"In its 10 years of existence, EFSA has already proved its worth by contributing to effective action against serious food safety risks,” Groote said.
“Reported Salmonella cases fell almost by half between 2004 and 2009 and BSE cases have fallen from several thousand to just 44 in 2010.”
He added: "EFSA's role is essential because food safety risks to European consumers do not respect borders. At a time of economic crisis, European-level action also provides value to taxpayers, by avoiding duplication of work at national level.
"Good progress is being made on major current issues, such as assessing the validity of health claims made about foods and studying the potential impact and risks of pesticides and new technologies.
"Given EFSA's huge responsibility, together with my fellow MEPs, I insist that potential conflicts of interest and transparency must be kept under close review."