A public consultation is open until 6 August on the future revision of the EU food hygiene regulation (Regulation EC 852/2004). The European Commission, which initiated this process on 9 July, is awaiting the maximum number of comments from parties concerned on this initiative, which is expected in the third quarter of 2020.
The objective is threefold:
. to improve food safety in the EU by aligning EU standards with the new international standards (WHO Codex)—which is a matter of the regulation including general requirements on food safety culture while increasing awareness among food establishment employees and improving their behaviour as well as including requirements establishing good hygiene practice so as to prevent or limit the presence of substances that cause allergies or intolerances—since the Commission stresses that cross-contamination and food allergies have become a matter for increasing concern in the EU and worldwide;
. to ensure that adequate food safety measures are taken when food is donated for charitable purposes, since an EFSA scientific opinion, dated September 2018, points out that food donations pose new challenges at the retail level and recommends additional general hygiene requirements; and
. to reduce food waste in compliance with the requirements of the circular economy and the European Green Deal.
Link to the consultation in English: https://bit.ly/3enomxL (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)