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Food Contact Materials, Enzymes and Processing Aids

The Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes and Processing Aids (CEP)* evaluates the safety of chemical substances added to food or used in food packaging, and related processes. The Panel's work mainly concerns substances and processes evaluated by EFSA before their use can be authorised in the EU.

CEP Panel Members are scientists from across Europe with expertise in:

  • Chemical risk assessment focusing on food enzymes, and chemicals used in the production of plastic materials or other food packaging
  • Toxicology (mammalian): sub-chronic and chronic toxicity (repeated dose studies), genotoxicity and mutagenicity, developmental and reproductive toxicity, carcinogenicity, allergenicity and immunotoxicity
  • Toxicity testing in experimental animals and alternative toxicity tests
  • Toxicokinetics and toxicodynamics (ADME - absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion) of substances
  • Epidemiology (humans)
  • Chemistry (organic, analytical and synthetic chemistry), especially for the chemical identification and specification of chemical substances and for migration testing of food contact materials
  • Exposure assessment and consumption surveys
  • Food technology (manufacturing processes and use of processing aids)
  • Food microbiology including enzyme biotechnology using genetically-modified microorganisms

*The CEP Panel continues the work in most of the areas previously covered by the former Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes, Flavourings and Processing Aids (CEF), but has handed over responsibility for the evaluation of flavourings to the FAF Panel.

Panel Members

Food Contact Materials, Enzymes and Processing Aids Panel Members, 2018-2024

Panel composition and Declarations of Interests.

Previous Panel Members

2017-2018

Chair: Vittorio Silano
Vice-chair: Karl-Heinz Engel; Detlef Wölfle
Members: Claudia Bolognesi; Laurence Castle; Kevin Chipman; Jean-Pierre Cravedi; Paul Fowler; Roland Franz; Konrad Grob; Rainer Gürtler; Trine Husøy; Sirpa Kärenlampi; Wim Mennes; Maria Rosaria Milana; Karla Pfaff; Gilles Riviere; Jannavi Srinivasan; Maria de Fatima Tavares Poças; Christina Tlustos; Holger Zorn

2014-2017

Chair: Silano Vittorio
Vice-Chair: Mennes Wim; Wölfle Detlef
Members: Bolognesi Claudia; Castle Laurence; Cravedi Jean-Pierre; Engel Karl-Heinz; Fowler Paul; Franz Roland; Grob Konrad; Gürtler Rainer; Husøy Trine; Kärenlampi Sirpa, July 2015; Milana Maria Rosaria; Penninks André; Smith Andrew; Tavares Poças Maria De Fatima; Tlustos Christina; Toldrá Fidel, until September 2015; Zorn Holger; Zugravu Corina-Aurelia, July 2015

2011-2014

Chair: Mennes Wim, as of April 2014; Pratt Iona, until February 2014 †
Vice-Chair: Castle Laurence, as of April 2014; Wölfle Detlef
Members: Beckman Sundh Ulla; Binderup Mona-Lise; Bolognesi Claudia; Brimer Leon; Di Domenico Alessandro; Engel Karl-Heinz; Franz Roland; Gontard Nathalie; Guertler Rainer; Husoy Trine; Jany Klaus-Dieter; Kolf-Clauw Martine; Milana Maria Rosaria; Svensson Kettil; Tavares Pocas Maria de Fatima; Toldra Fidel

2008-2011

Chair: Klaus-Dieter Jany
Vice-Chair: Karl-Heinz Engel; Wim Mennes
Members: Arturo Anadon; David Bell, until end of November 2009; Mona-Lise Binderup; Wilfried Bursch; Laurence Castle; Riccardo Crebelli; Roland Franz; Nathalie Gontard; Thomas Haertle; Trine Husoy; Catherine Leclercq; Jean-Claude Lhuguenot; Maria Rosaria Milana; Karla Pfaff; Kettil Svensson; Fidel Toldra; Rosemary Waring; Detlef Woelfle

The Declarations of Interests and CVs of previous Panel members are available upon interestmanagement [at] efsa.europa.eu (request).

Meetings with Member States

Meetings with Member States bring together Panel experts, EFSA scientific staff and technical experts from Member States to discuss scientific issues and exchange views on various aspects of risk assessment related to food ingredients and packaging. Depending on the context, these meetings can be bilateral, involving experts from one Member State, or networking meetings, with experts from several Member States.

There follows a list of meetings between EFSA and Member States in the area of food ingredients and packaging.

2015

2014

2012

2011

Networks

What are EFSA's networks?

EFSA’s networks consist of nationally appointed EU Member State organisations with expertise in the fields covered by the network. Representatives of the Commission and of other organisations (including those from outside the EU) with specific expertise may also be invited to participate in the work of EFSA Networks.

Networks are chaired by EFSA and supported by relevant EFSA units. Their aim is to facilitate scientific cooperation in the field of EFSA’s mission by:

Scientific Network on Food Contact Materials (FCM)

The FCM Network is a platform for cooperation on risk assessment activities and approaches of mutual interest to EFSA and Member States. The Network enhances collaboration between scientists involved in risk assessment of food contact materials to support and harmonise risk assessment practices in this area. The FCM Network was initiated in October 2013 as a subgroup of the Food Ingredients and Packaging Network for a period of three years. To continue this cooperation, it was proposed to maintain the Network through a stand-alone FCM Network for a further three years.

Working groups

Bacillus AMR

Enzymes - CEP Panel

Extraction solvents

Food Contact Materials - CEP Panel

Preparation for re-evaluation of phthalates, structurally similar substances and replacement substances

Recycling Plastic - CEP Panel

WG on the evaluation of substances used to reduce microbial contamination from products of animal origin - CEP Panel

Closed working groups

Assessment of studies on BPS - CEP Panel

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Bisphenol A (BPA) Exposure 2012 - CEF Panel

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BPA assessment protocol

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BPA Immunotoxicity - CEF Panel

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BPA re-evaluation - CEP Panel

BPA Toxicology 2012 - CEF Panel

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Enzymes - CEF Panel

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Evaluation of substances used to reduce microbial contamination from products of animal origin (Standing WG) - CEF Panel

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Flavourings 2017-2018 - CEF Panel

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Food contact material 2017-2018 - CEF Panel

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Food Enzymes 2017-2018 - CEF Panel

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Genotox ad hoc - CEF Panel

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Genotoxicity 2017-2018 - CEF Panel

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National experts meeting on BPA processing aids - CEF Panel

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Phthalates - CEF Panel

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Phthalates - CEP Panel

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Re-evaluation of food additives for use in foods for infants below 16 weeks of age - ANS Panel

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Recycling plastics 2017-2018 - CEF Panel

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WG on the Update of the Guidance on Food Enzymes

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