Comments on the “Opinion of the Scientific Committee on Food on the Risk As- sessment of Dioxins and Dioxin-like PCBs in Food. Update based on new scientific information available since the adoption of the SCF Opinion of 22 November 2000”

The Scientific Committee on Food decided to review its recommendation on the acceptable daily intake of dioxins (and dioxin-like PCB), only half a year after the original recommendation was made in November 2000. In the paper of May 2001 the SCF mentioned: “The Committee is asked to consider whether there is a need to update its opinion on the risk assessment of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs in food on the basis of new scientific information available since the release of the SCF opinion of 22 November 2000.” And: ”In addition, the SCF took cognisance of comments received from the Swedish National Food Administration (2001), the Norwegian Food Control Authority (2001) and from some members of the Scientific Committee on Toxicity, Ecotoxicity and the Environment (CSTEE) of the European Commission.” The fact that the SCF made transparent neither by whom it was asked to review its first paper nor that it had published the comments made by member states and CSTEE members (SCF, 2001) makes it more difficult to comment on this paper.