: GP/EFSA/AMU/2020/03

This call for proposals is divided in two lots:

· Lot 1 aims to support EFSA in its collaboration with ICASR (International Collaboration for the Automation of Systematic Reviews)

· Lot 2 aims to increase level of automation in data extraction phase.

Please find more specifics on the main objective in the call documents.

Please note that the deadline for submission of proposals is 15 January 2021.

Please refer to the following link to the EFSA webpage with more information and specific objectives of the call: GP/EFSA/AMU/2020/03 - Support for Automating some specific steps of Systematic Review process using Artificial Intelligence.

In case of any queries related to this Call, please do not hesitate to address them to [email protected] by indicating the Call reference.

Final Report of the AF TF on Data Collection and Data Modelling - published online

EFSA would like to inform you that the final report of the Advisory Forum Task Force on Data Collection and Data Modelling has been published under EFSA Supporting publications on Wiley Online.

During the 67th AF meeting (February 2018) a Task Force on data-related issues was agreed to be created. The Task Force was composed by AF members (or their representatives), chaired by Hungary and supported by EFSA. The main objectives of the Task Force were to review, from a strategic perspective, the data collection and reporting processes, the data model and IT infrastructure that are used in the sharing of data between data providers and EFSA, and to formulate recommendations at a strategic level. The objectives of the Task Force were in connection to EFSA’s data-related activities and are presented in the final report of the Task Force.

The final report and the recommendations of the Task Force are the result of discussions at 14 meetings over the period of September 2018 to July 2020. The report also contains the resulting vision of a future ideal food safety system, as well as conclusions and recommendations for identified quick wins, short- to medium-term and long-term actions.

Report of the AF TF on Data Collection and Data Modelling

Online conference of the Polish Institute of Plant Protection - NRI: "New plant protection strategies", 10-12 February 2021

We would like to kindly invite you to the Plant Protection Conference – 61st Scientific Session of the Institute of Plant Protection – NRL, which will take place on 10-12 February 2021. Due to the epidemiological situation this will be held online.

The subject of the event will deal with the two European Commission strategies: ‘From fam to fork’ and ‘For biodiversity’.

An online registration has opened on 1st September 2020 on the following website: https://www.snior.pl/?lang=en

We would be delighted if you could attend the event.

African Swine Fever and SIGMA Project – information

EFSA would like to share the latest developments regarding the SIGMA Project. In the context of the mandate received from the EC on the epidemiological assessment on African Swine Fever, EFSA made the decision to collect the official data form the relevant countries using the SIGMA framework.

In the meantime, the data providers were trained on the DDI and on the SIGMA EST tool (for the mapping and creation of the ‘xml’ file to be submitted in the EFSA DCF).

For additional information do not hesitate to contact ALPHA Unit ([email protected])

EFSA – CEP PLM15 (September 2020) – access to final outputs

Please be informed that the following scientific opinions have been published on the EFSA website:

EFSA-Q-No	Title of the scientific opinion	Adoption date	Link to EFSA website
2019-00686	Assessment of new information for Styrene (Food Contact Material, FCM No 193) for use in plastic Food Contact Materials	09/09/2020	http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/6247
2019-00379	Request for safety evaluation of the ONDUPET recycling process (EREMA "basic")	09/09/2020	http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/6251
2020-00048	Request for safety evaluation of the Somoplast - Riachi & Co recycling process (Starlinger viscotec deCON) to produce recycled plastic for food contact uses	09/09/2020	http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/6252
2020-00110	Request for safety evaluation of the Flight Plastics (UK) Ltd recycling process (Starlinger viscotec deCON) to produce recycled plastic for food contact uses	09/09/2020	http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/6253
2020-00171	Request for safety evaluation of the PT Asiaplast Industries Tbk recycling process (Starlinger viscotec deCON)to produce recycled plastic for food contact uses	09/09/2020	http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/6254
2020-00152	Request for safety evaluation of the Erreplast S.r.l. recycling process (Starlinger viscotec deCON) to produce recycled plastic for food contact uses	09/09/2020	http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/6255
2020-00247	Request for safety evaluation of the Sicht-pack Hagner GmbH recycling process (Starlinger viscotec deCON)for food contact uses	09/09/2020	http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/6256

Rapid Outbreak Assessment “Multi-country outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium infections linked to Brazil nuts"

On Wednesday, 21^st October, EFSA and ECDC published the joint Rapid Outbreak Assessment “Multi-country outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium infections linked to Brazil nuts”.

For further information on the report, please contact Eleonora Sarno ([email protected])

EFSA's scientific opinion on the evaluation of existing guidelines for their adequacy for the microbial characterisation and environmental risk assessment of microorganisms obtained through synthetic biology

EFSA published today a scientific opinion on the evaluation of existing guidelines for their adequacy for the microbial characterisation and environmental risk assessment of microorganisms obtained through synthetic biology.

The scope of this Opinion covers viable synthet ic biology microorganisms (SynBioMs) expected to be deliberately released into the environment. The evaluation was base d on: (i) horizon scanning of published information, (ii) gap analysis of existing guidelines covering the scope of this mandate, and (iii) future outlooks

The scope of this Opinion covers viable synthetic biology microorganisms (SynBioMs) expected to be deliberately released into the environment. The evaluation was based on:

(i) horizon scanning of published information,

(ii) gap analysis of existing guidelines covering the scope of this mandate, and

(iii) future outlooks.

To learn more, please click on the following link: Evaluation of existing guidelines for their adequacy for the microbial characterisation and environmental risk assessment of microorganisms obtained through synthetic biology

COVID-19 Guides for Food Industry and Food Services Businesses and Risk Profile of SARS-CoV-2 in FBO issued by EFET, Greece

We would like to bring to your attention and to share with you the three Guides that have been issued by the Hellenic Food Authority (EFET) regarding the COVID-19 pandemia, which are titled as follows:

Risk profile of the SARS Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in Food Businesses (English version, 22 October 2020).
COVID 19: A practical guide for Food Industries (English version, 25 August 2020).
COVID 19: A practical guide for Food Services Businesses (English version, 25 August 2020).

Please do not hesitate to contact us, should you need any further information.

New Job Opportunity in EFSA - ISA Scheme

EFSA has recently published two new calls for its SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT SCHEME.

EFSA is willing to establish a list of individuals (natural persons) with scientific expertise, to assist in carrying out preparatory work in different areas. The delivered preparatory work will be reviewed by EFSA staff and/or ad hoc experts for its use in EFSA scientific outputs.

For your information the eligibility criteria are indicated in the call. In particular, applicants must be citizens of a Member State of the European Union (EU), or of a country of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) or of an EU Candidate country. Experts from third countries may also apply, and will be considered, if the required level of expertise may not be found among nationals of EU, EFTA or EU Candidate countries.

If you are interested in contributing to the future of science and play a role in EFSA’s readiness for the future, make sure you consider these opportunities and/or spread the word within your network.

Please follow the direct link to the vacancy in EFSA: Notice of call for expressions of interest – Scientific and Technical support – Various Scientific Profiles (on-going call, no deadline for applications)

For any further questions, kindly contact us at [email protected].

Open Call for Proposals - Selection of Hosting Sites for EU-FORA Programme

The applications to be a hosting site for the next cycle 2021-2022 of EFSA’s European Food Risk Assessment (EU-FORA) Fellowship Programme are now open.

The EU-FORA Fellowship is a key initiative for building the EU’s scientific assessment capacity and knowledge community and it is aimed at early to mid-career professionals from EU and EFTA countries, giving them the opportunity to widen their knowledge and hands-on experience in food safety risk assessment. At the hosting sites, they will be fully integrated, participate in the organisation’s work, gain first-hand experience, and increase their knowledge of many scientific aspects relevant to food safety risk assessment.

The deadline for submission of proposals is 12^th February 2021.

Please find more information at the dedicated web page.

Competent organisations from a wide range of Member States and with a vast range of domains of expertise are expected to apply for this unique and valuable opportunity.

For any further questions, do not hesitate to contact the EU_FORA team at [email protected]

New Job Opportunity in EFSA - Seconded National Experts

EFSA has published a new call for Seconded National Experts.

EFSA is looking for qualified civil servants wanting to apply their skills and knowledge in the agency for a minimum period of one year, while gaining valuable experience that they could bring back to their home organisations at the end of their secondment.

Please follow the direct link to the vacancy in EFSA: EFSA Seconded National Experts (on-going call with no deadline for submitting applications)

For any further questions, kindly contact EFSA Talent Selection Team at [email protected].

New EU summary report on surveillance for the presence of TSEs in 2019

EFSA has published the European Union summary report on surveillance for the presence of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) in 2019.

The report provides results on data collected in 2019 by all EU Member States, Iceland, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia and Switzerland.

The main findings are:

No cases of classical BSE in cattle were reported in the EU (out of 1,150,388 animals tested). Seven cases of atypical BSE were reported: 6 H-type and 1 L-type.
997 cases of scrapie in sheep (out of 338,098 tested) and 390 cases in goats (out of 143,529 tested) were reported in the EU.
Three cases of chronic wasting disease (CWD) were reported in wild moose by Sweden, (out of 7,980 cervids tested by member states). Two cases in moose were reported by Norway.

Please follow the links to the dedicated webpages where to read the scientific output and the updated topic:

Scientific Output - The European Union summary report on surveillance for the presence of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) in 2019

Scientific Topic - Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs)

EFSA published outputs on `Gene Drive`

EFSA has published:

1. a scientific opinion on “Adequacy and sufficiency evaluation of existing EFSA guidelines for the molecular characterisation, environmental risk assessment and post-market environmental monitoring of genetically modified insects containing engineered gene drives”. It was preceded by a public consultation opened also for comments, which resulted into

2. a technical report on “Outcome of a public consultation on the draft adequacy and sufficiency evaluation of existing EFSA guidelines for the molecular characterisation, environmental risk assessment and post‐market environmental monitoring of genetically modified insects containing engineered gene drives”; and in addition

3.an EFSA news, with the following key messages:

EFSA’s existing guidelines for the risk assessment of genetically modified animals are adequate for evaluating risks associated with gene drive modified insects. However, further guidance is needed for some areas, such as molecular characterisation, environmental risk assessment and post-market environmental monitoring.
Current research is looking at deploying engineered gene drives in insect populations, although it will take several years before the use of this technology can be applied in practical, real-life situations.
To carry out this work, EFSA engaged with stakeholders and scientists at various points in the development of its scientific opinion. A stakeholder workshop in 2019 allowed EFSA to gather views on the subject, and the draft opinion was published for a nine-week public consultation earlier this year.

Scientific Opinion: Twitter; LinkedIn; Facebook

Technical Report: Twitter; LinkedIn; Facebook

EFSA News: Twitter; LinkedIn; Facebook

Public consultation: EFSA calls on risk communication experts and specialists for feedback | Deadline 17/01/2021

EFSA has launched an open consultation on a draft scientific report on Technical assistance in the field of risk communication.

The document provides an assessment of risk communication theory and best practice by EFSA’s social science experts and staff to support the European Commission implement a new provision of the 2019 ‘Transparency Regulation’ (Regulation (EU) 2019/1381): a General Plan for Risk Communication for EU food safety.

EFSA is calling on risk communication and science communication experts and specialists to review and comment on the draft scientific report. This includes practitioners at national, EU and international risk assessment and risk management public authorities.

Interested parties are invited to submit written comments by 17 January 2021.

Following the consultation, EFSA’s social scientists will review the feedback while finalising the scientific report, scheduled for March/April 2021.

To learn more, please follow the link: Public Consultation on a draft scientific report on Technical assistance in the field of risk communication

In case of further questions, you can contact the specific Unit’s functional mailbox: [email protected]

New Job Opportunity in EFSA - Traineeship call 2020-2021 | Deadline 08/01/2021

EFSA has published a new call for Trainees.

