Today the Italian farmers’ association Coldiretti organised a demonstration in Parma. EFSA’s senior management met with representatives of the organisation.“Today, together with EFSA’s Director, Bernhard Url, we met with representatives of Coldiretti for a discussion about food derived from cell cultures and precision fermentation,” said Alberto Spagnolli, EFSA’s Senior Policy Coordinator.We had a constructive discussion which, in our view, helped to clarify some of the concerns and requests raised by Coldiretti, and EFSA’s approach to safety assessments.We highlighted how Coldiretti’s request to ‘shed light’ matches EFSA’s mission. EFSA always applies the highest standards of scientific assessment, as required by EU law, for its assessments of the safety of novel foods for human health, including for applications submitted before 1 February 2025. Therefore, EFSA Panel members will use conditions and requirements for the scientific assessment based on the most recent experience of evaluations, as provided for in the new guidelines in force today. EFSA’s task is precisely to clarify doubts or uncertainties with regards to human health effects, nutritional profiles of these foods, risks linked to the production process or substances used. The panels in charge will carry out in-depth, case-by-case, evaluations for each product and may use every level of study required (including pre-clinical and clinical tests) to determine safety. All this is done in a fully transparent manner. All information about the notified products, the studies requested and submitted, and the scientific assessment process is freely available on our website. At EFSA, we believe that open and transparent discussions are essential when addressing topics that are subject to intense public debate. Our aim as a science agency that supports EU policy and lawmakers is clear: to ensure that any food people choose to eat is safe”.
