New scientific committee appointed

The Ministry of Health and Care has appointed a new Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment for the period 1 September 2022 to 31 August 2026.

A total of 123 researchers have been appointed to the committee. They are professionally independent, and participate by virtue of their expertise. Together, they have broad interdisciplinary expertise, which covers areas ranging from nutrition, additives, feed, animal health and animal welfare, to microbiological products, pollution, biodiversity, trade in endangered species, alien organisms and genetically modified organisms. The members are divided into 13 expert panels, and the leaders of the panels form the steering group. Senior researcher Inger-Lise Steffensen will be the new head of the steering group. She has been a member of VKM since its inception in 2004.

The appointment has been made in consultation with the Ministry of Climate and Environment, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food and the Ministry of Trade and Fisheries.During this new period, some members will also be in a panel with a particular focus on climate. "We are very grateful that so many talented researchers want to join the Committee, thereby contributing to the work to ensure an independent, scientific knowledge base for our commissioners, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority and the Norwegian Environment Agency. In the secretariat, we look forward to working with the committee over the next four years," states director Harald Gjein.

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