EFSA is looking for motivated young graduates willing to have a rich first-hand experience in an EU Agency, taking part in diverse activities and supporting significant projects. EFSA is looking for graduates with various backgrounds, including science, law, communication and business, to support all units and all departments.

If you are interested in contributing to the future of science and play a role in EFSA’s readiness for the future, make sure you consider this opportunity and/or spread the word within your network.

Please follow the direct link to the vacancy in the EFSA’s website: EFSA Traineeships Call 2020 -2021 (deadline for applications 08/01/2021)

For any further questions, kindly contact us at [email protected]

Transparency Regulation Implementation: webinar recordings now available and information on Training Programme

The recordings of the first webinar about the Transparency Regulation held on 19 November 2020 are available online on the event’s webpage: https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/events/event/webinar-implementing-transparency-regulation-requirements-tools-and

A new webpage announcing EFSA's upcoming training programme on the new processes and tools introduced by the Transparency Regulation has just been published on the EFSA website: https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/stakeholders/transparency-regulation-implementation-training-programme

The webpage features a call for expression of interest for third parties to enrol to the training modules and ask questions to EFSA. It also presents useful materials to prepare third parties affected by the new legal provisions to get prepared ahead of the entry into application of the Regulation.

For your information, the call for expression of interest has no deadline. Nevertheless, please note that the maximum number of participants per training module session is limited to 500, on a first-come-first-served basis. The sessions will be recorded and made available on EFSA's website.

Report on comprehensive salt and iodine consumption study in Latvia

I would like to share information about a recently published report on comprehensive salt and iodine consumption study in Latvia.

The purpose of the study was to evaluate salt and iodine intake in Latvian adults aged 19 to 64 by evaluating the nutritional data provided by the participants and the laboratorial analysis of 24-hour urine samples.

This study was conducted by Institute for Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment “BIOR” (Riga, Latvia) within the framework of the European Social Fund project “Complex health promotion and disease prevention measures” (ID No. 9.2.4.1/16/I/001).

Data collection was conducted between November 2018 and February 2020.

Link to report is in Latvian with summary in English.

Link to news in Institute "BIOR" webpage.

If you are interested in more details about this study, do not hesitate to contact me, so that I may network with the Latvian Focal Point and with the responsible researchers.

SARS-Cov-2 variants in mink: rapid assessment published by ECDC

Denmark has announced a cull of mink following the detection of a mutated form of SARS-Cov-2 in these animals and reports of human cases related to mink.

EFSA is supporting the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) with the rapid risk assessment they are carrying out on the situation. Scientists from both organisations are working closely together.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has published a Rapid Risk Assessment on “Detection of new SARS-CoV-2 variants related to mink”. EFSA’s animal health specialists have contributed to the assessment, which contains a number of recommendations aimed at protecting public health.

More information and link to the ECDC report can be found on EFSA’s website: https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/news/sars-cov-2-variants-mink-rapid-assessment-published.

The ANSES opinion on “the possible epidemiological role of certain animal species in the maintenance and spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus” published on ANSES website may also be of interest:

https://www.anses.fr/en/content/covid-19-wild-and-domestic-animals-play-no-epidemiological-role-sustaining-or-spreading

The news item is in English but the opinion itself is only available in French.

EFSA – CEP PLM16 (October 2020) – access to final output

The following scientific opinions have been published on the EFSA website:

EFSA-Q-No

Title of the scientific opinion

Adoption date

Link to EFSA website

2019-00698

Safety assessment of the process Severn Valley Polymers, based on Starlinger deCON technology, used to recycle post-consumer PET into food contact materials

27/10/2020

https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/6308

EFSA scientific report on Avian Influenza

EFSA has published an update on the situation regarding avian influenza in the European Union.

In its most recent overview (for the period May to August 2020), EFSA urged Member States to step up surveillance and biosecurity measures to guard against possible new outbreaks of the disease this year. This warning followed the detection of outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) among wild and domestic birds in western Russia and Kazakhstan, a region known as an autumn migration route for wild water birds heading to Europe.

As the situation is evolving rapidly, EFSA, in collaboration with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Reference Laboratory on Avian Influenza, has prepared an update based on the latest available data. The aim of the update is to provide Member States and stakeholders with the most advanced scientific information related to the current outbreaks on which to base their risk assessments, preparedness and prevention measures.

In case of any questions or doubts, please contact [email protected].

The report, produced with the support of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Reference Laboratory for Avian Influenza, highlights that the virus is spreading rapidly across the continent and that the risk of moving into previously unaffected European countries is high.

EFSA’s newstory on this topic may be found here; and the following is the scientific report published on the EFSA Journal here.

Existing guidance appropriate for assessment of genome editing in plants

EFSA and ECDC have published a news story on “Existing guidance appropriate for assessment of genome editing in plants”, which is available in English, French, German, Spanish and Italian:

The key messages are:

Genome editing techniques that modify the DNA of plants do not pose more hazards than conventional breeding or techniques that introduce new DNA into a plant.
The scientific opinion focuses on plants produced using different genome editing techniques: site-directed nuclease-1 (SDN-1), site-directed nuclease-2 techniques (SDN-2) and oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis (ODM). These differ from site-directed nucleases-3 (SDN-3), which was assessed by EFSA in 2012, because they modify a specific region of the genome without introducing new DNA.
Experts concluded that the existing guidance for risk assessment of genetically modified plants is applicable for the evaluation of the three new techniques. However, fewer data for the risk assessment might be needed due to the absence of new DNA.

For further information on the Scientific Opinion, please contact Tommaso Raffaello.

For further information on the news story, please contact Francesca Matteucci.

EU-FORA Fellowship Programme: call for expression of interest for selection of fellows | Deadline 15/01/202

EFSA is calling for applications from future fellows for the 2021-2022 cycle of the European Food Risk Assessment (EU-FORA) Fellowship Programme.

All early to mid-career professionals in food safety interested to be trained in the field of food risk assessment while acquiring hands-on experience within leading EU organisations in the food safety area, are encouraged to apply.

For your convenience, please note that the call is open until 15 January 2021.

Interested applicants can learn more in the following links:

Fellowship Programme - EU-FORA – The European Food Risk Assessment Fellowship Programme

EFSA’s Careers – Science Professionals - EFSA European Food Risk Assessment Fellowship Programme 2021

For any further questions on the Programme, please do not hesitate to contact the EU-FORA team at [email protected]

Kindly also refer to the following LinkedIn and Twitter posts:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/efsa_efsafellowship-eufora-foodsafety-activity-6736641600698548224-G8la/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EFSA_EU/status/1330875570071220227?s=20

We take this opportunity to also remind you that Competent Organisations can still apply to the call for proposals (Ref: GP/EFSA/ENCO/2020/04) for the selection of hosting sites until 12 February 2021.

ANSES Report

The ANSES European and International Affairs Department's 2019 Annual Report is available on the ANSES website: https://www.anses.fr/fr/system/files/ANSES-RA2019-DAEI-EN.pdf; as well as the general ANSES Annual Report 2019: https://www.anses.fr/en/content/anses-action-annual-report-2019-0.

EFSA's scientific opinion “Guidance on date marking and related food information: part 1 (date marking)”

EFSA and ECDC published a news story on “Use by’ or ‘best before’? New tool to support food operators”, which is available in English, French, German, Spanish and Italian.

EFSA has indeed developed a tool to help food business operators decide when to apply the ‘use by’ or ‘best before’ date to their products.

The tool is structured as a decision tree with a series of questions to be answered by the food business operators to help them decide whether a ‘use by’ or ‘best before’ date is required.

EFSA’s Panel on Biological Hazards also published the Scientific Opinion “Guidance on date marking and related food information: part 1 (date marking)”. Another opinion on this topic will be published in 2021. It will focus on the information given to consumers on storage conditions, time limits for consumption after opening and thawing practices.

To learn more, please follow the links to the news and the Scientific Opinion below:

News - ‘Use by’ or ‘best before’? New tool to support food operators

Scientific Opinion - Guidance on date marking and related food information: part 1 (date marking)

Social Media - Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook

For further information on the scientific opinion, please contact [email protected]

Public consultation on the draft EFSA Scientific Committee Opinion on biological plausibility of non-monotonic dose responses and their impact on the risk assessment | Deadline 4 February 2021

EFSA has launched a public consultation on the draft EFSA Scientific Committee Opinion on biological plausibility of non-monotonic dose responses and their impact on the risk assessment.

This document assesses the biological relevance of the apparent non-monotonic dose-responses identified in the external report produced under GP/EFSA/SCER/2014/01, focusing on the in vivo datasets fulfilling most of the checkpoints of the visual/statistics-based analysis.

The scientific community, regulatory advisory bodies and other interested parties are invited to submit written comments by 4 February 2021.

In case of more information on the draft scientific opinion or in case of technical issues in the upload of the supporting files, you can contact the Unit’s functional mailbox: [email protected]

To learn more, please follow the links to the news in brief, the open consultation and the Twitter thread below:

News - Have your say – draft opinion on non-monotonic dose-response

Public Consultation - on the draft EFSA Scientific Committee Opinion on biological plausibility of non-monotonic dose responses and their impact on the risk assessment

Twitter

Twitter thread

Facebook

Open call for tenders on roadmaps for action on mCRA, ERA and NAMs | Deadline 26 February, 2021

EFSA has just published an open call for tenders (OC/EFSA/ED/2020/1 - link) consisting of three lots, for the development of the first three roadmaps for action on:

- Lot 1: Building a European Partnership for next generation systems-based environmental risk assessment (Link)

- Lot 2: New approach methodologies in risk assessment (Link)

- Lot 3: Risk assessment of combined exposure to multiple chemicals (Link)

Background

The overall purpose of this tender is to deliver roadmaps for action and provide recommendations for future multi-annual, multi-partner studies or projects for each lot building on EFSA’s vision and supporting EFSA’s preparedness for future risk assessment requirements and help to prevent possible divergence on sensitive matters. EFSA prioritised four scientific themes for 2021 in line with its consideration on the future of science and EFSA’s 2027 strategic development. The delivery of a 4^th roadmap for action on “Artificial intelligence for evidence management in risk assessment” will be outsourced using a reopening competition through the EFSA Management Consultancy framework contract.

The call is now open until 26 February 2021 (14.30 CET) and has a maximum budget for financial offers of EUR 500.000 per lot (i.e., per roadmap).

In case of questions, please contact [email protected].

Social research at EFSA: second Reputation barometer study 2020 published

The Reputation Barometer study has been published on the EFSA website.

This survey-based tool is designed to better understand the expectations and perceptions of the institutional partners and stakeholders with whom EFSA interacts on a regular basis. It provides important insights into the approach taken to working with them and how to improve it.  

Please follow the link to the dedicated web page where to find the report and more specific information:

Corporate Publications - Reputation barometer

Report - Reputation Barometer 2.0: State of EFSA's reputation and lessons for future monitoring

REMINDER - Open Call for Proposals - Selection of Hosting Sites for EU-FORA Programme

It is still possible to apply to be a hosting site for the next cycle 2021-2022 of EFSA’s European Food Risk Assessment (EU-FORA) Fellowship Programme by 12 February 2021.

Please note that the scientific reports of the work of fellows from the previous cycle have recently been published in a special issue of the EFSA Journal.

For any further questions, do not hesitate to contact the EU_FORA team at [email protected].

REMINDER: EU-FORA Fellowship Programme: call for expression of interest for selection of fellows | Deadline 15/01/2021

It is still possible to apply for the next cycle of the European Food Risk Assessment (EU-FORA) Fellowship Programme, a key initiative for building the EU’s scientific assessment capacity and knowledge community.

The deadline for applying to the fellowship is 15 January 2021.

