The details are laid out in a managment plan for the year published by the agency this month.

The plan sets the agenda for food safety research and investigations by EFSA, allowing processors an insight into new areas of concern for the EU agency.

Since EFSA was founded in 2002, EU legislation has put greater responsibilities and tasks at its door. Such tasks include extensive work on maximum residue levels of pesticides, plant pest risk analysis, nutrition and health claims.

In relation to new or emerging areas of food safety analysis EFSA wants to establish new scientific panels and group of experts to advise it on a number of what it says are priority projects for the year.

These include a risk assessment of nanoparticles, an emerging technology in the food and food packaging segments.

Another area EFSA wants to work on is establishing detection methods for relevant marine biotoxins.

It also plans to do a risk assessment of morphine exposure through the consumption of poppy seeds used in food products, according to the document.

Another priority area will be to harmonise methodologies and approaches for the collection and analysis of data on microbiological and chemical contamination in food and feed.

The plan also includes a move to harmonise risk assessment approaches across EU regulators, and to establish a database of national experts on a variety of research areas.

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Source: Foodproductiondaily.com