The EU’s current legal framework for combating food fraud is generally adequate, but there is room to improve its effectiveness, the EU Council stressed in conclusions adopted without debate on Monday 16 December.
The EU Council underlined the need to continue to strengthen intersectoral cooperation beyond food and feed control authorities throughout the agri-food chain - cooperation that is required but not sufficient, it points out.
Cooperation should also extend to authorities involved in the fight against financial crime and tax, customs, police, prosecution and other law enforcement authorities.
The EU Council is calling upon the Commission and the Member States to allocate adequate resources to ensure effective implementation of existing EU legislation by improving the shared understanding of the criteria determining food fraud.
The EU Council stresses the importance of promoting consumer awareness and continuing to expand training in the fight against food fraud.
It also is emphasizing the need for special expertise and an international approach to the enforcement of Internet sales controls - a challenge that remains to be addressed. To consult the conclusions: http://bit.ly/2Etz5qU (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)