Does the European system give consumers as much protection as national laws?

The members of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) are independent scientific experts with great experience in the area of food safety. Frequently, these experts are food safety experts within their own Member State.

EFSA is responsible for risk assessment, and is independent from the European Commission, which is responsible for risk management. The Framework Directive on Food Additives (Directive 89/107/EEC) makes it clear that no additive will be authorised unless EFSA (or its predecessor, the Scientific Committee on Food) has shown it to be safe. EFSA experts realise this, and are keen to demonstrate their scientific credibility and independence from the Commission.

In practice, the process favours the raising of safety standards. Member States which have lower standards are forced to accept the EFSA consensus and opinions based on scientific discussions. Moreover, countries outside the EU often also adopt the EU’s food safety standards.

Overall, the EFSA evaluation procedure provides consumers in Europe with as much – if not more – than the national equivalent bodies.

A full list of members of EFSA can be found at the EFSA site.

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