FSA Advisory Board in Prague discusses protection against risks in the food chain
Ways to further strengthen mutual cooperation in protecting consumers, plants, animals and the environment from risks in the food chain have been discussed yesterday and today in Prague by members of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Advisory Board. The meeting is being held in the Czech Republic on the occasion of the Czech Presidency. The Czech Republic is represented by the Food Safety Department of the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA). The meeting was opened by Jindřich Fialka, Deputy of the Food Section of the Ministry of Agriculture. The EFSA delegation is led by its Executive Director Bernhard Url.
The main topic of the Prague meeting is strengthening partnerships for environmental risk assessment. Advisory Board members are also looking at the use of artificial intelligence or chemical cocktails of pesticide residues. Communication activities, such as the EU Choose Safe Food information campaigns or on African swine fever, are also an important item on the agenda. The outcomes of the meetings will serve to improve the planning and coordination of joint activities.
The Czech Republic, like the whole European Union, sees food safety as one of its top priorities. The MoA works primarily with the Ministry of Health on important food safety issues. The Food Safety Department of the MoA, which is in charge of the cooperation with EFSA in the Czech Republic, is responsible for a number of activities in the areas of risk assessment and risk communication.
The Advisory Forum is an advisory body to the EFSA Executive Director, linking EFSA with the national food safety authorities of European countries. It mainly discusses strategic issues related to different forms of cooperation. Most of the topics discussed at Advisory Forum level are therefore of a long-term nature.
EFSA is an EU agency based in Parma, Italy. It has been operating since 2002 and contributes to the establishment of a comprehensive food safety assurance system in the EU. EFSA's role is to provide scientific advice on issues related to food chain safety and risk communication.
Vojtěch Bílý
Spokesperson of the Ministry of Agriculture