EU and Japan sign food safety bill

A Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) on the collection and sharing of data required for the assessment of current and emerging risks has been signed between European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the Food Safety Commission (FSC) of Japan.

As crops, animals and food products are transported around the globe, so can the risks associated with the food chain, EFSA says. Ensuring access to a larger pool of international data is one of the priorities of EFSA's international strategy.

The FSC of Japan, like EFSA, is responsible for the assessment of risks associated with the food chain and gives independent scientific advice to risk managers such as the Health and Agriculture ministries.

Following the signing of the agreement, the FSC delegation, led by FSC deputy chair Dr. Takeshi Mikami, met EFSA scientists to discuss a number of issues, including animal cloning, nanotechnology, food contact materials and contaminants.

The memorandum signed with Japan is the second formal international cooperation agreement EFSA has signed with a national food safety authority outside the EU. In 2007, EFSA and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) signed a memorandum designed to facilitate sharing of confidential, scientific information.

EFSA is working towards strengthening cooperation on data collection and data sharing with food safety organisations around the world while respecting confidentiality obligations.