Conflict of interest remains on food safety panels

Around 60 per cent of European Food Safety Authority panellists have conflicts of interest, a report from the Corporate Europe Observatory has stated.

In its report, the group, which aims to expose private sector lobbying in Europe, says that 122 of 209 panellists have at least one conflict of interest with the commercial sector. The report follows Efsa’s attempts last year to tackle criticisms that it was not managing conflicts of interest by sharpening its policy on independence.

“The management board is confident that the policy Efsa has in place to ensure independence in its scientific work is robust,” board chairwoman Sue Davies said in a statement on 24 October.