EFSA Focal Point Nieuwsbrief 22 februari 2024

Training courses on Risk Assessment Methodologies – Art. 36 organisations

Date: March 15^th – May 15^th, 2024

EFSA’s training course on “In silico models and other relevant modelling approaches” is now open for registration. This eLearning course will introduce the main principles of different structure based in-silico approaches for estimation of mainly human health toxicological endpoints.

The participation is restricted to members of organisations belonging to EFSA’s List of Art.36 Competent Organisations.
EFSA reserves the right to select the trainees from all registered organisations. Should the number of registrants exceeds the available places, the first-come first served principle will be applied. All registrants will be informed about the outcome of the registration and the selected ones will receive credentials for eLearning.
Additional information is available here.


Stakeholder webinar on the Novel Food guidance document

Date: March 21^st, 15:00 – 18:00
Deadline: March 19^th, 2024

EFSA is organizing a webinar intended for all stakeholders with expertise and/or interest in the area of novel foods.

Date: 21 March 2024, 15.00 - 18.00 (CET).
Deadline for registration: 19 March 2024, 12:00 (CET).
Register here.


Info-session on the updated guidance document concerning the Risk-Benefit Assessment (RBA) of foods

Date: March 5^th, 2024, 14:30 – 16:30 (CET).
Deadline for registration: March 29^th, 2024, 12:00 (CET).

EFSA is organising a info-session to present the draft guidance document, share further information on its scope and technical content, invite feedback from relevant stakeholders, and provide context for the public consultation.

The meeting is intended for risk benefit assessors and managers from the European Commission and Member States, other national authorities, international organisations, as well as stakeholders and experts.
Registration can be done here.

EFSA report: Prioritisation of pesticides and target organ systems for dietary cumulative risk assessment based on the 2019-2021 monitoring cycle

February 8^th, 2024

EFSA has published a scientific report that expedites its work in the field of cumulative risk assessment of pesticides: Prioritisation of pesticides and target organ systems for dietary cumulative risk assessment based on the 2019-2021 monitoring cycle.

The report analysed 350 substances and 16 organs, identifying:

• Low priority substances, expected to contribute only marginally to cumulative risk;
• High priority organs for future cumulative risk assessments.

The report concludes that for 70% of organs considered, there is no need for additional risk assessments: combined exposure to pesticide residues is not likely to pose a health risk to consumers for those organs. In addition to the nervous system and the thyroid, for which EFSA already carried out cumulative risk assessments, the report prioritises the following organs for future cumulative risk assessment: reproductive function, foetal development, liver, kidney, male reproductive system, and hematopoietic system (the system producing blood cells).

Public Consultations three NDA Panel Draft Guidance Documents

Deadlines: April 14^th, 2024

EFSA has launched several public consultations on three NDA Panel Draft Guidance Documents. Alongside the public consultation on the draft updated novel foods guidance, EFSA is also hosting a webinar open to all interested stakeholders.
 

• Public Consultation on the Draft guidance on the scientific requirements for an authorisation of a novel food in the context of Regulation (EU) 2015/2283.

• Public Consultation on the Draft guidance on the scientific requirements for a notification and application for authorisation of traditional foods from third countries in the context of Regulation (EU) 2015/2283.

• Public Consultation on the Draft guidance on scientific principles and data requirements for the safety and relative bioavailability assessment of substances proposed as new micronutrient sources.

All public consultations have a deadline of the 14^th of April, 2024.


Public Consultations and info-session on Risk-benefit assessment of foods

Deadline: April 2^nd, 2024

EFSA has updated its 2010 guidance on the risk-benefit assessment (RBA) of foods. The update addresses methodological developments and regulatory needs.

A public consultation on the draft updated guidance document has been launched on 19^th of February. In this context, EFSA is organising an info-session to present the guidance document to representatives of Member States, Focal Points and experts from International Organisations.
The updated guidance document retains the step-wise RBA approach, while providing additional methods for complex assessments, such as multiple chemical hazards and all relevant health effects impacting different population subgroups.
The public consultation can be found on the EFSA website.

Career Opportunities in EFSA

February 12^th, 2024

EFSA is looking for talented candidates to fill the currently open staff positions. Please find below full information regarding the currently relevant vacancies:

• Events and Hospitality coordinator (ref: EFSA/X/AD/2024/01)
  Deadline: February 22^nd, 2024

• Budget Officer (ref: EFSA/X/AD/2024/02)
  Deadline: February 28^th, 2024
• Communication Officer (ref: EFSA/F/4/2024/01)
  Deadline: March 4^th, 2024