EU-FORA is aimed at early to mid-career professionals from EU and EFTA countries, giving them the opportunity to widen their knowledge and hands-on experience in food safety risk assessment. At the hosting sites, they will be fully integrated, participate in the organisation’s work, gain first-hand experience, and increase their knowledge of many scientific aspects relevant to food safety risk assessment.

Please note that the scientific reports of the work of fellows from the previous cycle have recently been published in a special issue of the EFSA Journal.

For more information on the programme and how to apply, go to the EU-FORA dedicated webpage.

For any further questions, do not hesitate to contact the EU_FORA team at [email protected].

EU-FORA EFSA Journal special issue is out

This is to inform you that the EU-FORA Programme series 3 2020-2021, the third special issue of the EFSA Journal devoted to EFSA’s fellowship programme (EU-FORA), has been published!

This year has been particularly challenging for EU-FORA. The global pandemic is not alien to the Programme and it has demanded extra-commitment from fellows and supervisors. The quality and relevance of the reports are good examples. New knowledge was generated in the area, as shown by the publication of articles in scientific journals...and there's more to come!

Would you like to know more? Enjoy your reading here and remember that all EU-FORA Programme Series can also be accessed through the EU-FORA dedicated webspace.

EU-FORA Programme

Kindly note that fellows (and hosting sites) can still apply to the EU-FORA programme.

Find out more on how both benefit from the matching procedure in place: https://twitter.com/EFSA_EU/status/1341294956770635776?s=20

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6749972445899436032

Do not hesitate to disseminate and encourage potential applications!

Kind Reminder | Public consultation: EFSA calls on risk communication experts and specialists for feedback | Deadline 17/01/2021

This is a gentle reminder to please send your feedback on EFSA’s open consultation on a draft scientific report on Technical assistance in the field of risk communication. This document will support the European Commission to implement a new provision of the 2019 ‘Transparency Regulation’ 2019/1381: a General Plan for Risk Communication in the area of EU food safety. Feedback and input from academic experts and from national and international partners are essential to ensure the quality of this output so that the General Plan for Risk Communication has a sound scientific basis in theory and best practice.

We are counting on your support for input and/or to remind the relevant networks to send relevant feedback by the deadline of 17 January 2021.

For further questions, do not hesitate to contact the specific Unit’s functional mailbox: [email protected]

ANSES International Symposium "Credibility of scientific expertise and public decision". New challenges for health risk governance in a changing world

ANSES would like to invite you to the International Symposium organised by ANSES on "Credibility of scientific expertise and public decision". New challenges for health risk governance in a changing world.

The symposium will be held in January and February.

Program and registration are available following this link: http://ptolemee.com/ANSES2021/index.html

EU-FORA fellow selection: upcoming deadline

Only a week left to apply as a fellow for the next cycle of EU-FORA!

It is still possible to apply to be a fellow for the next cycle of the EU-FORA Programme, by the 15th January.

Please widely disseminate this information and encourage applications among early to mid-career professionals!

Find out more reasons to apply to this unique opportunity by listening to a previous fellow on LinkedIn!

For any further questions on the programme, please find more information in the dedicated webpage. To apply: here!

Do not hesitate to contact EFSA at [email protected], should you need additional information.

Thanking you in advance for your support.

Transparency Regulation: What you need to know

The Transparency Regulation will become applicable on 27 March, further strengthening the EU food safety system, transforming EFSA’s role as Europe’s risk assessor and bringing citizens and stakeholders closer to our work.

It is crucial that stakeholders, partners and citizens across Europe are aware of these changes and understand the benefits they bring.

Press release - Transparency in risk assessment: a new era begins – which sets out the main changes and provides background information;
Links to a video animation and a training programme EFSA has rolled out to help stakeholders adapt to the new arrangements;
Webstream link to EU & EFSA event on 30 March to celebrate the application of the Transparency Regulation;
FAQs from the European Commission.

ONE Conference 2022

The first  One EU 2022  Scientific  Conference  will happen on 21-24 June 2022.

Save the date and connect with us - https://www.one2022.eu/

Deadline submission of abstracts: 15 September 2021.  

EFSA's scientific opinion "Safety of dried yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor larva) as a novel food pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2015/2283

EFSA published a scientific opinion on the first completed assessment of a proposed insect-derived food product.

Following a request from the European Commission, the EFSA Panel on Nutrition, Novel Foods and Food Allergens (NDA) was asked to deliver an opinion on dried yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor larva) as a novel food (NF) pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2015/2283.

Novel food applications are varied and many types of scientific expertise are needed to assess them.

EFSA’s safety evaluations support EU and national decision-makers who authorise these products for the European market.

To learn more, please click on the following links:

NEWS - Edible insects: the science of novel food evaluations

SOCIAL MEDIA

· Twitter

· LinkedIn

· Facebook

TOPIC PAGE - Novel food

SCIENTIFIC OPINION - Safety of dried yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor larva) as a novel food pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2015/2283

In case of any questions or enquiries on the opinion, please contact [email protected]

EFSA’s scientific advice to inform harmonised front-of-pack labelling and restriction of claims on foods

EFSA acknowledged receipt of a new mandate from the European Commission for scientific advice to support the development of a future EU-wide system for front-of-pack nutrition labelling and inform the setting of conditions for using nutrition and health claims on foods.

It is available in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish.

The key messages are:

EFSA’s nutrition scientists will provide scientific advice to support the development of a future EU-wide system for front-of-pack nutrition labelling and inform the setting of conditions for using nutrition and health claims on foods.
EFSA’s advice will cover: i) nutrients of public health importance for Europeans, ii) important food groups in the diets of European populations and subgroups, and iii) criteria to guide the choice of nutrients and other non-nutrient components of food for nutrient profiling. EFSA was not asked to develop a nutrient profiling model or advise on current profiling models already in use for different purposes.

For further information on scientific issues, please contact Leng Heng ([email protected]).

For further information on the news story, please contact Anthony Smith ([email protected]).

SARS-CoV-2 in mink: recommendations to improve monitoring

EFSA and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) published a Scientific report on “Monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 infection in mustelids”, together with a news story “SARS-CoV-2 in mink: recommendations to improve monitoring ”. It is available in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish.

The key messages are:

Early detection of SARS-CoV-2 (coronavirus) should be a priority objective for monitoring activities at mink farms in the European Union.

All mink farms should be considered at risk from SARS-CoV-2.

The new report from EFSA and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) proposes options for monitoring strategies that will help to prevent and control spread of the disease.

For further information on the Scientific report, please contact Alessandro Broglia ([email protected]).

For further information on the news story, please contact Simon Terry ([email protected]).

Bee Health and Pollen - External report and public consultation

EFSA published the external scientific report: “Pollen supplements and substitutes in the EU feed market: a product/market survey for bees and other animal species” (Haefeker, 2021)

The report includes outcomes and recommendations from a survey conducted to overview the presence of pollen supplements and substitutes for bees and other animal species in the EU. The survey aimed also to serve as input for the regulatory risk assessment of genetically modified feed by the EFSA GMO Panel. If you need more information about the report, please contact [email protected]. View the external scientific report

Joint ECDC-EFSA Rapid Outbreak Assessment on a multi-country outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis infections presumably linked to consumption of poultry products

EFSA and ECDC published a joint rapid outbreak assessment on “Multi-country outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis sequence type (ST)11 infections linked to poultry products in the EU/EEA and the United Kingdom”.

For further information on the Scientific Report, please contact Eleonora Sarno ([email protected])

Campylobacter and Salmonella cases stable in EU

EFSA and ECDC published the European Union One Health 2019 Zoonoses Report, accompanied by a news story “Campylobacter and Salmonella cases stable in EU”. It is available in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish.

The key messages are:

The number of reported human cases of illness caused by Campylobacter and Salmonella bacteria across Europe appears to be stabilising over the past five years, according to the latest report on zoonotic diseases by EFSA and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

Campylobacteriosis, which has been the most reported gastrointestinal disease in EU since 2005, affected more than 220,000 people in 2019. Salmonellosis was the second most reported zoonotic disease in the EU, affecting about 88,000 people.

Of the 66,113 samples of ready-to-eat foods – foods that do not need to be cooked prior consumption – 0.3% tested positive for Salmonella. Of the 191,181 non ready-to-eat samples, 1.5% were positive. Eighteen of the 26 Member States reporting on Salmonella control programmes in poultry populations met all the reduction targets, compared to 14 in 2018.

For further information on the Scientific report, please contact Frank Boelaert ([email protected]).

For further information on the news story, please contact Francesca Matteucci ([email protected]).

African swine fever: devising an ‘exit strategy’ for affected countries

EFSA published a Scientific Opinion on “ASF Exit Strategy: Providing cumulative evidence of the absence of African swine fever virus circulation in wild boar populations using standard surveillance measures”, accompanied by a news story “African swine fever: devising an ‘exit strategy’ for affected countries”. It is available in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish.

The key messages are:

EFSA has devised surveillance strategies to help countries affected by African swine fever determine when the virus has stopped circulating among their wild boar populations.
EFSA recommends an “exit strategy” comprising a period of routine surveillance of wild boar (screening) followed by a shorter period of intense surveillance (confirmation).
The scientific opinion gives practical examples of how to apply the strategy to both large and small affected areas.

For further information on the Scientific Opinion, please contact Sofie Dhollander ([email protected]).

For further information on the news story, please contact Simon Terry ([email protected]).

Publication of the European Union One Health 2019 Zoonoses Report

Please be informed of the publication in the EFSA Journal of the European Union One Health 2019 Zoonoses Report.

This report of the EFSA and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) presents the results of zoonoses monitoring activities carried out in 2019 in 36 European countries (28 Member States (MS) and eight non-MS).

For further information on the scientific report, please contact [email protected]

Click to access the report

SafeConsume_summary on risk communication policy surveys

The SafeConsume project’s surveys about the European food safety risk communication practices was carried out in 2018. 76 organisations participated in the survey targeting official bodies conducting risk communication, while 42 NGOs took part in the second survey.

If you have any questions about the surveys’ outcomes or the project, please do not hesitate to contact: Gyula Kasza ([email protected]) or Tekla Izsó ([email protected]).

For more information on the results of SafeConsume, please subscribe to the newsletter of the project, for which you can sign up via the following link:

https://safeconsume.us4.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=2bff9f6f0861b11ad61d21195&id=f8aba48f6b

Launch of the video summary of the International EuroCigua Workshop

The Spanish Food Safety and Nutrition Agency (AESAN), as coordinator of the EuroCigua project aiming to characterize the risk of ciguatera in the European Union, has elaborated a scientific video about this emerging poisoning. The video summarizes the International EuroCigua Workshop, organized by AESAN, also compiles the main findings obtained during the project as well as the conclusions reached and future actions to continue the research on ciguatera.

The video is available here.

For more information on the project, you are more than welcome to visit its webpage.

Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) - ''Guidance on Identifying Appropriate Peer Reviewed Scientific Publications”

The FSAI has published a new document on “Guidance on Identifying Appropriate Peer Reviewed Scientific Publications”.

This document helps food businesses to understand how to assess peer-reviewed journals so that they can be confident that they are using the best science available for their food products.

This document has also been posted on the FSAI LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram pages.

EFSA advises food suppliers on information for consumers

EFSA published the scientific opinion "Guidance on date marking and related food information: part 2 (food information)". The scientific opinion includes a decision tree that assists food suppliers in deciding whether it is appropriate to give consumers other instructions in addition to the ‘use by’ or ‘best before’ dates (figure 2, page 18).

The scientific opinion was accompanied by a news story “EFSA advises food suppliers on information for consumers". We have also produced an infographic on how to thaw food safely.

Please note that the news story, the decision tree and the infographic are available also in French, German, Italian and Spanish.

You can find EFSA's social media activities following the below links.

