The Food Safety Authority of Ireland represents Ireland on food safety issues in Europe.
Tá leagan Gaeilge den leathanach seo ar fáil anseo.
The Authority has regular contact with the European Commission, the European Parliament and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The FSAI consults on and assists in the development of well founded and effective European food law, taking into account the principles of better regulation.
European and national level activities are co-ordinated by EFSA by means of close co-operation through EFSA’s Advisory Forum, National Focal Point and Scientific Committees, Panels and Networks. This structure allows Member States and EFSA to work together to exchange scientific information and data, co-ordinate work programmes, pool resources and co-operate on joint projects.
EFSA News
Public consultation on the draft scientific opinion on updated consumer risk assessment of fluoride in food and drinking water
EFSA are publicly consulting on the draft assessment of the potential risks from ingestion of fluoride from drinking water, the diet, fluoridated table salt and (ingested) fluoridated dental care products. The assessment excludes the topical (surface) use of fluoridated oral care products.
The public consultation is open until 9 February 2025 and follows a previous public consultation on the draft protocol on fluoride carried out in 2022.
Key points of the draft assessment include:
- A safe level of intake of 3.3 mg/day for pregnant women which applies to all age groups from 9 years of age and above. This figure is derived from potential effects on the developing central nervous system of the fetus.
- Tolerable upper intake levels for infants and children up to 8 years of age linked to dental fluorosis, which is protective of all other potential adverse effects for these age groups.
EFSA welcome feedback on the draft assessment, the approach followed, and any additional scientific information that could be used to finalise the risk assessment, currently scheduled for 2025.
Deadline: 9th February 2025.
Perchlorate in food: draft scientific opinion for public consultation
EFSA is launching a public consultation on its draft scientific opinion concerning the public health risks associated with perchlorate in food. This work responds to a request from the European Commission to re-evaluate the risks, considering new data and an updated methodology.
The primary health concern associated with perchlorate is its impact on thyroid function. It can inhibit the uptake of iodine by the thyroid gland, which is crucial for hormone production.
Experts have updated the tolerable daily intake (TDI) for perchlorate from 0.3 to 1.4 micrograms per kilogram of body weight per day. Experts provisionally concluded that at current levels of exposure there are no health risks for the general population.
The consultation will run for 8 weeks to allow for maximum participation among interested parties. The deadline for sending comments is 11 February 2025.
Selection of hosting sites and fellows for EFSA’s European Food Risk Assessment Fellowship (EU-FORA) Programme | EUBA-EFSA-2024-ENREL-01
The selection of hosting sites and fellows for EFSA’s European Food Risk Assessment Fellowship (EU-FORA) Programme | EUBA-EFSA-2024-ENREL-01 is now open.
EU-FORA aims to increase the pool of food safety risk assessment experts available in Europe and stimulate the involvement of Member States in risk assessment work, all with the ultimate objective of building a common EU culture for risk assessment.
The calls for proposal documents are published in the EU Funding and Tenders portal. All applications must be submitted through the portal, following the instructions provided in section 3 of the call for proposals. Hard copy proposals will not be accepted.
Deadline: 20th March 2025.
EFSA Grants and Procurement
EFSA regularly awards grants or subsidies for projects and activities that contribute to EFSA’s mission in the areas of data collection, preparatory work for scientific opinions, other scientific and technical assistance. Further information on EFSA Grants and EFSA Procurement.
BfR World Food Safety Almanac
The online BfR World Food Safety Almanac provides an overview of the administrative structures of various countries in food and feed safety. It is well structured database that enables effective collaboration between organisations working in the field of food safety. Currently, there are profiles from 37 countries in the online World Food Safety Almanac.
EFSA newsletters
EFSA highlights is a free weekly e-newsletter featuring what’s new on the EFSA website.
EFSA's Understanding Science Video Clips
Understanding Science is EFSA’s scientific white board video series in which EFSA staff explain scientific concepts.