EFSA’s Strategy 2027 delineates the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) strategies and approaches in responding to the changing environment in the years ahead, especially in light of the SARS-CoV-2 global pandemic. EFSA’s Strategy 2027 is structured into three (3) main parts. The first (1) part involves the EFSA’s strategic foundation and describes the elements and key values that give purpose and meaning to its day-to-day activities. The second (2) part focuses on the outcome of an analysis that the EFSA conducted on its internal and external environment to identify foreseeable critical challenges and opportunities, and potential relevance to the EFSA in both the medium and long run. The last (3) part of the document outlines the strategic objectives, expected outcomes, and results for the next six years when activities are carried out according to the implementation plan.

Strategic Foundation

There are six (6) elements that form EFSA’s strategic foundation:

• Mission: To ensure safety in the food chain from farm to fork by protecting human life and health as well as animal health and welfare, plant health, and the environment.

• Vision: To maintain safe food and sustainable food systems through transparent, independent, and trustworthy scientific advice.

• Values: To follow closely the key values in all areas of work: excellence, independence, openness, accountability, and cooperation.

• Who we are: An agency of the EU formed in 2002 and provides scientific advice to risk managers and communicates on risks associated with the food chain. EFSA provides the scientific basis for building the framework of laws and regulations.

• Who we work with: EFSA collaborates with individual experts, Member States’ risk assessment organizations, EU agencies, international organizations, and risk assessors.

• How we work: The core activities are to collect, appraise, and integrate scientific advice to address concerns about risks, by implementing the five key values in all aspects of the working process, to build sustainable and safe food systems.

Strategic Objectives

The strategic objectives of the EFSA’s Strategy 2027 coincide with the new Transparency Regulation in building trust in the EFSA through increased transparency and improved communication while achieving more reliable risk assessments and a more sustainable operational model. EFSA Strategy 2027 also incorporates new measures derived from the long-term EU policy developments such as the F2F strategy.

Overall, the strategy centers around three Strategic Objectives:

• Strategic Objective 1 – Deliver trustworthy scientific advice and communication of risks from farm to fork to increase relevance and improve the reputation of the EFSA’s scientific advice and risk communication so that assessments for regulated products and generic scientific advice are delivered with quality and efficiency by taking an audience-first and coordinated risk communication approach.

• Strategic Objective 2 – Ensure preparedness for future risk analysis needs to increase risk analysis capabilities (knowledge, expertise, methodologies, and data) in maintaining relevance for the future and achieving the following:
  • Harmonized risk assessment culture with the necessary knowledge and expertise, is ensured at the EU level.
  • The quality and scale of crisis preparedness and the identification of emerging risks are improved.
  • The quality of scientific guidance and methodologies is improved to address future challenges.
  • Preparedness for future regulatory and policy needs in addressing the EU Farm to Fork, Biodiversity, and Chemical strategies is ensured.
  • Wilder access and broader exploitation of data and analytics are accomplished.

• Strategic Objective 3 – Empower people and ensure organizational agility to improve the reputation of EFSA as an accountable institution and an attractive employer by:
  • Encouraging staff engagement.
  • Enhancing user satisfaction and efficacy.
  • Improving operational performance.
  • Aligning with EU strategies and policies.

The three strategic objectives are aimed to improve EFSA’s core business, sustain and develop EFSA’s core capabilities, and manage and enable EFSA’s operations. To find out how this would affect your business and/or operations, please contact us today.