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Today ANSES is publishing the results of INCA 3, its third study on the food consumption and eating habits of the French population. More than 5800 people (3157 adults between the ages of 18 and 79 years and 2698 children between the ages of 0 and 17 years) participated in this large-scale national survey that mobilised almost 200 interviewers in 2014 and 2015. The participants were asked 150 questions about their lifestyle and eating habits and 13,600 days of consumption were recorded, generating data for 320,000 foods consumed. It took a total of six years to update the snapshot of the food consumption habits of the French population.

In February 2017, ANSES submitted a proposal to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) to classify bisphenol A (BPA) as a substance of very high concern (SVHC) within the framework of the European REACh regulation, based on its “endocrine-disrupting” properties which cause probable serious effects to human health. This proposal has just been adopted by ECHA’s Member State Committee. The decision means that industry players must notify ECHA of the presence of bisphenol A in all imported or manufactured items and must also inform buyers when items contain the substance. The inclusion of BPA on ECHA’s list of substances of very high concern also means that it may be submitted to authorisation as a substance, with its uses subject to the granting of a temporary, renewable authorisation.

Knowledge of the health and environmental effects of pollution of ambient air by chemicals has been well established for some years now. Since 1996, the Member States of the European Union have been required to implement measures for monitoring, assessing and controlling ambient air quality for different chemical pollutants. France already has regulatory values (standards) for several air pollutants. ANSES's expertise was nevertheless called upon with a view to obtaining its opinion on a potential change in ambient air quality standards for fine particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulphur dioxide (SO2) and ozone (O3). In the opinion it is publishing today, ANSES insists on the importance of pursuing efforts to implement long-term public policies in favour of improving air quality, which remains a major public health challenge. It also issues a series of recommendations regarding the potential change in standards for each of the pollutants targeted by its expert appraisal.

The Act on the future of agriculture, food and forestry of 13 October 2014 entrusted ANSES with establishing a phytopharmacovigilance scheme. Its aim is to identify potential adverse reactions to the use of plant protection products affecting human, animal and plant health, including phenomena of emerging resistance, and to better monitor their impact on the quality of environments (air, water) and food. From today, ANSES is making available an online system to facilitate the reporting of these adverse reactions.