On Friday 16 September, CEO received a letter from the European Food Safety Authority threatening legal action regarding the use of their logo and name in our article on conflicts of interest among members of EFSA's expert panel on food additives.
Earth Open Source and Corporate Europe Observatory have written to EFSA's executive director about undeclared current activities with ILSI by an EFSA panel member. EFSA has so far not acted on this case, which sheds doubts on the implementation of EFSA's new independence rules. Not declaring such activities was in contradiction to the former rules, too.
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).
Brussels, 4 July 2011 – Four members of a key European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) scientific panel have "updated" their declarations of interests following a Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) report revealing undeclared conflicts of interest. CEO is calling for stricter rules on conflicts of interest at EFSA that outlaw consultancy and advisory work on a paid or unpaid basis for food companies, food industry associations, and think tanks funded by the food industry.
With this open letter Corporate Europe Observatory reacts to a letter that EFSA executive director Catherine Geslain-Lanéelle wrote to CEO in reaction to our investigative report, “Exposed: conflicts of interest among EFSA’s experts on food additives”.
EFSA accused of legal bullying by campaign group
Brussels, 27 September – Campaigners today accused the European Food Safety Authority of using legal threats to try and intimidate its critics, after receiving a legal threat from the EU agency [1].
Research and campaign group Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) received a letter from EFSA’s Head of the Legal and Regulatory Affairs Unit following publication of an article highlighting hidden conflicts of interest among members of EFSA’s expert panel responsible for food additives.
Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) is a research and campaign group working to expose and challenge the privileged access and influence enjoyed by corporations and their lobby groups in EU policy making.
