Brussels, 20/03/2001 (Agence Europe) - Closing the third European Consumer day, which unfolded in Brussels on 15 March, European Commissioner David Byrne underlined that there is not necessarily a contradiction between a demand for quality food products at reasonable process and the desire for a high level of safety. He also explained how Europe intends to take on the challenge. For the Commissioner responsible for Consumer policy, "good food" must answer three requirements: safety, quality and nutritional content. To gather them together, he considers it necessary to adopt an integrated and global approach for the food chain as a whole. It is necessary to study the production of foods under the angle of farming in fields, health and animal welfare and the way in which food products are prepared and packaged. It is also necessary to check the whole of the food chain up to the point were foodstuffs reach the consumer and, inversely, through traceability. Recalling the contribution made by the Commission services to this move, notably with the actin plan concerning food safety presented last year, Mr Byrne recalls that everything is presently being done to best tackle the BSE crisis. Moreover he announced that he would soon propose a strategy to fight against the major food originating dangers such as listeria.
Underlining the significant contribution that the European Food Authority, which he hopes will be operations next year, will make to this integrated approach, Mr Byrne also noted that the consumer has a major role to play, as the last critical link in the prevention of food originating dangers.