The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) today announced that it has completed the first safety assessment of a food enzyme as part of a plan by European Union (EU) decision-makers to set up an authorized list of these substances. This scientific opinion marks the start of an important new chapter in the Authority’s risk assessment work, with hundreds of assessments of food enzymes set to follow over the next few years. Given that enzymes have long been used in food production, why is it only now that EFSA has been tasked with evaluating these substances in a systematic way? Fidel Toldra (pictured at left), an expert member of EFSA’s Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes, Flavourings and Processing Aids (CEF), explains: