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Improving Regulatory Decisions through Targeted Research: A Case Study Concerning Amino Acids

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Michael D. Rogers  and
Miro Smriga
Michael D. Rogers
Affiliation:
International Council on Amino Acid Science (ICAAS)
Miro Smriga
Affiliation:
ICAAS and Ajinomoto USA
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Abstract

This paper argues that the EU regulatory practice in the food area may be unnecessarily applying the Precautionary Principle by focussing on upper intake limits for naturally occurring nutrients, while not controlling the quality of the ingredients used in commercial products even though precedents of public health issues arising from adulterated ingredients do exist. Risk governance depends heavily on expert evidence and the case of amino acid supplements is used to document an industry-supported effort to strengthen the science database and thus enhance the regulatory process: Thus ensuring that amino acid use in the EU is safely and proportionately regulated. Scientific work conducted in the last decade by the not-for-profit association, the International Council on Amino Acid Science (ICAAS) is used as a simple case study highlighting the role of proactive clinical research in an era characterized by precaution in risk management, and by the escalating costs of scientific research, and the growing influence of the internet.

Type
Symposium on the European Parliament’s Role in Risk Governance
Information
European Journal of Risk Regulation , Volume 3 , Issue 2 , June 2012 , pp. 161 - 168
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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References

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2 Ibid.

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25 Ibid.

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