Brussels, 16/07/2009 (Agence Europe) - The Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) has turned 30 and can be proud of itself. The system's annual report for 2008, published on Thursday 16 July, shows proof of its growing efficiency in ensuring the safety of EU foodstuffs.
The system, which is based on a constant exchange of information between member states and the Commission, allows any suspect products already on the market or about to enter the market to be detected, preventing them from being marketed if there is a major risk for human or animal health. Notifications can be broken down into different kinds in this system: - alert notification when a major risk is identified concerning food or feed already on the market and requiring immediate action (528 in 2008 of which 62% were for products originating in the EU); - information notification sent when a risk has been identified but immediate action by other member states is not necessary (1138 in 2008 of which 54% concerned third country products); follow-up notifications and border rejection notifications (1377 in 2008). “Since 1979, the number of RASFF notifications has increased steadily - reaching over 7000 in 2008. But this rise in notifications does not mean that our food is becoming less safe. On the contrary, it shows that our protection efforts have continued to improve. Indeed, the increase in notifications demonstrates that RASFF members are communicating more intensively on the actions they take following the notification of food safety incidents”, said Androulla Vassiliou, European Health Commissioner, speaking on 16 July at the opening of the anniversary conference organised in Brussels on the theme “Keep an Eye on Your Food”. Speaking to the press, the commissioner welcomed the fact that, in 2008 - the year of all dangers - the RASFF allowed member state action to be coordinated, thus eliminating the risk of serious contamination. One only has to think of the mineral oil affair discovered in sunflower oil from Ukraine (39 countries concerned, 99 follow-up notifications), the melamine scandal in foodstuffs from China (incident with global impact, 84 RASFF notifications and 101 follow-up notifications), and the time when dioxins were traced in pork from Ireland (54 countries concerned, 230 follow-up notifications). In 2008, also, alert notifications fell by half (528) compared to 2007, a sign that operators taking part in the system make better risk analysis. The fact that China is organising a major conference in September on food safety, to which Ms Vassiliou is invited, is the sign that cooperation with third countries is bearing fruit and must be intensified, the commissioner says. (A.N./transl.jl)