Cash-strapped agency might charge for processing claims

The food industry should not have to pay for the privilege of dealing with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which it may be increasingly obliged to do by law, manufacturers insisted.

Responding to an EC consultation on the feasibility of EFSA charging fees for services, such as processing health claims and novel food applications, the Forum of Private Business said: "This will have a disproportionate effect on smaller companies and ultimately make the area of new health claims the exclusive province of large firms."

The proposal follows uncertainty over next year's funding of EFSA by the European Commission (EC). EFSA has warned repeatedly that it will struggle to meet its obligations if its budget is not increased.

Simon Pettman, director at regulatory consultant European Advisory Services, said the idea of charging had "certainly raised a few eyebrows in the industry, with many people feeling very strongly that the burden of financing EFSA should not be shifted on to industry because EFSA hasn't managed to get the budget it needs from the EC"

Given that the cost of gathering and preparing information to submit to EFSA under a series of recent regulations was already "bordering on prohibitive" for small companies, the prospect of paying fees as well could "price small companies out of the market altogether", claimed Pettman. "If you are only a small firm focusing on one or two markets, it's just not commercially viable."

Chris Whitehouse, from regulatory affairs expert the Whitehouse Consultancy, said: "Small manufacturers are already struggling under the weight of European regulations and charging them for the privilege of doing something they are legally obliged to do is iniquitous."

The EC argued that charging fees would limit the submission of "frivolous" applications and "encourage businesses to submit better-prepared applications". It said that charging could also "mitigate the risk of endangering legislative deadlines ... and provide a strong incentive for scientific excellence"

The deadline for responses to the consultation is February 15.

Separately, EFSA said it would meet managers of national food consumption databases from member states in the New Year to discuss the creation of a European-wide database, including dietary intake data for adults and children across 16 food categories.