10 new faces as EFSA names health claims panel for 2015-2018

By Shane Starling

- Last updated on GMT

Who will be the next NDA chair?
Who will be the next NDA chair?

Related tags Nutrition Food and agriculture organization

The NDA panel will feature 10 new faces for the health claims panel’s next three years as the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) announced changes today.

Fresh faces taking a seat on the next  Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA) are Jean Louis Bresson, Barbara Burlinghame (formerly United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)), Inge Mangelsdorf and Hendrik Van Loveren.

The panel will again feature the likes of Susan Fairweather-Tait, Yolanda Sanz (current vice-chair), Daniel Tomé, Monika Neuhäuser-Berthold and Grazyna Nowicka. The departing include chairman Ambroise Martin, vice-chair John Strain, Rosalenga Marchelli and Hans Verhagen.

EFSA has not yet indicated who the chair will be after Ambroise Martin, who predicted a positive probiotic health claim opinion during his reign but failed to see that eventuate.

“We have attracted very highly qualified scientists from across Europe that will make a difference to Europe’s food safety system​,” said Dr Tobin Robinson, head of EFSA’s science strategy and coordination department. “Many of the new members come from universities and research institutes, meaning that there is a growing awareness of EFSA’s work in academic circles​”.

The new panel in full is:

Jean Louis Bresson

Barbara Burlingame

Tara Dean

Susan Fairweather-Tait

Marina Heinonen

Karen Ildico Hirsch-Ernst

Inge Mangelsdorf

Harry Mcardle

Androniki Naska

Monika Neuhäuser-Berthold

Grazyna Nowicka

Kristina Pentieva (Nee Sepetlieva)

Yolanda Sanz

Alfonso Siani

Anders Sjödin

Martin Stern

Daniel Tomé

Dominique Turck

Hendrik Van Loveren

Marco Vinceti

Peter Willatts

 The 2012-2015 panel was:

Ambroise Martin, Chair

Yolanda Sanz, Vice-chair

John J Strain, Vice-chair

Carlo Virginio Agostoni

Roberto Berni Canani

Susan Fairweather-Tait

Marina Heinonen

Hannu Jaakko Tapani Korhonen

Sébastien La Vieille

Rosangela Marchelli

Androniki Naska

Monika Neuhäuser-Berthold

Grazyna Nowicka

Alfonso Siani

Anders Sjödin

Martin Stern

Inge Tetens

Daniel Tomé

Dominique Turck

Hans Verhagen 

Full details of declarations of interest and biographies of the new panellists are here​.

Aside from health claims, the panel works in areas including:

  • Human nutrition
  • Infant nutrition
  • Human medicine
  • Exposure assessment
  • Food consumption, dietary surveys
  • Nutrient requirements
  • Nutritional epidemiology
  • Food allergy and intolerance
  • Toxicology
  • Clinical immunology
  • Nutritional biochemistry

Details of changes to other EFSA panels can be found here​.

Related topics Regulation & Safety