Resistance levels still high in bacteria causing foodborne infections

EFSA and ECDC have published the European Union summary report on Antimicrobial Resistance in zoonotic and indicator bacteria from humans, animals and food in 2018/2019. It is accompanied by a news story “Resistance levels still high in bacteria causing foodborne infections", available in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish and the updated data visualisation. This interactive tool gives an overview of the situation of antimicrobial resistance in humans, animals and food across the EU.

If you need more information about the report, please contact [email protected].

Pesticides in food: latest figures published

EFSA published the 2019 European Union report on pesticide residues in food, accompanied by a news story “Pesticides in food: latest figures published”. It is available in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish.

The key messages are:

A total of 96,302 samples were analysed in 2019, 96.1% of which fell within legally permitted levels.
For the subset of 12,579 samples analysed as part of the EU-coordinated control programme (EUCP), 98% were within legal limits.
EFSA carried out a dietary risk assessment which suggested that the commodities analysed in 2019 are unlikely to pose a concern for consumer health.
The results of the coordinated programme are available on EFSA’s website as browsable charts and graphs, making the data more accessible to non-specialists.

For further information on the Scientific report, please contact Paula Medina ([email protected]).

For further information on the news story, please contact Simon Terry ([email protected]).

African swine fever: risks from feed, bedding and transport

EFSA published a Scientific Opinion on “Ability of different matrices to transmit African swine fever virus”, accompanied by a news story “African swine fever: risks from feed, bedding and transport”. It is available in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish.

The key messages are:

EFSA’s advice looks at the risk of ASF being introduced to non-affected regions of the EU via pathways such as feed, bedding materials and empty pig transport vehicles returning from affected areas.
The opinion concludes that the potential for transmission through these pathways is lower than for several others but a risk cannot be completely ruled out.
EFSA recommends strict adherence to decontamination and storage processes for all products moved from ASF-affected areas to unaffected areas.

For further information on the Scientific Opinion, please contact Andrea Gervelmeyer ([email protected]).

For further information on the news story, please contact Simon Terry ([email protected]).

EFSA reports set to inspire future risk communications in Europe

EFSA published four new reports designed to inform the future General Plan for Risk Communication:

Full details and links to the reports can be found HERE on the EFSA website.

Publication of the editorial "EFSA's expertise supports One Health policy needs"

The editorial “EFSA's expertise supports One Health policy needs” has been published here.

In the editorial, the importance to cooperate beyond scientific disciplines is highlighted. The need for One Health approach to face global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss and COVID-19 and deliver robust scientific advice for informed policy decisions is underlined.

Three short interviews to our Chief Scientist and Scientific Coordinator have also been published:

https://twitter.com/EFSA_EU/status/1392095734489657344?s=20

https://twitter.com/EFSA_EU/status/1392064724586700800?s=20

https://twitter.com/EFSA_EU/status/1392107489035014145?s=20

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6797897928133423104

Protecting bees: a new way forward for risk assessment

EFSA published a Scientific Opinion on “A Systems-based approach to the environmental risk assessment of multiple stressors in honey bees”, accompanied by a news story “Protecting bees: a new way forward for risk assessment”. It is available in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish.

The key messages are:

EFSA is proposing a new approach to the environmental risk assessment (ERA) of honey bees.
The scientific opinion sets out an integrated, holistic framework for assessing the combined effects of multiple stressors on honey bees, known as MUST-B.
At the heart of the framework is a model based on a bee colony simulator, called ApisRAM, which assesses either single or multiple pesticides in interaction with other stressors and factors.
ApisRAM is still in development, but it will be ready for use in pesticide risk assessment in the next two or three years.

For further information on the Scientific Opinion, please contact Agnes Rortais ([email protected]).

For further information on the press release, please contact Simon Terry ([email protected]).

Titanium dioxide: E171 no longer considered safe when used as a food additive

EFSA published a Scientific Opinion on “Safety assessment of the food additive Titanium dioxide (E171)”, accompanied by a news story “Titanium dioxide: E171 no longer considered safe when used as a food additive”. It is available in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish.

The key messages are:

Taking into account all available scientific studies and data, the Panel concluded that titanium dioxide can no longer be considered safe as a food additive.
The assessment was conducted following a rigorous methodology and taking into consideration many thousands of studies, including new scientific evidence and data on nanoparticles.
Although the evidence for general toxic effects was not conclusive, on the basis of the new data and strengthened methods the panel could not rule out a concern for genotoxicity and consequently could not establish a safe level for daily intake of the food additive.

For further information on the Scientific Opinion, please contact Camilla Smeraldi ([email protected]).

For further information on the news story, please contact Silvia Bellocchio ([email protected]).

EFSA webpage on COVID-19 and food

Following MS suggestions to have an EFSA dedicated webpage with updated data on COVID-19 and food, EFSA published the following page: EFSA and COVID-19.

The page (in EN, DE, FR, ES and IT) explains EFSA’s involvement on the topic and includes some questions and answers on SARS-CoV-2 and food, providing links to relevant pages.

African swine fever and outdoor farming of pigs

EFSA published a Scientific Opinion on “African swine fever and outdoor farming of pigs”, accompanied by a news story “African swine fever: risks from outdoor pig farms”. It is available in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish.

The key messages are:

EFSA has assessed the risk of African swine fever spreading through outdoor pig farms.
Outdoor pig farms carry a substantial risk of introducing and spreading ASF, but installing single or double solid fences on all outdoor pig farms in areas of the EU where ASF is present could reduce this risk by at least 50%.
Derogations from the current restrictions on outdoor pig farming in ASF-affected areas could be considered on a case-by-case basis if these measures have been implemented.

For further information on the Scientific Opinion, please contact Andrea Gervelmeyer ([email protected]).

For further information on the news story, please contact Simon Terry ([email protected]).

Scientific Opinion on AMR and the environment

EFSA published a Scientific Opinion on “Role played by the environment in the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) through the food chain”.

The main highlights are:

Fertilisers of faecal origin, irrigation, and water are the most significant sources of AMR in plant-based food and/or aquaculture. In terrestrial animal production, potential sources are feed, humans, water, air or dust, soil, wildlife, rodents, arthropods, and equipment.
For the first time, EFSA experts have assessed the role of food producing environments in the emergence and spread of AMR. They identified the main sources of AMR bacteria and genes, although current data do not allow quantification of the specific contribution each of them makes to this global problem.

To learn more, please click on the links to the opinion below.

NEWSROOM - Antimicrobial resistance and the food production environment: sources and control options

SCIENTIFIC OPINION on the - Role played by the environment in the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) through the food chain

Scientific opinion on titanium dioxide

EFSA published its safety assessment of Titanium Dioxide as feed additive. Experts have concluded that titanium dioxide can no longer be considered safe when used as an additive in animal feed. The assessment by EFSA’s Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP) follows the conclusion reached by EFSA’s Panel on Food Additives and Flavourings (FAF) that the same compound can no longer be considered safe when used as a food additive.

Please find more information here.

EFSA – CEP PLM (May 2021) – access to final outputs

Please be informed that the following scientific opinions have been published on the EFSA website:

EFSA-Q-No	Title of the scientific opinion	Adoption date	Link to EFSA website
2020-00432	Safety assessment of the process Martogg Group, based on EREMA Advanced technology, used to recycle post-consumer PET into food contact materials	6 May 21	https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/6638
2020-00750	Safety assessment of the process Drava International, based on Starlinger deCON technology, used to recycle post-consumer PET into food contact materials	04 May 21	https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/6642
2021-00054	Safety assessment of the process ISAP Packaging, based on Starlinger deCON technology, used to recycle post-consumer PET into food contact materials	04 May 21	https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/6643
2021-00063	Safety assessment of the process ROL, based on Starlinger deCON technology, used to recycle post-consumer PET into food contact materials	04 May 21	https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/6644

Use of antibiotics in animals is decreasing

EFSA, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) published a Scientific report on “Antimicrobial consumption and resistance in bacteria from humans and animals”, accompanied by a news story “Use of antibiotics in animals is decreasing”. It is available in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish.

The key messages are:

Use of antibiotics has decreased and is now lower in food-producing animals than in humans
The significant fall in antibiotic use in food-producing animals suggests that the measures taken at country level to reduce use are proving to be effective.
The picture in the EU is diverse – the situation varies significantly by country and by antibiotic class. For example, aminopenicillins, 3rd- and 4th-generation cephalosporins and quinolones are used more in humans than in food-producing animals, while polymyxins (colistin) and tetracyclines are used more in food-producing animals than in humans.

For further information on the Scientific report, please contact [email protected]

For further information on the news story, please contact [email protected]

EFSA Professional Opportunities

Seeking a new challenge in the #Scientific, #Data, or #Legal fields? Whether you're a senior or young professional, we have opportunities for your growth! Explore our career page and apply now

More info: https://careers.efsa.europa.eu

Risk Assessment Research Assembly (RARA) 2022

The recording is now available for the Risk Assessment Research Assembly (RARA) 2022 event organized by EFSA on 7^th December 2022. Event's webpage here.

The objective of the event is to stimulate alignment between national and EU research funding, EFSA brought together funders, policy/decision makers and leading food safety researchers to showcase how research outputs can support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals and the Green Deal.

More than 250 delegates from 40 countries gathered in Berlin on 7^th December 2022 to discuss Research & Innovation investment that is crucial for a safe transition towards sustainable food systems, the importance to define One Health research needs, and how to align research efforts.

The one-day event hosted several plenary sessions, providing international perspectives and featuring panel debates, as well as three parallel break-out sessions to allow for in-depth discussion and interaction.

Save the date! “Science Meets Policy” conference on “EU initiatives towards the large-scale use of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) to tackle foodborne threats” - 5-6 September 2023

EFSA is organising the “Science Meets Policy” conference on “EU initiatives towards the large-scale use of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) to tackle foodborne threats” (online and in Parma) to be held on 5-6 September 2023.

The meeting is open to all interested parties and it will be particularly relevant for food safety risk assessment competent authorities in the EU and beyond, as well as policymakers, academics and stakeholders with an interest in the topic.

Registration will remain open until 1^st September for online attendance.

Position for seconded National Expert in Communications (COM) Unit in EFSA

EFSA is looking for Seconded National Experts (SNE) to join the Communications (COM) Unit of EFSA in Parma, Italy. The person selected will work on EFSA’s scientific publishing programme as the EFSA Journal embarks on an exciting phase of development, including the launch of a new channel that will host the publications of national food safety agencies (Food Risk Assess Europe) and the roll-out of plain language summaries of its scientific assessments. EFSA produces ca. 600 scientific outputs per annum and the successful candidate will work on all aspects of the publishing programme in collaboration with the publisher Wiley VCH.

The publishing programme sits within the COM unit of EFSA and interfaces with media relations, social media and campaigns. This opening will therefore provide a valuable opportunity to collaborate with colleagues across these functions.

The ideal candidate would have some experience in risk communication or scientific publishing or a willingness to develop their knowledge of these fields. She/he should have a good working knowledge of the European risk communication environment and a good level of English. The position will be for 12 months initially, renewable.

The candidate selected should comply with the selection criteria described in EFSA’s call for interest for SNEs of 2017 (see Section What are the selection requirements? which is available at https://careers.efsa.europa.eu/jobs/efsa-seconded-national-experts-call-251.

Please contact EFSA via ASK EFSA if you need further clarification.

Aged meat not riskier than fresh meat

EFSA has published a scientific opinion “Microbiological safety of aged meat”, accompanied by a news story “Aged meat not riskier than fresh meat” also available in German, French, Spanish and Italian version.

The key messages are:

Meat ageing is a process during which microbes and enzymes act upon the meat to break down the connective tissue, thereby tenderising the meat and giving it a richer flavour.
Aged meat does not pose any additional risks compared to fresh meat if it is aged under controlled conditions.
There are no additional risks involved provided that the specific combination of time and temperature identified in the scientific opinion are observed during the ageing process.

