The Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment (VKM), ( no, Vitenskapskomiteen for mat og miljø), conducts open, independent, scientific risk assessments regarding safe food, food production and the environment upon request of the

Norwegian Food Safety Authority Norwegian Food Safety Authority ( no, Mattilsynet) is a Norwegian government agency responsible for safe food and drinking water, and works within the fields of human, plant, fish and animal health as well as environmentally friendly production a ...

and the

Norwegian Environment Agency The Norwegian Environment Agency ( no, Miljødirektoratet) was created on 1 July 2013 through a merger of the Norwegian Directorate for Nature Management and the Norwegian Climate and Pollution Agency.CITES CITES (shorter name for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of interna ...

) upon request from the Norwegian Environment Agency. In addition, the Committee makes environmental risk assessments of

genetically modified organisms A genetically modified organism (GMO) is any organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. The exact definition of a genetically modified organism and what constitutes genetic engineering varies, with ...

for the Norwegian Environment Agency. The assessments are used as a basis for knowledge of the various ministries in Norway. The assessments also provide a basis for knowledge which the Norwegian Food Safety Authority uses to provide advice and determine regulations. The committee may raise matters on its own initiative. Risk assessments are made on an independent basis in accordance with internationally established methods. The scientific committee itself is to carry out risk assessments on their own initiative. The risk assessments are used by the

and the

Norwegian Environment Agency The Norwegian Environment Agency ( no, Miljødirektoratet) was created on 1 July 2013 through a merger of the Norwegian Directorate for Nature Management and the Norwegian Climate and Pollution Agency.Norwegian Institute of Public Health The Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH) (Norwegian: ''Folkehelseinstituttet''; FHI) is a Norwegian government agency and research institute, and is Norway's national public health institute. It is subordinate to the Ministry of Health and ...

. The Scientific Committee is appointed by the Ministry of Health and Care Services for four years at a time. About 100 experts from scientific institutions in the Nordic countries are members of the committee. They are appointed by virtue of their professional expertise and not based on where they are employed. VKM consists of a main committee and eleven expert panels. The main committee deals with general and fundamental issues, interdisciplinary issues and questions that fall outside the expert panels. Work on risk assessments is carried out by VKM's expert panels. If necessary, external experts are consulted. A scientific secretariat is responsible for day-to-day operations. VKM is the Norwegian focal point for the

European Food Safety Authority The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is the agency of the European Union (EU) that provides independent scientific advice and communicates on existing and emerging risks associated with the food chain. EFSA was established in February 2002, ...

. (EFSA) EFSA is responsible for scientific advice on food safety and scientific risk assessments on request from the European Commission, the European Parliament and the EU Member States.

References

{{authority control Food safety organizations Government agencies of Norway Medical and health organisations based in Norway Regulation in Norway