Annual report of the EFSA Scientific Network of Risk Assessment of Nanotechnologies in Food and Feed for 2015

To enhance cooperation with Member States on specific topics, EFSA established in 2010 Scientific Networks, among which the Network for Risk Assessment of Nanotechnologies in Food and Feed. This Network is used to facilitate harmonisation of assessment practices and methodologies, to enhance exchange of information and data between EFSA and Member States and to achieve synergies in risk assessment activities. The Annual reports of the Network inform the public, stakeholders, research community, risk assessment community and the EFSA Advisory Forum about its specific activities and advice. During 2015, the Network followed-up on its priority topic to discuss test methods and test results that are relevant for risk assessments at EFSA. At its 2015 meeting, twenty Network experts participated and focussed on issues that merit further method development or scientific unravelling such as the physico-chemical characterisation, the role of solubility/shape/coating in translocation mechanisms and toxicity as well as the risk assessment of soft nanomaterials and the fate and effects of nanoparticles in the environment. Updated information was presented by the Joint Research Centre and a representative of the EU Framework Program 7 project NanoDefine on the technical aspects and implementation of the EC Recommended definition for Nanomaterial. The Network received overviews of the activities on nanomaterials in the European Chemicals Agency and the European Medicines Agency, based on which synergies and common needs were further explored. The Network also exchanged views on the risk assessment of applications (being) assessed at EFSA and comprising implicitly or explicitly nanoforms. The list with national research projects and the list with contact details of national laboratories that can analyse nanomaterials in complex matrices were updated.