The fifth anniversary of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA): Mission, organization, functioning and main results

Abstract

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), founded by Regulation EC 178/2002, is now in its fifth year of activity and has already gone through a positive external evaluation procedure. This paper takes the reader through the many objectives of this Organization in defining the mission of EFSA as well as the organizational structure that has been developed so far in order to meet the many challenges confronting food safety in Europe. EFSA's working procedures are also analyzed especially in relation to the main task of ensuring high transparency and quality of the outcome. As indicated by the many results reviewed in the present paper mainly in the domains of risk assessment and risk communication, EFSA's taking off has been very successful so far. EFSA is currently working at the forefront of science on a number of difficult issues such as, among others: (i) risk assessment of compound which are both genotoxic and carcinogenic; (ii) safety of botanicals and botanical preparations; (iii) qualified presumption of safety for micro-organisms; (iv) risk-benefit assessment; (v) nutrition and health claims; and (vi) safety of food derived from animal clones and their offsprings. The next future of EFSA will be strongly characterized by the completion and consolidation of its structure and by the further strengthening of scientific cooperation with institutions/organizations in Member States and at an international level.