Targeted Stakeholder Meeting with food business representatives on EFSA’s draft Opinion on plant preparations containing berberine

Background

On 29 January 2026, EFSA’s NDA Panel endorsed a “draft Opinion on the safety of plant preparations containing berberine pursuant to Article 8(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1925/2006” and released for public consultation to gather input from stakeholders before finalisation. The public consultation is open from 2 March to 4 May 2026. In line with EFSA’s commitment to engaging with its stakeholders and improving understanding of its work, a stakeholder meeting will be held with interested food business representatives.

The plants and plant parts covered by the draft opinion are: Berberis aquifolium Pursh (root), Berberis aristata DC (root, bark), Berberis vulgaris L. (root, bark), Chelidonium majus L. (herb), Coptis japonica (Thunb.) Makino (rhizome), Coptis teeta Wall. (rhizome), Coptis trifolia (L.) Salisb. (rhizome), Coscinium fenestratum (Goetgh.) Colebr. (root, stem), Hydrastis canadensis L. (rhizome), Jateorhiza palmata (Lam.) Miers (root), Phellodendron amurense Rupr. (bark), Thalictrum flavum L. (root), Tinospora sinensis (Lour.) Merr. (root, stem, leaf).

Objectives of the meeting

• Present the scientific basis, rationale, and data gaps identified in EFSA’s assessment.
• Encourage informed stakeholder input during the public consultation phase and facilitate the submission of comments.

Please note that the meeting will focus strictly on EFSA’s scientific assessment and is NOT intended to address any potential actions that risk managers may take based on EFSA’s Opinion, as this falls outside EFSA’s remit.

Pre-submitted questions

Participants are invited to consult the draft Opinion through the public consultation webpage. To optimise the meeting and ensure a fruitful exchange of views, stakeholders are encouraged to submit their questions in advance via the registration form by 13 April 2026, at 12:00 (CET).

Target participants

Food business representatives with an interest in plant preparations containing berberine, including stakeholders who have submitted data during EFSA’s call for data.

NB: Participation is only accepted via registration. EFSA reserves the right to limit the number of participants per organisation to ensure a fair representativeness and pertinence to the technical topics of all stakeholder groups in the audience. EFSA will confirm your participation by email after registration closes. The link to attend the event will be sent few days before the event, after registration’s closure.

Structure of the meeting

EFSA will tailor its presentation based on pre‑submitted questions, followed by a Q&A session addressing additional queries.

Language of the meeting

The event will be held in English. No interpretation services will be provided.

Contact

Do not hesitate to contact the organising committee at webinars [at] efsa.europa.eu for more information.