EFSA’s newstory on this topic may be found here; and the following is the scientific report published on the EFSA Journal here.

For further information on the scientific opinion, please contact [email protected]

For further information on the news story, please contact [email protected]

Grayanotoxins in honey

In January 2022, an EFSA Call for stakeholder inputs was launched in the form of an EU survey.

EFSA would like to inform you that the EFSA Scientific Opinion on the Risks for human health related to the presence of grayanotoxins in certain honey was adopted by the EFSA Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM Panel) on 20 January 2023 and was published on 2 March 2023 in the EFSA Journal.

EFSA’s scientific report on this topic may be found published on the EFSA Journal here.

Pesticides: EFSA’s MetaPath database published

The final version of EFSA’s MetaPath database is now live.

MetaPath is a public database containing results from metabolism studies of pesticides on plants and livestock. It enables efficient search and extraction of data on metabolism or catabolism, observed biotransformation pathways and crucial supporting metadata. The database supports metabolic simulations and predictions and contributes to reduce animal testing.

Applicants submitting an application for pesticides have to provide data on metabolism in the areas of residues and mammalian toxicology generated with the MetaPath composer software.

MetaPath will help all stakeholders with an interest in pesticide metabolites:

It supports applicants in the preparation of their dossiers.
It enables academia and other interested parties to access existing information and to plan new studies.
It streamlines risk assessment and fosters harmonisation across regulators worldwide.

Before EFSA joined this international collaborative project, MetaPath was originally developed by the Laboratory of Mathematical Chemistry, Burgas (LMC, Bulgaria) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It has been integrated with the OECD QSAR toolbox and the full interoperability of these two tools will be achieved in the coming months in collaboration with the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA).

Access EFSA’s MetaPath database here!

For questions or additional information, you are welcome to contact Anja Friel, Peer Review Residues (PLANTS): [email protected]

More information is available on EFSA’s website.

Bacteria resistant to commonly used antimicrobials still frequently found in humans and animals

EFSA and ECDC published the joint scientific report “The European Union Summary Report on Antimicrobial Resistance in zoonotic and indicator bacteria from humans, animals and food in 2020/2021”, accompanied by a news story “Bacteria resistant to commonly used antimicrobials still frequently found in humans and animals” also available in German, French, Spanish and Italian version, an interactive data visualisation tool also available in German, French, Spanish and Italian, as well as story maps and a dashboard.

The key messages are:

Resistance of Salmonella and Campylobacter to commonly used antimicrobials is frequently observed in humans and animals. However, simultaneous resistance to critically important antimicrobials for humans was generally detected at low levels, except for some Salmonella types and Campylobacter coli in several countries.
Antimicrobial resistance is one of the greatest threats we face worldwide, affecting humans, animals, and the environment. Working together remains key to tackling this complex problem. In our work, we embody the One Health approach.
There were encouraging trends in several countries, where an increasing proportion of bacteria from food-producing animals was susceptible to all tested antimicrobials. Moreover, the prevalence of Extended-spectrum Beta-lactamases (ESBLs) and AmpC beta-lactamases (AmpC) producing E. Coli is decreasing.

EFSA’s newstory on this topic may be found here; and the following is the scientific report published on the EFSA Journal here.

The link to the data visualisation is the following: https://multimedia.efsa.europa.eu/dataviz-2021/index.htm

For further information on the Scientific Report, please contact [email protected]

For further information on the news story, please contact [email protected]

RARA22 scientific article + video published

Following the previously published outputs of the #RARA22, we are pleased to update you on the most recent publications:

A short (2’) video with the main highlights
A scientific article describing the RARA22 outcomes

Abstract: To stimulate alignment between European and national research strategies and funding efforts, EFSA brought together 250 food safety researchers, funders, policy/decision makers and risk assessors for a second Risk Assessment Research Assembly (RARA). With a panel of international experts RARA discussed: i) how food safety regulatory research can support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and relevant European policies; ii) how to foster alignment of research priorities and investments on food safety; and iii) how to reinforce and utilise the wider food safety risk assessment network. The RARA network plays a key role in facilitating the bilateral communication needed to develop research and policy agendas that feed into each other. Food safety actors support the necessary transition to sustainable food systems (i.e. SDGs & Green Deal). The global challenges threatening food systems call for more alignment between national and central efforts. RARA provided suggestions on how to overcome barriers in alignment and how to increase synergies amongst research programmes, in which the potential of European Partnerships were recognized and fully supported. The RARA network is a valuable asset for transdisciplinary cooperation across the science-policy-interface (scientists, risk assessors, policy makers), and across EU and national authorities. RARA 2022 demonstrated that its’ research community is ready to support the transition to sustainable food systems and can be considered a valuable tool when programming future research agendas across Europe and member states.

This info was also posted through Social Media: Twitter - LinkedIn.

Advice of the Office for Risk Assessment & Research on the implementation of the National Residues Plan

The Dutch Office for Risk Assessment and Research (BuRO) has published an advice on a method on the use of a risk-oriented substance choice in structuring the National Residues Plan.

The National Residues Plan (NPR) in products of animal origin is the Dutch elaboration of Regulation EU 2017/625. This regulation specifies which groups of substances the Member States are required to include in their annual monitoring of animal products. As such, the NPR is an important cornerstone for the free movement of animal products within the EU and for the export of animal products outside the EU.

In advance of the coming into effect of Regulation EU 2017/625, the National Residues Plan working group of the NVWA asked BuRO to issue "advice on how the NPR can be restructured in a risk-oriented manner".

The documents are available in English on the NVWA website: https://english.nvwa.nl/documents/consumers/food/safety/documents/advice-of-the-office-for-risk-assessment--research-on-the-implementation-of-the-national-residues-plan

These documents may help member states to implement a risk-oriented approach to their monitoring plans.

Eurocigua II website

To better understand the risks of ciguatera fish poisoning in Europe, EFSA and the Spanish Food Safety Authority (AESAN) jointly funded the EuroCigua project between June 2016 and January 2021. The project defined the main health impacts of ciguatera in Europe; analysed the presence of ciguatoxin (CTX) in microalgae and in fish; and developed analytical methods to identify and quantify the presence of CTX. A series of four external scientific reports signalled the completion of the first phase of the project.

Last summer, EFSA and the Spanish Ministry of Health agreed to jointly fund a follow-up three-year project: EuroCigua II. We are happy to announce that the EuroCigua II project website (in English and Spanish) has now been launched at the institutional website of the Spanish Ministry of Health. This website is linked with the new EFSA topic page on “Ciguatoxins and other marine biotoxins”.

Nitrosamines in food raise a health concern

EFSA has published its scientific opinion “Risk assessment of N-nitrosamines in food”, accompanied by a news story “Nitrosamines in food raise a health concern” also available in German, French, Spanish and Italian.

The key messages are:

EFSA assessed the risks to public health related to the presence of nitrosamines in food.
The assessment concludes that consumer exposure to ten genotoxic and carcinogenic nitrosamines in food raises a health concern for all age groups.
EFSA’s opinion will be shared with the European Commission, which will discuss with national authorities what risk management measures are needed.

EFSA’s newstory on this topic may be found here; and the following is the scientific report published on the EFSA Journal here.

For further information on the scientific opinion, please contact [email protected]

For further information on the news story, please contact [email protected]

Rapid Outbreak Assessment “Multi-country outbreak of Salmonella Virchow ST16 infections linked to the consumption of meat products containing chicken meat

EFSA and ECDC published their Rapid Outbreak Assessment “Multi-country outbreak of Salmonella Virchow ST16 infections linked to the consumption of meat products containing chicken meat”.

EFSA’s scientific report on this topic may be found published on the EFSA Journal here.

For further information on the scientific opinion, please contact [email protected]

EFSA Podcast - Episode 5 - Avian influenza: a bird’s-eye view

We would like to inform you about the EFSA Podcast: Science on the menu and recently published it's Episode 5 which focuses on Avian Influenza. Please find hereafter the link: https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/podcast/episode-5-avian-influenza-birds-eye-view

Episodes of EFSA podcast are available on EFSA's webpage:

Episode 1 - Food choices: beyond gut feelings here
Episode 2 - Unwelcome gifts: food poisoning unwrapped here
Episode 3 – Crunch time for insects here
Episode 4 – Animal welfare on the move here
Episode 5 – Avian influenza: a bird’s-eye view here

All episodes of EFSA Podcast are also available on:

Call for Abstract/ESCAIDE2023 Conference

ESCAIDE, the European Scientific Conference for Applied Infectious Disease Epidemiology, organised by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is promoting a Call for abstract for this year’s conference. The conference welcomes abstracts in all areas applied to infectious disease and public health. Please click on the link to learn more on how to submit an abstract.

Early-career public health professionals and researchers can also apply for funding to cover the costs of travel and accommodation when submitting an abstract for ESCAIDE 2023. You can find out more about the criteria and application process for the Funding Initiative.

The conference, which will take place physically in Barcelona and be live-streamed online on 22–24 November, will be centred around the presentation of the latest insights in the field, through abstract presentations, seminars and plenary discussions, alongside opportunities for networking and career development.

The second call, for submissions of late breakers, will be organised between 7 September and 18 September. More information will be published later on the ESCAIDE website

Finally, all updates regarding the conference will be announced on the ESCAIDE website and on social media channels Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter (@ESCAIDE). In case you wish to receive regular updates on the conference by email, please send a request to [email protected].

Pesticides in food: latest data published

EFSA’s latest report on pesticides residues in food in the European Union is now available here. It gives a snapshot of the residue levels found in a selection of commonly consumed products, suggesting that the food commodities analysed in 2021 are unlikely to pose a concern for consumer health.
As well as the harmonised and comparable data collected under the EU coordinated programme (EU MACP), EFSA’s annual report also includes data collected as part of national control activities carried out by individual EU Member States*, Norway and Iceland.

The detailed results of the control programmes are available on EFSA’s website as browsable charts and graphs in the related data visualisation making the data more accessible to non-specialists.

Updated crisis communication guidelines published

EFSA just published the updated version of the crisis communication guidelines.

https://www.efsa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/2023-04/crisis-communication-guidelines-2023.pd

This comes at the end of an extensive consultation with the CEN members, as well as colleagues in EFSA. EFSA wanted to publish the document this year with a new visual identity.

In comparison with the previous version: it is shorter, the scope is clarified and the annexes fully updated. In terms of changes to the content, the following have been included:

A scenario of a food or feed safety incident involving a MS only;
A scenario where facts are already known during the Golden Hour;
additional international partners (e.g. INFOSAN);
magnitude of misinformation highlighted;
considerations on when not to react to inaccurate information;
recommendations on internal communication.

EFSA opinion on Welfare of calves

EFSA has published the EFSA Scientific opinion ‘Welfare of calves’ on the protection of calves in the context of the revision of the animal welfare legislation in line with the Farm2Fork strategy.

Regarding this topic you can consult the available news story and infographic on ‘Farm2Fork: Welfare of farmed animals – calves’.

Science meets policy conference 2023 | Registrations open!

The second edition of the Science meets policy conference is to be held in Parma on 5-6 September.

The event, jointly organised by EFSA and the European Commission’s inter-EURL working group on Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS), will focus on EU initiatives towards the large-scale use of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) to tackle foodborne threats.  More information can be found here.

The conference will be particularly relevant for food safety risk assessment competent authorities and policymakers in the EU and beyond, as well as food business operators.

