The European Food Safety Authority, or EFSA for short, admits that it must work harder and faster in order to keep up with industry demands. It says it is working closely on this issue with the European Commission as well as other stakeholders.
The announcement comes as food producers and ingredient suppliers have, among other people, criticized the assessment process of the agency, saying that it puts the industry in a competitive disadvantage on the global stage.
Why does the food industry criticise EFSA
The industry’s criticism comes as the Commission prepares to evaluate EFSA next year. Members of the European food agency have expressed their dissatisfaction with the organization’s management.
The EFSA evaluation process, including the assessment of ‘novel food’, is criticized for taking too much time. The industry is forced to pay a high cost for applying to EFSA, and the administrative burden makes it even worse.
The industry also expressed concern that the regulatory submission process is becoming increasingly complex.
In an open letter addressed to EFSA, they claim that the overall effect of an inefficient systems is Europe being at a “competitive advantage”.
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The industry doesn’t only raise problems, it also offers solutions. Several suggestions were made, mainly around reshaping EFSA’s Transparency Regulation in order to help Europe remain competitive and reduce reliance upon other regions.
Can we expect changes in the EU Food Law?
EFSA understands that a system fit for purpose is needed to guarantee food safety, as well as assessment processes which support innovation, competition and a sustainable system of food.
Food agency acknowledges the “growing challenges” it faces in meeting its deadlines as scientific complexity increases for food safety assessments, including those for novel foods such as cell cultivated meat and precision fermentation derived dairy.
What changes can EFSA make to its current assessment process in order to accelerate it?
We’re informed that the food agency always looks for new ways to optimize its processes, and make the best use of its resources. There are also bigger solutions, such as regulatory reform.
An EFSA spokesperson explains, “We can see that there are many opportunities for improvement, including some which require amendments to EU law, like allowing applicants earlier and meaningful interactions to improve quality applications.”
Next step in EFSA evaluation process
In addition to a request for feedback from the industry, initial work was started by the Commission on evaluating EFSA’s performance in 2017.
In April, a 12-week formal public consultation concluded. In addition, a survey was launched in order to collect opinions on the technical and policy aspects of EFSA. Participants included national authorities, EFSA employees, business operators, and consumer groups.
This information will be used to inform the Commission’s assessment of EFSA’s performance due in March 2026.
The EFSA spokesperson said, “We are looking forward to receiving the recommendations from the external evaluation. These will be based in large part on inputs received by stakeholders and will inform the European Commission’s decisions on any possible changes to legislation.”
