News

ANSES recently assessed the risks associated with the coumarin content of certain plants when consumed in food supplements in particular. Coumarin is a natural aromatic compound found in certain plants such as cinnamon. It is used in food as a spice or natural flavouring ingredient. Coumarin can cause liver damage when taken in high doses. To avoid exceeding the tolerable daily intake (TDI) set by EFSA, the Agency recommends keeping coumarin intake through food supplements below 4.8 mg per day for a 60 kg adult. It also advises people with a history of liver disease to avoid consumption of cinnamon-rich foods and food supplements containing coumarin.

ANSES notes the conclusions of EFSA's re-assessment of titanium dioxide used as a food additive (E171), which confirm the health concerns raised by the Agency in its own 2017 and 2019 assessments. It will now take the data from this new assessment into account in its ongoing work to assess the risks associated with nanoscale food additives and ingredients. Use of the food additive E171 was suspended in France in January 2020.

ANSES, EnvA and INRAE have renewed their agreement on two joint research units (UMRs): the BIPAR unit (molecular biology and parasitic immunology) and the Virology unit. Both units work on animal diseases and the risk of transmission to humans: the first on parasitic diseases and diseases transmitted by arthropod vectors, the second on viral diseases.