The safety of cell culture-derived food – ready for scientific evaluation

EFSA has published a news story “The safety of cell culture-derived food – ready for scientific evaluation” on the eve of the EFSA scientific colloquium on the same topic, which took place in Brussels on 11-12 May and streamed live on the EFSA website: https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/events/efsas-scientific-colloquium-27-cell-culture-derived-foods-and-food-ingredients

The key messages are:

EFSA's scientific colloquium on cell culture-derived food (11-12 May) was streamed live online and covered the latest scientific and risk assessment developments in this field. EFSA spoke to experts on the eve of the event to illustrate the scientific issues and social and economic backdrop to these innovative new technologies.
So far EFSA has not been asked to evaluate any food derived from cultured animal cells, but we expect to receive applications in the coming months and years. We are confident that the novel foods and other applicable EFSA guidance are fit to carry out these evaluations.

EFSA’s newstory on this topic may be found here.

For further information on the news story, please contact [email protected]

EFSA: Better housing needed for dairy cows, ducks, geese, and quail to improve welfare

EFSA has published two scientific opinions: welfare of ducks, geese and quails and welfare of dairy cows, accompanied by a news story “EFSA: Better housing needed for dairy cows, ducks, geese, and quail to improve welfare”, also available in German, French, Spanish and Italian.

Two infographics and three plain language summaries were also published.

The key messages are:

Dairy cows, ducks, geese and quail need more space and improved housing to improve their welfare.
The opinions form part of a series on farmed animal species that support the ongoing revision of the European Union’s animal welfare rules.

EFSA’s newstory, scientific opinions, infographics and plain language summaries may be consulted here.

For further information on the Scientific Opinion, please contact [email protected] and [email protected].

For further information on the news story, please contact [email protected]

African swine fever decreases in pigs and wild boar in the EU during 2022

EFSA has published the report “Epidemiological analysis of African swine fever in the European Union during 2022”, accompanied by a news story “African swine fever decreases in pigs and wild boar in the EU during 2022”, that is be available in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish.

The key messages are:

The number of outbreaks of African swine fever (ASF) in pigs and cases reported in wild boar in the European Union (EU) fell considerably in 2022 compared to the previous year.
The disease was notified in eight EU countries in pigs and eleven EU countries in wild boar.
To support the continuing efforts to control the spread of the virus, EFSA is extending its StopASF campaign in 2023.

EFSA’s newstory on this topic may be found here; and the following is the scientific report published on the EFSA Journal here.

For further information on the Scientific Opinion, please contact [email protected].

For further information on the news story, please contact [email protected]

Call for proposals EUBA-EFSA-2023-PLANTS-07- Framework Art.36 of Reg. (EC) 178/2002

EFSA has launched the Call reference: EUBA-EFSA-2023-PLANTS-07 - Development of pest survey cards for Union quarantine pests

Link to the call documents: https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/art36grants/article36/euba-efsa-2023-plants-07-development-pest-survey-cards-union-quarantine-pests

The deadline for submission of proposals is Tuesday 26^th September 2023.

To be noted that all applications must be submitted through the EU Funding and Tenders portal, following the instructions provided in the call.

Hard copy paper applications will not be accepted.

The main objective of this call is to provide a support EFSA in preparing pest survey cards by concluding up to four grant agreements, as indicated under 4 lots:

- Lot 1: Non-EU Acleris spp.

- Lot 2: Non-EU Cicadomorpha, known to be vectors of Xylella fastidiosa

- Lot 3: Non-EU Viruses, viroids and phytoplasmas of Cydonia Mill., Fragaria L., Malus Mill., Prunus L., Pyrus L., Ribes L., Rubus L. and Vitis L.

- Lot 4: Begomoviruses and their vector Bemisia tabaci.

You can find more details (i.e. specific objectives, budget, timelines and examples of the work) in the call documents under the link above.

Eligible organisations applying for this call must indicate precisely in their proposal which lot(s) they are applying for. Organisations can apply for one or more lots. In case an organisation submits proposals for more than one lot, the proposals should be submitted as independent proposals in order to allow independent evaluation of proposals for each lot.

EFSA open call OC/EFSA/BIOHAW/2023/02 - Burden of Zoonoses in European Union and EEA/EFTA Countries

EFSA’s has launched and open call for tenders OC/EFSA/BIOHAW/2023/02 on “Burden of Zoonoses in European Union and EEA/EFTA Countries”.

The objectives of this procurement (tender) procedure are following:

Objective 1: estimate the dual burden (zDALYs) of the following nine foodborne zoonoses in the EU Member States and EEA/EFTA countries: campylobacteriosis, salmonellosis, listeriosis, infection with Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), zoonotic tuberculosis, brucellosis, trichinellosis, echinococcosis, and yersiniosis.

Objective 2: estimate the possible tangible (direct and indirect costs) and intangible costs (referred to as COSTS hereafter) of human and animal disease, which are not considered in zDALYs, for the nine specified foodborne zoonoses.

Objective 3: develop a methodological framework to combine the zDALYs and COSTS estimators into an overall estimator (referred to as OVERALL hereafter), for the specified nine foodborne zoonoses.

It is important that the developed methodology is readily understandable and of clear benefit to both public health and animal health sectors (win-win). Results should be clearly explained, and indicate the added value of the outcomes for both sectors and all stakeholders.

The set of call’s documents is avaible at TED eTendering website ref. OC/EFSA/BIOHAW/2023/02 and also notified via EFSA website here.

Maximum budget is 2,200,000.00 EUR under four-year framework contract for execution of the indicated tasks, which will be requested under specific contracts as defined in the tender specifications. Offers could be possibly developed by consortia and involving subcontractors.

The call is open for submissions of offers until Thursday 14 September 2023 (14:30 CET).

Requests for clarification to be sent via the eTendering platform and all clarifications already replied are visible on the same platform.

In case of doubts, please contact [email protected].

GP/EFSA/PLANTS/2023/04 - Call for proposals - Framework Art.36 of Reg. (EC) 178/2002

The following Call for Proposals (grant) has been published on the EFSA website:

Call reference: GP/EFSA/PLANTS/2023/04 - Develop a stepwise approach for a fit for purpose risk assessment, in particular for low concern active substances and uses

Link to the call documents: https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/art36grants/article36/gpefsaplants202304-develop-stepwise-approach-fit-purpose-risk-assessment

The deadline for submission of proposals is Friday 15^th September 2023.

This call aims at developing an harmonised tiered approach for appropriate risk assessment of pesticides of potential low concerns. This approach shall include problem formulation, science-based criteria for not submitting experimental data and fit-for-purpose risk assessment methods, including exposure and hazard assessment.

It is a type of grant not linked to costs but based on achievements of results. You can find more details under the description the tasks, deliverables and timelines in the call documents (ref. the link above).

GP/EFSA/BIOHAW/2023/03 Call for proposals - Framework Art.36 of Reg. (EC) 178/2002

The following Call for Proposals (grant) has been published on the EFSA website:

Call reference: GP/EFSA/BIOHAW/2023/03- Animal care & welfare: welfare-related research on heat stress during transport, and dairy herd welfare indicators

Link to the call documents: https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/art36grants/article36/gpefsabiohaw202303-animal-care-welfare-welfare-related-research-heat-stress

The deadline for submission of proposals is Friday 15^th September 2023.

This call aims to identify the Article 36 List competent organisations and to sign 2 grant agreements (one per lot) to carry out the activities in the area of animal welfare described in the two lots, namely:

Lot 1 – Risk-based model for dairy herd welfare: Field data collection (EFSA max. grant amount - 500.000 EUR)
Lot 2 – Modelling effective temperatures inside a livestock truck and demonstrating the conditions that will allow the animals to drink (EFSA max. grant amount - 500.000 EUR).

The two lots are independent from each other. You may submit a proposal for one or both lots. In case you decide to apply for both lots, a separate proposal for each lot must be provided.

This is a type of grant not linked to costs but based on achievements of results/set milestones. You can find more details under the description the tasks, deliverables and timelines in the call documents (ref. the link above).

Webinar on PFAS 18 September 2023 – preliminary program available

What do we know about the PFAS situation in the Nordic region and what can be done? This will be discussed at a webinar 18 September 2023 jointly organized by 4 Nordic research institutions and food authorities. See the preliminary program and register – participation is free.

PFAS covers a wide range of fluorine substances that have been used for decades and is still used in a myriad of products. The substances, also known as the ‘Forever Chemicals’, are chemically extremely stable and continuously accumulate in humans and animals and elsewhere in the environment where they can pose a risk to animal and human health.

At a webinar the 18 September 2023 researchers, food and chemical authorities will discuss the current knowledge on PFAS in the Nordic Region. How does PFSA affect health? What are the risks? Where is PFAS found and to what extent? What are the authorities doing and how is it possible to remove or avoid a PFAS? What do we not know and need more knowledge about?

The webinar is jointly organized between Danish DTU National Food Institute (DTU Fødevareinstituttet), Finnish Food Authority (Ruokavirasto, Livsmedelsverket), Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment (Vitenskabskomiteen for mat og miljø) and Swedish Food Agency (Livsmedelsverket).

Time
18 September 2023, 9-15 PM CET

Location
Online (You will receive a link the day before the webinar)

Program
See the preliminary program below.

Registration
Participation is free, however registration is necessary no later than 16 September 2023. Please register on the DTU National Food Institute’s webpage.

Contact
[email protected] or [email protected]

Preliminary program
Moderator: Christine Nellemann, Director of the National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark (DTU)

9.00-10.30 PM CET Opening speech: Human health risks and main concerns of PFAS
Anne Marie Vinggaard, Professor, DTU National Food Institute, Denmark

Risk assessments in the Nordic region
Health risks after high exposure to PFAS in drinking water. Experiences from Ronneby, Sweden
Kristina Jakobsson, Professor, School of Public Health and Community medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy Universit of Gothenburg, Sweden

PFAS in Finland – dietary exposure, with focus on occurrence in fish
Johanna Suomi, Research Professor. Finnish Food Authority

PFAS in food and migration from food contact materials into real food, Denmark
Kit Granby, Associate Professor, DTU National Food Institute, Denmark

Production of paper products identified as the main source of PFAS in polluted fish
Håkon A. Langberg, Senior Researcher, The Norwegian Geotechnical Institute

10.30-10.45 PM CET
Break

10.45-12.30 PM CET
Where the consumer meets PFAS in everyday life
Line Småstuen Haug, Norwegian Institute of Public Health

Overview of risk management and monitoring in the Nordic region

Overview of monitoring and risk management of PFAS in Denmark and regulatory foresights at the EU level
Henrik Søren Larsen, Head of Office, Ministry of Environment of Denmark

Fish meal from wild fish in organic egg production – PFAS findings in Finland, a risk management case
Riitta Rannikko, Senior Specialist, Finnish Food Authority

Risk management of PFAS in Norway
Julie Tesdal Håland, Senior Adviser, The Norwegian Food Safety Authority, Head Office, Chemical food safety

PFAS in food - how does environmental contamination affect food production and human exposure?
Karl Lilja, Swedish Environmental Protection Agency

Temporal trends of PFAS concentrations in dated sediment cores from Finland and Baltic Sea
Ville Junttila, Researcher, Finnish Environment Institute

12.30-13.15 PM CET
Break for lunch

13.15-15.00 PM CET
What more can be done?

PFAS - From hero to villain to criminal
Stig Valdersnes, Senior Researcher, Institute of Marine Research, Norway

PFAS treatment techniques – Needs for the future?

Lutz Ahrens, Professor in Environmental Organic Chemistry, Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

Topic: Proposal for a broad PFAS restriction in EU
Jenny Ivarsson, Strategic Advisor, Swedish Chemicals Agency (KEMI)

Closing remarks on future perspectives - a world without PFAS?
Harald Gjein, Director at Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment
Helen Brunnkvist, Head of Department, and Emma Halldin Ankarberg, Toxicologist, Swedish Food Agency
Pia Mäkelä, Head of Department, Finnish Food Authority
Christine Nellemann, Director of the DTU National Food Institute, Denmark

Open call for tenders OC/EFSA/BIOHAW/2023/03

EFSA’s has launched an open call for tenders OC/EFSA/BIOHAW/2023/03 on “Developing a Methodology to Assess Positive Animal Welfare Using Behaviour-analytic and Ethological Approaches”.

