EFSA meets in Berlin
was the guest of the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) in
Berlin this week.
The advisory forum of the new European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) was the guest of the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) in Berlin this week. The forum, which currently has 15 members from the European Member states, was established to support EFSA's executive director Geoffrey Podger in his activities.
Representatives of the ten future European Member states also attend the meetings, as observers. The BfR meeting ended today.
Professor Andreas Hensel, president of BfR and member of the advisory forum, described the meeting as an important step towards the efficient networking of national scientific institutions. "EFSA is an important cooperation partner for the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment. We seek close cooperation in order to effectively collate and exchange knowledge," he said.
The EFSA was established in response to the white paper on food safety, published back in January 2001. This identified serious capacity bottlenecks in scientific risk assessment.
Like BfR, EFSA is fully independent in its risk assessment and communication. The executive director does not report to the European Commission but to a management board composed of 14 members and one representative of the European Commission. Risk management, at EU level, remains the responsibility of the European Commission.
EFSA's primary task is scientific risk assessment, including the identification of emerging risks. This covers almost all food safety areas from primary production through the safety of animal feed to food.
The authority will not only collect and analyse external scientific data but, unlike BfR, will also generate its own data. This will help, amongst other things, in the identification of emerging risks.
EFSA advises the European Commission on scientific issues in a similar way to that in which BfR advises the Ministry of Consumer Protection. Furthermore, like BfR, it can also instigate risk assessments in its own right.
Further information on the structure and tasks of the European Food Safety Authority can be found on the homepage.
