AECOSAN, Spanish Agency for Consumer Affairs Food Safety and Nutrition
Management and Scientific Coordination
The Spanish Agency for Consumer Affairs, Food Safety and Nutrition (AECOSAN) is the competent organization and the national contact point for Europe in matters related to the food safety. AECOSAN is the institution responsible for the risk assessment, risk management and risk communication associated to the food chain at national level.
AECOSAN, as the representative institution for Spain on EFSA’s Advisory Forum and Focal Points Network, plays an important role in the exchange of scientific information with the Authority. AECOSAN and EFSA work jointly for the coordination of activities in risks communication as well as in the identification of emerging risks, among others. Besides, the Spanish Focal Point and the Advisory Forum member work together in order to maintain a dynamic communication among Member States to achieve a better collaboration with EFSA.
Ana Canals, PhD in Biological Sciences from the Complutense University of Madrid, is the main coordinator of this project and she represents Spain on EFSA’s Advisory Forum. She has developed more than 20 years of research in the field of Animal Health; in Spain as a staff researcher at the National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research (INIA, M. Science and Innovation) and also as a researcher for 12 years in the US Department of Agriculture (Agriculture Research Service, ARS, USA). She has more than 60 publications in high impact international journals and more than 70 papers in national and international scientific conferences. Upon her return to Spain, she has developed her professional career, at the Center for Animal Health (CISA, INIA) as Research Technical Director, and at the Ministry of Public Administrations. Dr. Ana Canals currently holds the position of International and Scientific Advisor within the Executive Directorate of AECOSAN.
Cristina Alonso: Doctor in Veterinary Medicine from the University Complutense of Madrid, Master in Science, represents Spain at the EFSA’s Focal Points Network.