Health commissioner all for food innovation, but not at any cost

The challenge of feeding a growing population using finite resources has stirred considerable debate on whether a science-based approach, that uses biotechnological approaches like genetic modification and nanotechnology, is appropriate.

The topic has been aired once more today at a debate held in the Italian city of Parma today, seat of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), to coincide with the opening of the Ciba International Food Fair.

Commissioner John Dalli said: "I am a strong supporter of innovation and I am fully committed to maximising the advantages science can offer – but not at any cost. Innovation needs to be in tune with the broader values of society, to be of clear and visible benefits to consumers, and last but not least it must be accompanied by effective communication. When it comes to the food industry, safety is the essential precursor on which the food industry is built. A constructive, coherent and transparent engagement with all stakeholders is absolutely the paramount." ​

Commissioner Dalli, who served as a cabinet minister in the Maltese government for 23 years, was appointed Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy in February this year.

"I will pursue a policy of ‘responsible innovation’ in all relevant areas​,” he told representatives of EFSA, Euro and Italian institutions, the Spanish presidency and food chain stakeholders today. “I want to see the European food industry at the cutting edge of progress and development whilst boosting the confidence of consumers.”​

Challenges​

EFSA executive director Catherine Gislain-Laneelle said that assessing the risks and benefits of new technologies can call for new applications to assess efficacy, and risk assessment methodologies need to be invented or adapted.

“It can be challenging insofar as data in areas of new science such as nanotechnology or GMOs can be limited and there may be significant areas of scientific uncertainty to address and communicate,”​ she said.

Emerging technologies are already presenting quandaries for European lawmakers. For instance the European Parliament last week voted in favour of excluding produce from clones and thier offspring from the amended novel foods legislation.

EFSA has already given a positive safety opinion for meat and dairy produce from animals with a cloned genetic make up, saying in 2008 that based on the knowledge available there was no evidence to indicate that cloned meat and dairy goods were any different from conventional products.

However its panel strongly recommends that the health and welfare of clones be monitored throughout both their production and natural life span to allow the current opinion to be updated in the light of future developments or new data.