INFORMATION TO MEMBERS
PRESENTATION FROM THE EUROPEAN FOOD SAFETY
AUTHORITY
THE FUTURE OF FOOD SAFETY RISK ASSESSMENT: BUILDING JOINT CAPACITIES
COMMUNICATION FROM THE EUROPEAN UNION
The
following communication, received on 12 June 2025, is being circulated at the
request of the delegation of the European
Union.
_______________
1. The European Union will host a hybrid SPS side event entitled "The Future of Food Safety Risk Assessment: Building
Joint Capacities" on Thursday,
19 June 2025, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. (CET) (_Zoom
and in-person participation in Room S3; in English only). At the
event, the European Food Safety Authority
(EFSA) will address both current and emerging challenges in the field of
food safety risk assessment. It will highlight the measures already undertaken,
and those planned, by EFSA and partners to respond to these challenges, with a
particular focus on advancing scientific approaches and strengthening capacity
building. This initiative aims to support effective adaptation to the
evolving food safety landscape through enhanced collaboration and
knowledge-sharing.
2. EFSA is an EU agency which was set up in 2002 to serve as an
impartial source of scientific advice to risk managers and to communicate on
risks associated with the food chain. It cooperates with a broad range of
partners to promote the coherence of EU scientific advice. EFSA provides the
scientific basis for laws and regulations to protect European consumers from
food-related risks. EFSA works closely with various European Commission
services.
3. EFSA cooperates with EU member States' risk assessment organizations,
other EU agencies, as well as international organizations and risk assessors in
third countries to increase outreach and joint food safety impact.
4. Through this food safety "ecosystem" EFSA faces
significant challenges, most notably the relentless increase in the complexity
of the underlying science. The main drivers for this development are the growth
of data and evidence, the sophistication of assessment methodologies, the
desire for openness, and the implementation of a holistic approach. At the same
time, the agri-food systems transformation towards more sustainable systems and
the speed of technological innovation may result in new risks. This combined
evolution of the science underlying risk assessment and of agri‑food systems
present both challenges and opportunities for EFSA and the larger European and
global food safety ecosystem. Other challenges, although broad, have direct
impact and include climate change, emerging threats and diseases, and a quickly
evolving geopolitical and socio‑economic situation.
5. Risk managers require timely high-quality advice on which to base
their decisions. At the same time, no single organization, not even a big one,
is able to master all this complexity alone.
6. EFSA is aware of these challenges and has concrete examples which
demonstrate its adaption to this new ecosystem. These include increased focus
on scientific partnerships and use of existing networks, being better prepared
as EFSA makes significant efforts to be more aware of the challenges coming its
way, and an increased focus on the multi-disciplinary work of the One Health
concept which brings together a number of key EU actors.
7. Collaboration is also central to EFSA's working model through its
work with EU member States, the EU institutions, civil society, universities
and other scientific bodies. Facing up the challenge means building on existing
capacity-building efforts through this collaborative work, through options such
as grants and procurement, stakeholder engagement opportunities, working with
future EU member States, and of course with international organizations.
8. EFSA views the commitment to cooperation as essential to ensure that
the broad EU food safety ecosystem remains resilient. Therefore, a willingness
to make full use of the scientific expertise available within Europe and beyond
is necessary to face to the challenges. This expertise will provide risk
managers with a more comprehensive evidence base for public health policy
decisions.
9. EFSA and the European Union welcomes the opportunity to share its
views and discuss further with Members at the side event on 19 June 2025.
__________