5 days until EU caffeine crunch time
BEUC: Explain the difference
Camille Perrin, senior food policy officer for the European Consumers Association (BEUC), presented concerns on why EFSA’s opinion differed from previous conclusions from member state authorities like the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) and the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) as well as non-EU bodies like the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ).
Such differences include the conclusions on the likelihood of caffeine interacting adversely with alcohol as well as caffeine consumption in connection with physical activity, which both ANSES and BfR had warned on.
She added it was “crucial not to over-shorten or oversimplify the scientific advice” in EFSA’s communication of opinions, which BEUC felt had been done in this case.
“Against this background, we believe it is important for EFSA to explain why its draft opinion deviates from previous, more conservative risk assessments.