The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has said that dietary intakes of sulfites ‘could be a safety concern’ for people with a ‘high’ consumption of foodstuffs containing the additives.
The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) has clarified the term ‘postbiotics’ in a statement that responds to the scientific groundswell and growing number of postbiotic applications.
EFSA’s decision-making process may have been biased by ‘conflicts of interest’ and the distribution and sale of aspartame in the EU should be suspended, says the author of a new research dossier calling the safety of the sweetener into question.
The European Food Safety Authority says recent research linking Monsanto’s herbicide and genetically modified maize to an increased risk of cancer and premature death is of ‘insufficient scientific quality to be considered valid.’
October 1 was not a good day for many in the functional foods and food supplements business in the European Union as the meaning of life under a highly restrictive health claims regime came more into focus.
One of the most fiercely debated and amended pieces of European Union food law history is playing out before our eyes, and its effects are beginning to be felt.
The European Commission has culled its gargantuan nutrition
and health claims list from more than 40,000 to 1500 as the
health claims process moves closer to fruition in January, 2010.
"Subtle language differences" may confound regulators in
the midst of translating thousands of health claims ahead of a
pan-European 2010 approval deadline, according to various industry
sources.
EFSA's evaluation of the Southampton study on food additives and
hyperactivity has drawn a mixed bag of responses, with the food
industry broadly supportive of its findings and anti-additive
campaigners firing strong criticism...
EFSA has issued its opinion that Bayer's GM oilseed rape is
unlikely to have a detrimental effect on human or animal health or
the environment when used for food and feed uses.
The European Commission insists it is on track with the process of
tabulating the thousands of health claim petitions submitted to it
by member states and European trade organisations, but industry
sources are not so optimistic.
The adoption of draft opinions on the safety of six food colours is
on hold pending EFSA's review of the Southampton study on certain
food additives and hyperactivity in children.
They say that patience is a virtue. But when it comes to the
regulatory process on both sides of the Atlantic, patience too
often results in dust gathering in the "to do" box on some
regulator's desk.
The board of the European Food Standards Authority yesterday said
it plans to carve up the workload of its Additives and Food Contact
(AFC) panel between two new panels - one for food additives and the
other for food contact materials.
EU member countries are concerned about the feasibility of
companies paying fees to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)
for vetting ingredients, packaging and food contact materials for
use in the bloc.
EFSA has issued a damning opinion on the safety of food colour Red
2G (E128), the first under its reassessment programme and a strong
indication of a sea-change in the use of additives in processed
foods.
Stakeholders in the new European health claims initiative have met
to discuss the technical and scientific aspects the European Food
Safety Authority's (EFSA) draft guidance to applicants on the
submission of health claims.
The European Food Standards Authority has issued opinions on the
likelihood of certain ingredients and additives causing allergic
reactions, underscoring the importance of including full scientific
data in dossiers to allow the panel...
Food companies should divert resources to auditing health claims
for their products and putting in place transitional arrangements
in advance of the new EU legislation becoming applicable on July 1,
advises an Eversheds lawyer.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has revealed that it will review the new data presented by French scientists that revealed toxicity concerns in rats fed the MON863 variety of GM maize from Monsanto.
Europe's food safety body backs proposals to introduce the concept
of Qualified Presumption of Safety (QPS) for the safety assessment
of microorganisms used in food production.
Europe's food watchdog concludes soft drink makers should propose
limits for heavy metals and aromatic hydrocarbons used as carrier
solvents for flavouring preparations in soft drinks.
EFSA scientific experts tackle the presence of harmful foodborne
bacteria Clostridium perfringens and C. botulinum,
compiling an opinion on the risk these spore-forming bacteria pose.
Europe's food watchdog continues to trawl through its risk
assessment of 1000 flavouring substances, with 38 substances out of
51 requiring more data to complete the safety evaluation.
Non-nutritive sweetener neotame is on the agenda in Europe as
scientific experts meet today in Brussels to discuss the food
additive up to 13,000 times sweeter than sugar.
On the eve of his move to Parma in Italy, to head up Europe's first
food risk agency, Geoffrey Podger affirms the authority has already
cleared the first hurdle, independence, reports Lindsey
Partos.
