Belgium made suggestions to the Agriculture Council on Monday 14 October on ways to improve the effectiveness of the EU's Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF), following cases of listeria in the Netherlands in particular.
The RASFF system has proven its effectiveness, but it can be improved, said Belgian Minister Denis Ducarme. Belgium considers it important to further improve the speed of information transfer between Member States. We must rely on the imminent reactivity of each country. New initiatives with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control are also needed. New technologies such as DNA testing and blockchain would improve product traceability.
The European Commission has reviewed recent progress in the field of food safety and the protection and welfare of animals. France is calling for the introduction of harmonized European legislation on labelling the origin of milk and meat in processed products. The Commission has authorised France to use the label 'product of French origin' until 2020 to guarantee the origin of milk and meat in processed dishes. The Commission said it was waiting for the results of this experiment in France, but considered this information on EU origin + the name of the country to be positive. Italy also mentioned the importance of labelling the origin of products.
France reiterated its request for 'food reciprocity' and the creation of a European investigation and control force to combat food fraud. Denmark has advocated new provisions for animal welfare, in particular during the transport of animals. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)