EU needs a stronger EFSA and risk assessment community

23-11-2012 | Home | News

Europeans enjoy among the highest standards of food safety in the world, and together we will preserve and build on that proud record.

That was the message with which the European Food Safety Authority’s Executive Director closed this week’s successful joint conference with the European Commission’s Directorate General for Health and Consumers (DG SANCO) in Parma.

“We have heard many different voices at this meeting and it is important that we continue to improve that dialogue. Most importantly, today we are agreed that we need a stronger EFSA and a stronger risk assessment community in Europe,” Catherine Geslain-Lanéelle said. She was speaking at the end of a meeting attended by representatives of the European Commission, the European Parliament, NGOs and industry bodies. The event was the culmination of a number of activities EFSA has held to mark the 10th anniversary of the establishment of both the Authority and the General Food Law in 2002.

The conference “Ready for the Challenges of Tomorrow” gave EFSA’s key partners and stakeholders an opportunity to reflect on the Authority’s record over the first 10 years of its existence and to discuss the way forward.

In an introductory address, Ladislav Miko, Deputy Director General for the Food Chain at DG SANCO, praised the work of the Authority. “EFSA’s cluster of scientific knowledge is without parallel in the world and the Authority is a crucial partner for the Commission,” he said. “Its work impacts on the daily lives of European citizens.”

More information can be found on the EFSA website.