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Alimentation
23/12/2015 —
News

Improving effectiveness of consumer information and prevention of microbiological risks in food

Each year, around one third of the foodborne disease outbreaks reported in France occur in the family environment. Some of these cases are due to domestic practices (inadequate preservation, insufficient cooking or contaminant transfer). Improvements within certain sectors, as well as specific information aimed at consumers, could help reduce the risk associated with certain foodborne diseases. The Directorate General for Food (DGAL) made a formal request to the Agency with the aim of making a substantiated choice from among all the possible communication strategies to be implemented, in relation to certain food health risks and also potential constraints for the sectors in question. The Agency is publishing today the findings of its work. Improving the risk control measures within certain production sectors should be examined as a priority. The Agency is also proposing recommendations on the effectiveness of communication strategies likely to modify consumer behaviour and thus to reduce the microbiological risks associated with food.
Colistine
22/12/2015 —
News

Resistance to antibiotics: new information concerning colistin

Colistin is an antibiotic used in veterinary medicine, particularly in the livestock sector. In human medicine, because of its toxicity, it is only prescribed for the treatment of severe human infections involving bacteria resistant to all other therapeutic options (including bacteria resistant to last-generation cephalosporins and carbapenems). Because of the absence of any mechanism for transferring resistance to colistin between bacteria, recent opinions from both the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and ANSES have not previously recommended including colistin in the list of critically important antibiotics used in veterinary medicine. On 18 November 2015, the first transferable mechanism for resistance to colistin (the mcr-1 gene) was described in China in pigs and chickens, in meat sold at retail, and also among bacterial strains isolated in humans. In the light of this new scientific evidence, the EMA will convene its Antimicrobial Advice Ad Hoc Expert Group in order to revise its Opinion in the matter of the use of colistin in veterinary medicine, published in 2013. Accordingly, ANSES will revise the risk assessment it undertook in its scientific opinion on the classification of colistin as a veterinary antibiotic of critical importance.
Clivage Minéraux
17/12/2015 —
News

What are the health effects on workers of cleavage fragments of quarried minerals?

Cleavage fragments are mineral particles naturally present in rocks used, among other purposes, in public engineering works (road surfacing). Through their chemical composition and their dimensions, some of these can be considered comparable to asbestos fibres. While the effects of asbestos fibres on health are well documented, there is uncertainty regarding the toxicity of cleavage fragments. In addition, current analytical methods cannot easily distinguish between cleavage fragments and asbestos fibres. ANSES was requested by the Ministries of Health, Labour and the Environment to document the exposure of workers to cleavage fragments, the resulting health effects, and the methods or criteria for refining the analyses of materials and air. In the Opinion and the Report published today, the Agency concludes that in the current state of knowledge, cleavage fragments of minerals comparable to regulated forms of asbestos with the same dimensions as asbestos fibres, and also cleavage fragments of certain mineral species not currently regulated, can lead to health effects similar to those caused by asbestos. Against this background, the Agency recommends that these potential effects be taken into account in the applicable regulatory framework.
10/12/2015 —
News

Two tools for prioritising animal diseases available online

Control of animal diseases is a major problem for the public authorities. Whether for public health or economic reasons, it is essential to control the main diseases in order to protect both animal and human populations, since certain animal diseases can be transmitted to humans (zoonoses). In this context, following the national consultation on the health sector (États Généraux du Sanitaire) in 2010, ANSES received a formal request from the Ministry of Agriculture to develop a method for prioritising the animal diseases present in France or likely to be introduced here and to apply it for the different livestock species, based on the available data. In response to this, ANSES developed an initial prioritisation tool that it has applied to a list of 103 diseases for "major" livestock production sectors, and then a second simplified method intended for prioritising animal diseases for "minor" production sectors or those for which there are few available data. These tools are now available online on the Agency's website, in the form of spreadsheets, to enable risk managers and professionals to adapt the prioritisation of animal diseases to precise needs (limited geographical area, etc.) and for specific sectors or sub-sectors (one species of ruminant targeted, for example).
27/11/2015 —
News

Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, the President of Mongolia, visits ANSES

As part of his official visit to France, the President of Mongolia, Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, travelled to Maisons-Alfort to visit the Alfort National Veterinary School (ENVA) and ANSES. He was accompanied by Marc Mortureux, Director General of ANSES, and had the opportunity to find out about ANSES as well as IdentyPath, the national technological platform of ANSES's Laboratory for Food Safety dedicated to monitoring pathogenic microorganisms responsible for food poisoning or involved in animal or plant health. On this occasion, President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj also held discussions with ENVA, ANSES, the National Laboratory for Control of Breeder Stock (LNCR) and the French National Union of Cooperatives for Animal Breeding and Insemination (ALLICE).
19/11/2015 —
News

Extension of the technical Memorandum of Understanding between ANSES and the Chinese Institute of Veterinary Drug Control (IVDC)

On November 18 2015, Jean-Pierre Orand, Director of the French Agency for Veterinary Medicinal Products (ANMV), a part of ANSES, and Xuepeng Cai, Director General of the Institute of Veterinary Drug Control (IVDC) of the People's Republic of China, signed an extension of the technical Memorandum of Understanding under which they have been linked since 2010, thus reinforcing their cooperation.
Glyphosate
12/11/2015 —
News

Glyphosate: publication of the results of the European assessment

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is today publishing the conclusions of its assessment as part of the procedure to renew the ten-year approval granted to the active substance glyphosate at European level. On the basis of a thorough study by the German risk assessment agency (BfR) in its capacity as rapporteur Member State, to which ANSES contributed in the framework of the European procedures, the conclusions will lead to a tightening of the assessment criteria and consider that the substance is unlikely to pose a carcinogenic hazard to humans. These conclusions also call for further work on two complementary points, on which ANSES has undertaken specific studies: one aims to explore the possibilities of changing the classification of glyphosate in the framework of the REACh-CLP Regulations, on the basis of the data collected by the BfR and EFSA at European level, and by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) during its recent expert appraisal; the other is intended to assess the need for additional studies on the human health effects of co-formulants found in commercial preparations in association with glyphosate. The findings of this work will be published in early 2016.
04/11/2015 —
News

New Memorandum of Understanding signed between ANSES and the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences

Marc Mortureux, Director General of the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) and Li Jiayang, President of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding strengthening their cooperation in relation to research and risk assessment.
Viandes Rouges
26/10/2015 —
News

Red meat, processed meat and cancer: an update on the new classification by the IARC

In a press release issued today, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified the consumption of red meat (beef, veal, pork, lamb, mutton, horse and goat) as probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A) and that of processed meat (after salting, curing, fermentation, etc.) as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1). ANSES studied the subject in 2011 in the framework of a comprehensive review of the relationship between nutrition and cancer that already clearly showed a convincing relationship between the consumption of red meat or processed meats (delicatessen meat products) and an increase in the probability of developing certain cancers. ANSES's recommendations, which remain applicable, aim to limit the consumption of meat to 500g per week at the most and, by a balanced diet, to vary the sources of animal protein (eggs, meat, fish) and the types of meat. The Agency reiterates that cancers are complex diseases, and that the risks related to the consumption of a particular food must be set against the benefits they can provide, including their nutritional value.

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