A regulation on the transparency and sustainability of European Union (EU) risk assessment in the food chain, the Transparency Regulation 2019/1381, will apply from March 27, 2021. This regulation introduces new rules for petitioning the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and amends the EU’s Framework Regulation (EC) No. 1935/2004.

Among the new requirements imposed by the Transparency Regulation is the obligation to notify EFSA of laboratory studies to support a petition before that petition is filed. Also included are new rules on confidentiality. Further, business operators filing petitions for food contact substances with the EFSA will be required to use a dedicated Food and Feed E-submission platform. For more details on the Transparency Regulation, see the PackagingLaw.com article, EU to Increase Transparency of Risk Assessments in the Food Chain.