Canada and France renew food safety partnership

OTTAWA, March 19, 2013 /CNW/ - 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.

About ANSES

The French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety conducts missions in the areas of surveillance, expert appraisal, research and reference in a wide range of fields, including human health, animal health and well-being, and plant health. It provides a cross-functional perspective on health issues and can identify, overall, the risks to which people are exposed through their lifestyles and consumption patterns, as well as through the characteristics of their environment, including in the workplace.

The cooperation agreement between ANSES and Health Canada's Food Directorate reflects an international cooperation development strategy being conducted by the Agency.

To learn more, go to www.anses.fr

About the Food Directorate

The Food Directorate is Canada's federal health authority responsible for setting food safety standards and providing advice and information on the safety and nutritional value of foods. It carries out its mandate through coordinated programs of scientific research, surveillance, pre-market assessment and regulatory activities in various areas, such as chemical and microbiological contaminants in food, food additives, food processing, new foods and nutrition.

To learn more about Health Canada's Food Directorate, go to http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/branch-dirgen/hpfb-dgpsa/fd-da/index-eng.php

SOURCE: Health Canada