1. Conflicts of interest among EFSA's experts on food additives - press release
2. Exposed: conflicts of interest among EFSA's experts on food additives - new report

NOTE: A new report from Corporate Europe Observatory exposes conflicts of interest in the EFSA's expert panel on food additives. Once again we see extensive links with the International Life Sciences Institute, an industry-funded group with funders including the major food, GMO, and agrochemical companies. ILSI also has affiliates in EFSA's GMO Panel, which gives expert opinions on GMOs, and its PPR Panel, which gives opinions on pesticides.

ILSI has actively involved itself in 'helping' EU regulators make rules for assessing the safety of GMOs and pesticides. For reports on these areas, see:
http://www.powerbase.info/index.php/EFSA#Resources

The European Court of Auditors is currently conducting an investigation into conflicts of interest within EU agencies, potentially including EFSA.
http://www.europeanvoice.com/article/imported/european-court-of-auditors-to-investigate-eu-agencies/70975.aspx

Download the new report here:
http://www.corporateeurope.org/system/files/files/resource/EFSA_ANS_panel.pdf
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1. Conflicts of interest among EFSA's experts on food additives
Press release, Corporate Europe Observatory, 15 June 2011
http://www.corporateeurope.org/lobbycracy/content/2011/06/conflicts-interest-among-efsa%E2%80%99s-experts-food-additives

New research by Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) has found that 11 out of the 20 experts on the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) panel on food additives (ANS) have a conflict of interest, as defined by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
 
Four members of the ANS panel John Christian Larsen (chair), Gerrit Speijers (rapporteur), Iona Pratt, and Jürgen König have also failed to declare active collaborations with the food industry-funded think tank and lobby group, the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI Europe). Under the current EFSA rules, failure to disclose "advice or services in a particular field falling within EFSA's remit" even if unpaid is considered as a "prima facie breach of trust towards EFSA" that could lead to these four experts' dismissal.

CEO is calling for stricter rules on the way conflicts of interest are handled at EFSA, and in the report compares EFSA's approach to conflicts of interest with the new rules at sister agency the European Medicines Agency. If these new rules, although far from perfect, were applied at EFSA, four of the experts on the ANS panel Ivonne Rietjens (vice-chair), Gerrit Speijers (rapporteur), Jürgen Konig and Sandro Grilli would be disqualified from sitting on the panel.
 
Read the full story and press release in attachment or here:
http://www.corporateeurope.org/
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2. Exposed: conflicts of interest among EFSA's experts on food additives
Corporate Europe Observatory, 15 June 2011
Summary
http://www.corporateeurope.org/system/files/files/resource/EFSA_ANS_panel.pdf

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is the European regulatory agency1responsible for providing scientific advice on the safety of substances like pesticides, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and food additives to the EU institutions. In doing this, it is supposed to protect public health. However, EFSA has been the target of increasing criticism from MEPs and NGOs regarding its independence from industry. EFSA and the other EU agencies are currently being investigated by the European Court of Auditors over alleged conflicts of interest.

New research by Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) has identified conflicts of interest among the members of the EFSA panel on food additives and nutrient sources in food (ANS panel) as well as evidence of incomplete declarations of outside interests, which suggest further conflicts of interest may be being concealed.

The ANS panel is responsible for approving the public safety of food additives, including substances like flavour enhancers, sweeteners (aspartame) and colorants. CEO found that 11 out of the 20 experts on the panel have a conflict of interest, as defined by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Another EU agency, the European Medicines Agency (EMA), recently introduced new rules on conflicts of interest for scientific experts. If these rules were applied at EFSA, four of the experts on the ANS panel Ivonne Rietjens (vice-chair), Gerrit Speijers (rapporteur), Jürgen König and Sandro Grilli would be disqualified from sitting on the panel.

If the new EMA rules had been previously in place at EFSA, two other panel members Paul Tobback and Dominique Parent-Massin would not have been appointed.

Four members of the ANS panel John Christian Larsen (chair), Gerrit Speijers (rapporteur), Iona Pratt, and Jurgen Konig have also failed to declare active collaborations with the food industry-funded think tank and lobby group, the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI Europe). Under the current EFSA rules, failure to disclose "advice or services in a particular field falling within EFSA's remit" even if unpaid is considered as a "prima facie breach of trust towards EFSA" that could lead to these four experts' dismissal.

The ANS panel has been criticised in recent years for publishing controversial "scientific opinions" on certain food additives, including aspartame and artificial colorants. Several of these substances have been found to provoke allergies or are suspected to be carcinogenic.

CEO's findings raise questions about the independence of EFSA's experts and about the reliance on studies carried out by industry, which has a vested interest in downplaying potential risks to consumers.

EFSA is currently recruiting new experts for its panels for 2012-2015, but so far has failed to adopt a proactive approach to ensure that experts recruited are genuinely independent.

CEO believes that new, stricter rules on conflicts of interest and fundamental changes in the way EFSA's advice is formed are urgently needed.