The objective of the call is to combine expertise in the field of animal welfare science (ethology, animal sciences) and behaviour analysis (experimental and applied behaviour analysis, behavioural pharmacology) to develop a scientifically robust methodology to assess animals’ preferences and choices (“asking the animal”), assess the reinforcing properties of these preferences, and use the animal’s viewpoint expressed by those choices to develop indicators for positive animal welfare on farm. A second objective of this call is to recommend a methodology to assess the effect of feed additives on animal welfare, for example, applying experimental protocols applied in behavioural pharmacology to the effect of substances (drugs or dietary) on behaviour.

The activity is divided into two work packages:

Work package 1: Identification and testing of indicators for positive animal welfare by creating an optimised environment from the animal’s viewpoint

Objective 1: Identification of an optimised environment under laboratory conditions for at least two farm animal species using choice tests
Objective 3: Development of reliable indicators for positive welfare under field conditions
Objective 2: Development of reliable indicators for positive welfare under laboratory conditions

Work package 2: Recommending experimental protocols to measure the effect of feed additives on animal welfare

Objective 1: Description of the potential effects of feed additives on animal welfare
Objective 2: Identification of welfare measures for feed additives
Objective 3: Recommendations for experimental protocols to measure the effect of feed additives on animal welfare

The set of the call’s documents is available at TED eTendering website ref. OC/EFSA/BIOHAW/2023/03 and notified via EFSA website here.

The maximum budget is 500,000.00 EUR under a three-year contract for the execution of the indicated tasks.

The call is open for offers submissions until Wednesday, 27 September 2023 (14:30 CET).

Requests for clarification are to be sent via the eTendering platform, and all clarifications already replied are visible on the same platform.

In case of doubts, please get in touch with [email protected].

SAVE THE DATE - International Conference on “Using Epidemiological Studies in Health Risk Assessments: relevance, reliability and causality” - 9-10 November – Berlin

EFSA will jointly hold together with the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) an International Conference on “Using Epidemiological Studies in Health Risk Assessments: relevance, reliability and causality”, in Berlin on 9-10 November 2023.

The conference is being organised as part of a specific action of the EFSA Framework Partnership Agreement; it is a two-day event with pre-conference workshops and will be composed of invited and submitted talks, poster sessions and interactive sessions. Epidemiologists, health statisticians, risk assessors, other users of epidemiological evidence (e.g., toxicologists and nutritionists) as well as risk managers and stakeholders are invited to share and discuss their experiences to promote the use of epidemiological data for health risk assessments.
Registration will open on 1 August and close on 25 October 2023. You will find more information at the dedicated BfR link: https://www.bfr-akademie.de/english/events/epistud2023.html

Should you need more information, please do not hesitate to contact Laura Ciccolallo at [email protected] or Marios Georgiadis at [email protected]

Glyphosate: No Critical Areas of Concern; Data Gaps Identified

EFSA has adopted its conclusions on its peer review of the risk assessment of glyphosate and has communicated the main findings of the assessment.

EFSA also published a press release and a factsheet on EFSA’s website. Both documents are also available in German, French, Spanish and Italian.

For further information on the press release and the factsheet, please contact Francesca Avanzini ([email protected]).

Newstory

Factsheet

EFSA calls for data for the evaluations of the safety in use of plants preparations

EFSA offers the opportunity to interested parties (e.g. governments, food business operators, national food authorities, research institutions, academia) to submit documented information relevant to the following assessments:

Safety evaluation of preparations from the fruits of Foeniculum vulgare Miller subsp. vulgare var. vulgare and Foeniculum vulgare Miller subsp. vulgare var. dulce (Mill.) Batt. & Trab.
Deadline: 4/10/2023

Call for data for the evaluation of the safety in use of preparations from the fruits of sweet and bitter fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill. and Foeniculum piperitum (Ucria) C.Presl) | EFSA (europa.eu)
Safety evaluation of hydroxycitric acid (HCA) in plant preparations used in food supplements and of isolated hydroxycitric acid.

Deadline: 5/10/2023

Call for data for the Scientific Opinion on the evaluation of the safety in use of plant preparations containing hydroxycitric acid | EFSA (europa.eu)

Safety evaluation of berberine in plant preparations used in food supplements.

Deadline: 5/10/2023

Call for data for the Scientific Opinion on the evaluation of the safety in use of plant preparations containing berberine | EFSA (europa.eu)

For any questions, please contact [email protected]

New job opportunities at EFSA

Scientific Data Steward

EFSA is looking for Scientific Data Stewards who are familiar with collecting, collating and validating scientific data and are confident in... View & recommend job

Post Date: 18 July 2023

Location: Italy, Emilia-Romagna, Parma

Data Officer

EFSA is looking for data officers, who are familiar with working in the scientific & corporate data ecosystem and can tailor data and IT... View & recommend job

Post Date: 18 July 2023

Location: Italy, Emilia-Romagna, Parma

Public Consultation on EFSA's draft opinion on inorganic arsenic in food

EFSA launched a public consultation on its draft opinion on inorganic arsenic in food. The findings of the draft opinion confirm the outcome of EFSA’s previous assessment of 2009: consumer exposure to inorganic arsenic in food raises a health concern.

The public consultation will run until the 10th of September 2023.

Submit your comments here

Joint ECDC-EFSA Rapid Outbreak Assessment (ROA) on a multi-country outbreak of Salmonella Senftenberg ST14 infections, possibly linked to cherry-like tomatoes

EFSA and ECDC have published their Rapid Outbreak Assessment (RoA) on a multi-country outbreak of Salmonella Senftenberg ST14 infections, possibly linked to cherry-like tomatoes

For further information on the scientific report, please contact [email protected]

Scientific Report

New job opportunity in EFSA

Scientific Officer Chemistry/Toxicology

Scientific Officer Chemistry/Toxicology  EFSA/F/4/2023/04   The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), based in Parma, Italy  is looking for a ... View & recommend job

Post Date: 27 July 2023

Location: Italy, Emilia-Romagna, Parma

Category: Science Professional

Webinar on PERA – Advancing the ERA of Plant Protection Products towards a system-based approach (EUBA-EFSA-PREV-2023-01)

EFSA is organising a Webinar on PERA – Advancing the ERA of Plant Protection Products towards a system-based approach (EUBA-EFSA-PREV-2023-01) on 14^th September (10-12 CEST).

On 7 July 2023 EFSA launched a call for proposals to address different needs related to the Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) of Plant Protection Products (PPP). The aim is to establish a framework for the collection and generation of data to progress on the integration of species ecology and landscape features in the risk assessment, to gain knowledge on the environmental exposure to pesticides for different application scenarios, and to identify novel strategies and tools for assessing potential pesticides effects at higher levels of biological organisation, i.e., at population and community levels, with a focus on terrestrial ecotoxicology.

The overall objective of the call is to identify partners among Member State competent bodies (i.e., organisations on the list of Article 36 of Regulation (EC) 178/2002) that can support EFSA on activities addressing the needs outlined above. For this, please note that the event is also opened to Article 36 organisations.

The deadline for registration is on 11 September 2023 at 12h00 CEST. The online event will be in English, with no translation and the link to connect to the event will be made available once the registration is closed. The event will be recorded, and the recording will be published.

For more details, please check Webinar on PERA – Advancing the ERA of Plant Protection Products towards a system-based approach (EUBA-EFSA-PREV-2023-01) | EFSA (europa.eu). For technical issues on attendance, feel free to contact the organising committee at [email protected].

International Symposium "Food allergens: regulation, management and detection" - 3rd edition 21st Sept 2023 in Brussels

Within the framework of 'the Belgian National Reference Laboratory for allergens', 'CER Groupe', 'ILVO', 'FASFC' and 'Wageningen Food Safety Research' are pleased to invite you to the third edition of the International Symposium "Food Allergens: regulation, management and detection" that takes place on 21 September 2023 in Brussels (Finance Tower, Pacheco room).

The program, registration and all practical information are available on https://cergroupe.be/news/invitation-symposium-21st-september-2023.

The new journal "Food Risk Assess Europe" is ready to publish!

EFSA has recently launched a new journal, Food Risk Assess Europe (FRAE), an open-access repository of selected scientific articles from national food safety agencies across the EU. By bringing national scientific assessments together with EFSA’s work on a single platform, EFSA aims to provide easier access for the EU risk assessment community and promote collaboration.

The national scientific assessments are usually published first on the national authority’s website (usually in their mother tongue). FRAE will then add value by bringing them together on a single platform, providing English summaries where necessary and structuring them under a common metadata schema. This will aid their retrievability and increase the visibility of the national agencies.

FRAE will be governed by the existing Editorial Advisory Board, who will provide oversight on the quality of articles that are published under the agreed Terms of Reference. EFSA has published the first papers and released a call for articles to the national agencies.

EFSA wishes to build a trustworthy platform where people can turn to for high-quality and reliable information.

Access the Journal: https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/29401399

For further details you may contact: [email protected]

Call for proposals EUBA-EFSA-PREV-2023-01 / Framework Art.36 cooperation

EFSA has launched the following call for proposals which will lead to a Framework Partnership Agreement:

EUBA-EFSA-PREV-2023-01 PERA - Advancing the ERA of Plant Protection Products towards a system-based approach

The aim of this call is to advance Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) by establishing a framework for:

the collection and generation of data to progress on the integration of species ecology and landscape features in the risk assessment,
to gain knowledge on the environmental exposure to pesticides for different application scenarios, and
to identify novel strategies and tools for assessing potential pesticides effects at higher levels of biological organisation, i.e., at population and community levels, with a focus on terrestrial ecotoxicology.

Please note that this call requires proposals to be submitted by consortia of at least three eligible organisations by the 8 November 2023.

EUBA-EFSA-PREV-2023-01: PERA - Advancing the ERA of Plant Protection Products towards a system-based approach | EFSA (europa.eu)

New job opportunities in EFSA

Senior Scientific Officer - Chemical Informatics

If you are looking for an interesting and challenging opportunity in an international scientifically driven organisation, then do not hesitate and... View & recommend job

Post Date: 7 Aug 2023

Location: Italy, Emilia-Romagna, Parma

Category: Science Professional

Legal Officer

EFSA is looking for a legal officer with a results driven mind and an ability to work proactively, both individually and in a team.  View & recommend job

Post Date: 7 Aug 2023

Location: Italy, Emilia-Romagna, Parma

Webinars on increasing preparedness for highly pathogenic avian influenza in Europe: 1) Upcoming call for active surveillance in wild birds and 2) Updates on EFSA’s Bird Flu Radar

EFSA is organising 2 webinars on increasing preparedness for highly pathogenic avian influenza in Europe, to be held online on 12 September 2023.

In line with EFSA’s strategic objective to increase preparedness, several outsourcing activities have targeted the development and implementation of early warning systems for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) to allow Member States sufficient time for their outbreak response and management.

The first webinar on “Upcoming call for active surveillance in wild birds”, the first webinar of this series, will offer first-hand information on EFSA’s upcoming call for the establishment of an active surveillance network for HPAI across Europe. The webinar will be held on 12 September 2023, 14.30-15.40 CEST. ** Please note that only Article 36 organisations are eligible to apply for the upcoming call, but the webinar will be open for any interested parties.
The second webinar “Updates on EFSA’s Bird Flu Radar” will provide an update on EFSA’s Bird Flu Radar (currently accessible through the Migration Mapping Tool), an early warning system based on spatio-temporal risk assessment. It will take place on 12 September 2023, 16.00-17.00 CEST.

