Food safety: Canada and France renew partnership

Ottawa / CA. (anses) Health Canada and France´s Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES) signed a new framework cooperation agreement on January 15, 2013. This agreement reinforces the long-standing relations between the two agencies and follows the cooperation agreement signed in July 2008. Information sharing on a range of health issues increases the authorities´ ability to respond to emerging issues. Through this agreement, both organizations acknowledge that they take similar approaches to assessment of food safety risks and that they therefore benefit from strengthening their scientific cooperation. This partnership will take concrete form through the implementation of various activities such as regular exchanges of data and information, welcoming scientific collaborators and taking joint action – for example, putting out joint publications on subjects such as the chemical or microbiological safety of food, allergens in food and the nutritional quality of food. The past few years have seen regular exchanges between the two agencies, including on the subject of bisphenol A and the nutritional benefits and risks of intense sweeteners.