| Author (Corporate) | Council of the European Union, European Parliament |
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| Series Title | Official Journal of the European Union |
| Series Details | L 231 |
| Publication Date | 06/09/2019 |
| Content Type | Legislation |
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Summary: Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 revising some aspects of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 (General Food Law Regulation), as well as a number of legislative acts dealing with specific sectors in the food chain. Further information: In 2002, the General Food Law Regulation (Regulation (EC) No 178/2002) established the risk analysis principle as a general principle in EU food law. It created an EU food safety system in which responsibility for risk assessment (science) and for risk management (policy) are kept separate. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) was established as an independent EU agency responsible for scientific advice on risks associated with the agri-food chain. The results of a Fitness Check to the Regulation published earlier in 2018 showed that, while the legislation met its core objectives of ensuring a high level of protection for human health and the smooth functioning of the internal market, concerns remained over the transparency of scientific studies and the risk assessment process in the agri-food chain. At the same time, a European Citizen's Initiative (ECI) on glyphosate was submitted to the European Commission in October 2017. One of its requests was to improve the transparency of scientific studies submitted to the European Food Safety Authority, and to enhance the commissioning of studies by public authorities. A public consultation, run between January and March 2018, showed that citizens and stakeholders acknowledged the importance of improving the public access to the industry studies used by EFSA in its risk assessments, as a significant element to ensure trust in the EU food safety risk assessment. This Regulation responds to the Fitness Check, to the ECI and to the public consultation. It amends the General Food Law Regulation as well as eight legislative acts dealing with specific sectors in the food chain: GMOs, feed additives, smoke flavourings, food contact materials, food additives, food enzymes and flavourings, plant protection products and novel foods. It aims at improving public access to industry studies used by the EFSA in its risk assessments. It seeks to safeguard EFSA's ability to recruit scientific experts, reinforce the co-operation between EFSA and national scientific bodies and to increase Member States' involvement in EFSA's operations. Risk communication is also to be improved. The draft law was presented by the Commission on 11 April 2018. The European Parliament's plenary session adopted a negotiating position on 11 December, and the Council of the European Union adopted its general approach on 17 December. An informal agreement between the co-legislators was reached on 11 February 2019, following three rounds of trilogue meetings. The Parliament formally endorsed it on 17 April, followed by the Council on 13 June. |
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| Source Link | http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2019/1381/oj |
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| Subject Categories | Business and Industry |
| Subject Tags | Consumer Rights | Protection, Food | Drinks |
| Keywords | European Food Safety Authority [EFSA] |
| International Organisations | European Union [EU] |
