Brussels, 29/12/2005 (Agence Europe) - The first of January 2006 marks a significant milestone for food safety in the EU, with the entry into application of a large updated body of food and feed legislation. The Food “Hygiene Package”, the Regulation on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs, the Regulation on official feed and food controls, and the Feed Hygiene Regulation 'constitute a complementary set of rules to tighten and harmonise EU food safety measures. These laws will apply at every point in the food chain, in line with the EU's “farm to fork” approach. A key aspect of the new legislation is that all food and feed operators, from farmers and processors to retailers and caterers, will have primary responsibility for ensuring that food put on the EU market meets the required safety standards, explained Markos Kyprianou, Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection. Under the food hygiene legislation, the onus is placed on food operators to ensure that food reaching EU consumers is safe. They will have to apply compulsory self-checking programmes and follow the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles in all sectors of the food industry, other than at farm level.
Adopted in 2004, the “Hygiene Package” is a streamlined body of legislation that sets down stricter, clearer and more harmonised rules on the hygiene of foodstuffs, specific hygiene rules for food of animal origin, and specific rules for controls on products of animal origin intended for human consumption. General rules are laid down for all food, while specific measures are included for meat and meat products, bivalve molluscs, fishery products, milk and dairy products, eggs and egg products, frogs' legs, snails, animal fats, gelatine and collagen. Microbiological criteria are used to measure the safety of foodstuffs based on absence, presence or the number of microorganisms present per unit of mass/volume/area/batch. The new Regulation harmonises and modernises EU microbiological criteria for foodstuffs, with the aim of increasing consumer protection and reducing food-borne illnesses. Microbiological criteria are set for certain bacteria, such as salmonella and listeria, in the main food categories (meat and meat products, fish, milk and dairy products, ready-to-eat foods, fruit and vegetables, etc). Other pathogens may be added in the future, following evaluations by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Many food crises (e.g. dioxins) have started with contaminated feed. Regulation 183/2005 on Feed Hygiene provides rules on the production, transport, storage and handling of animal feed, with a view to ensuring safer feed and thus safer food. As with food operators, feed businesses have primary responsibility for ensuring the safety of products put on the market. They will have to apply the HACCP self-checking principles, keep records of production and marketing, be registered with the national authorities, and undergo mandatory training. Of particular importance is the liability of feed operators to pay for the costs, such as withdrawal from the market and destruction of feed, if something goes wrong with as a result of infringements of EU feed safety legislation.
New rules for controls on all food and feed production will also have to be applied from 1 January 2006, both in the EU and in third countries wishing to export to the EU. Member States will be required to draw up annual control and contingency plans which will be evaluated by the Food and Veterinary Office (FVO). Non-EU Member States will be required to present guarantees that their exports to the EU meet the necessary standards.
Technical assistance and training will be offered to developing country exporters to help them comply with the new rules
The Commission has produced 3 guidance documents and a DVD, to provide advice and direction to food business operators and Member States on a number of different aspects of the new food safety legislation.