Registrations for both webinars are open at this link until September 7th at 12.00 CEST.

Please note that further information are available here. For information related to the attendance of the webinars and issues on registration, you can contact [email protected], for content related questions, please write to Lisa Kohnle at [email protected].

NEW deadline for registration until 11 September 2023: EFSA Training courses on Risk Assessment Methodologies

We are pleased to inform you places are still available for the following new training courses previously announced.

Therefore registration has been re-opened up to Monday 11 September 2023.

Please note that due to the modality offered, you can follow the self-paced part of these eLearning at any time after opening and that that the introduction Webinars will be recorded and made available for those participants joining the course after the 23 -24 August respectively.

Principles of human health risk-benefit assessment of foods | Microbiological and toxicological risk assessment

Course dates: E-learning modules available from: 15/08/2023 to 31/10/2023

Webinars: 23/08/2023 (11:00-12:00) & 24/10/2023 (11:00-12:00)

New application deadline is September 11, 2023.

Risk-benefit assessment outputs, the DALY and perspectives

Course dates: E-learning modules available from: 15/08/2023 to 31/10/2023

Webinars: 24/08/2023 (11:00-12:00) & 25/10/2023 (11:00-12:00)

New application deadline is September 11, 2023.

These courses will be delivered as a blended learning, a mix of instructor-led activities and E-learnings It will start and end with a 2hrs live webinar, while learners will have to complete 4 E-Learnings modules.

Who will be admitted?

The EFSA e-learning is open to members of the EFSA Scientific Committee and Panels as well as to Working Group members, Network members and EFSA staff, furthermore to members of other European agencies or European institutions. Registrants from other affiliations are not eligible. If the number of eligible registrants exceeds the number of available places, the first-come, first served principle will be applied. After the registration deadline, all registrants will be informed, and the selected trainees will receive login data for the e-learning platform.

There is no fee for participation.

For further information, please contact EFSA colleagues at:

[email protected], [email protected] & [email protected].

New job opportunities at EFSA ready to be advertised

Data Officer – EFSA/F/4/2023/02

Application Deadline: 04/09/2023

Scientific Data Steward - EFSA/F/4/2023/03

Application Deadline: 04/09/2023

Legal Officer – EFSA/X/AD/2023/04

Application Deadline: 14/09/2023

Scientific Officer Chemistry or Toxicology - EFSA/F/4/2023/04

Application Deadline: 18/09/2023

Senior Scientific Officer – Chemical Informatics – EFSA/X/AD/2023/05

Application Deadline: 21/09/2023

Public consultation on the Draft Scientific Report defining the specific effects in kidneys relevant for performing a dietary cumulative risk assessment of pesticide residues

EFSA has launched a public consultation on Draft Scientific Report defining the specific effects in kidneys relevant for performing a dietary cumulative risk assessment of pesticide residues. As part of the 2021 long-term EFSA-SANTE action plan, EFSA was requested to perform a retrospective CRA of the effects of pesticide residues on the kidneys: specific effects affecting different renal structures (tubule, glomerulus, interstitium, papilla, and pelvis) were identified by an EFSA working group (WG) and considered the basis to establish cumulative assessment groups (CAGs) for effects of pesticides in kidney. Input from interested parties would be welcome in order to finalise the list of specific effects and their respective indicators, the criteria for CAG establishment and hazard characterisation methodology, and lines of evidence for CAG-membership probability.

The public consultation will remain open until 27^th October.

International Symposium on Food Safety and Control, Vienna, 27-31 May 2024

International Symposium on Food Safety and Control. The symposium is organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) through the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, to be held from 27 to 31 May 2024 in IAEA Headquarters in Vienna, Austria.

The purpose of this symposium is to bring together experts and stakeholders in food safety and food control systems to consider the protection of the integrity of the food supply chain and measures to improve its resilience to food security challenges (e.g., disruptive events, climate change, foodborne disease, food fraud, antimicrobial resistance). Contemporary and new uses of nuclear and complementary techniques will be presented. Future perspectives and opportunities will be discussed. As a networking forum, the symposium will facilitate a broad understanding of food safety and food control systems and promote the peaceful use of nuclear technologies.

Main topics:

Food authenticity and fighting food fraud
Food and phytosanitary irradiation
Chemical residues and contaminants in food and feed
Preparing for, and responding to emergencies and incidents affecting the food supply
Detection and characterization of pathogens in food
Standard setting and risk assessment
One Health, holistic approaches to human, animal and environmental health.

Abstract submission is open until 17 November 2023.

No registration fee is charged to participants. Please see Key Deadlines on the Home: International Symposium on Food Safety and Control | IAEA .

All persons wishing to participate in the event must be designated by an IAEA Member State or should be member of an organization that has been invited to attend.

Participants from Member States or from invited organizations need to register using the InTouch+ platform.

Useful links:

Home: International Symposium on Food Safety and Control | IAEA

Abstract submission: IAEA-INDICO

Registration: https://intouchplus.iaea.org

cn-322_website_flyer.pdf (iaea.org)

EFSA Call for Expression of Interest for External Experts in Working Groups- Nanotechnologies- deadline 30/10/2023

EFSA has launched a Call for Expressions of Interest for External Experts in Working Groups - Nanotechnologies.

The deadline for the expression of interests is on 30 October 2023 at 23:59 (CEST). More information on the requirements and on the general conditions are available at the link above.

EFSA Individual Scientific Advisors (ISA) scheme

EFSA invites you to explore the Individual Scientific Advisors (ISA) scheme, a new way to directly support EFSA in its mandate on safeguarding the health of EU citizens.

What? EFSA is establishing a repository of experts to assist its units in carrying out the preparatory work in support of EFSA’s scientific and risk communication activities.

Why? The Individual Scientific Advisors (ISA) scheme is a direct and effective way to provide expert opinions and advice to EFSA on specific topics and tasks.

How?  The call for expression of interests is open at the Experts Careers section. The list is valid for maximum 5 years and selected experts will receive a fixed daily remuneration. In most cases, the task is carried out remotely and the results delivered electronically.

To find out more, consult the infographic and the documents available here.

Do not miss the opportunity of nurturing your experience within the European food safety ecosystem, Europe needs your expertise!

For any questions, please contact [email protected].

EFSA Podcast - NEW Episode - Thirsty work

We would like to inform you about the EFSA Podcast: Science on the menu. EFSA has recently published it's Episode 9: Thirsty work - with focus on drinking water, hydration and daily water intake. Please find hereafter the link here

Episodes of EFSA podcast are available on EFSA's webpage here. Highlights on the latest episodes:

Episode 6 – Antibiotics: handle with care here

Episode 7 – Climate change: what it means for food safety here

Episode 8 – ASF: a virus with no cure or vaccine here

Episode 9 – Thirsty work here

All episodes of EFSA Podcast are also available on:

Spotify | Google Podcasts | Apple Podcasts | YouTube Music

What is the World Food Safety Almanac?

The online World Food Safety Almanac is a reference tool in the field of food and feed safety. It provides an up-to-date comprehensive overview of the administrative structures and public institutions within food and feed safety in Europe and beyond.

The online BfR World Food Safety Almanac provides an overview of the administrative structures of various countries in food and feed safety.

The Almanac serves as a useful tool, informing readers about relevant institutions and helping them to quickly and accurately identify potential collaboration partners for international projects. It aims to support the harmonisation of existing methods and avoid duplication of effort.

With this online World Food Safety Almanac, the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) aims to reach many people and to give them insight into the world of global food and feed safety. The Almanac outlines different countries' administrative frameworks in the area of food and feed safety. It also describes the public institutions that carry responsibility within these administrative frameworks. The Almanac serves as a useful tool, informing readers about relevant institutions and helping them to quickly and accurately identify potential collaboration partners for international projects. In this way, the BfR aims to promote the harmonisation of existing methods and processes in food and feed safety and to reduce unintentional duplication of work in this field.

[From the BfR press release 2022]

"Safer food, better health" - this is the motto of the fourth World Food Safety Day on 7 June 2022. Fittingly, the World Food Safety Almanac of the Germany Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) goes online. The online BfR World Almanac provides an overview of the administrative structures of various countries in food and feed safety. One of the particular challenges is that the choice of food has become more complex in recent years. "The safety of our food and feed along complex global supply chains must remain guaranteed," says BfR President Professor Dr Dr Andreas Hensel. "The BfR World Almanac makes an important contribution to this by making international cooperation much easier."

The Almanac also aims to support the harmonisation of existing methods and avoid duplication of effort. After all, food and feed safety can only be ensured through an international approach that involves close cooperation between countries and organisations.

Currently, 37 countries are represented with their profile in the World Food Safety Almanac. The online project is to be expanded to include more countries from different continents. Thanks to the online format, each country has access to its own country profile and is responsible for constantly updating it.

Why is the Almanac necessary?

Our food is so much a part of our daily life that we rarely consider how much of it originates from other countries. The globalisation of food production and trading gives consumers an ever widening variety of options from which to choose. However, globalisation also makes consumer health protection more challenging. As supply chains become increasingly complex, the work of scientific risk assessment, risk management and risk communication is becoming more and more demanding. Today, food and feed safety can only be ensured by taking an international approach, through close collaboration among countries and institutions.

What are the objectives of the Almanac?

Food and feed safety can only be ensured through an international approach that involves close cooperation between countries and organisations.
The Almanac shall serve as a comprehensive reference tool for the whole world to make international cooperation easier.
Cooperation with partners should support the harmonisation of existing methods and avoid duplication of efforts.

Who is the target group?

Scientists, university professors and teachers, students as well as all professionals interested in the field of food and feed safety.

What information will you find?

National structure of public institution within a country
National administrative frameworks
Brief description of each public institution working in the field of food and feed safety
Areas of responsibilities of each institution
Links to the websites
List of national article 36 institutions

Each profile contains the following information:

Organigram showing the structure of the public institutions in the field of food and feed safety
Legal basis for food and feed safety
Overview box for each public institution including its activities and responsible areas
Brief description of each institution
Information about food and feed safety on regional and local levels
List of article 36 institutions

Benefits of the online World Food Safety Almanac:

Easy access to information as all content can be found online
Information can be easily updated by each country directly
As the operator of the page, BfR has a maintenance concept to ensure that all contributors will be reminded to check their profile and keep it up-to-date

How does the Almanac work?

The Almanac is operated by the German Federal Institute of Risk assessment (Bundesinstitut für Risikobewertung - BfR)
It is supported by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)
Selected institutions receive login data and are responsible for the content of their respective country profiles
These institutions are in charge of keeping their country profile up to date

A short journey through the Almanac’s history

Since 2009, the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment has published the EU Food Safety Almanac in several languages and in both paper and digital forms. In 2017 the 'European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) Food Safety Almanac' and the ‘Food Safety Almanac – Special edition: Community of Portuguese Language Countries’ were also released. The latest edition of the EU Food Safety Almanac was published in August 2021. The BfR developed the online World Food Safety Almanac in 2021 to be able to update information on the world of food and feed safety more quickly.

The Almanac's maintenance policy

Countries are asked to update their profile as soon as possible in the event of major changes to their public food and feed safety structure and to check their full profile for accuracy once per calendar year. If a profile is not checked for accuracy for two consecutive calendar years, a message box is added to the profile to indicate that the page contents may be out-of-date.

We would like to kindly invite you to complete our 1-minute reader survey. This survey can be accessed by clicking on a link in a banner on the WFSA website or by clicking here. In this survey, readers can answer 2 short questions about whether they found the Almanac useful and why they did or did not find it useful. This feedback will be used to develop the project further. Please note that the survey will be open until the end of December.

Thanking you in advance for your contribution.

Contact Us

Need further information or assistance?

Feel free to send us an email - [email protected] or give us a call at +356 23952000.

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