Canice Nolan, 12 April 20081 Shared healthcare challengesFood Safety in the European Union -...

Canice Nolan, 12 April 2008 1

Shared healthcare challengesFood Safety in the European Union - Seattle, 12 April 2008 -

Canice Nolan - EC Delegation to the USA


The EU

27+ countries490+ million consumers

Educated, informedWith high expectations for:- Safety- Quality- Choice- Availability- Price- Convenience- Taste

Worlds’ largest importer of food


Response to crises

Separate the promotional aspects of agriculture from food safety – SANCO

Separate risk assessment from risk management - EFSA

Enhance risk communication


Level EU ploughing field

Uniformity of application (defragment market):Move from Directives to RegulationsTrain the auditors/trainersDomestic vs imported meet same standardsDon’t let market penalise those with higher standards

Harmonise and improve standards:Include a regulatory impact assessmentEquivalence vs compliance

Help where necessary:SMEsDeveloping countries – Aid for TradeR&D

International engagement:Codex, IPPC, FAO, OIE, WHOWorld Bank


General Food Law

General principles (definitions) Risk analysis EFSA Traceability Precautionary principle RASFF

Regulation (EC) N˚ 178/2002


General Food Law

Article 17 – LiabilityOperators at all stages shall ensure food and feed is safe

Article 18 – Traceability All food, feed and animals: one step up, one step down

Article 11 - ImportsFood and feed imported into the Community shall comply with the food law or conditions recognised as equivalent

Article 12 - ExportsFood and feed exported shall comply with the food law, unless otherwise requested by importing authorities


HYGIENE 1

EP and Council Reg. (EC) N. 852/2004

Requirements for all food:Registration of establishments for all food business and production;

Objectives:safety of foodstuffs “from farm to fork”;to facilitate controls at all stages of production, distribution, export.

Means: primary responsibility rests with food business operators;mark applied directly to the product, the wrapping or packaging, or printed on a label affixed to the product/or a non-removable tagfood operators other than at the level of primary production shall apply the HACCP introduced by the Codex Alimentarius;MS shall encourage the development of national GMPs by food operators;Microbiological criteria and temperature controls.


HYGIENE 2


Requirements for food of animal origin:Approval of establishments;A health mark by veterinary authorities;An identification mark by companies;Animals must be clean;(Simplified) requirements for slaughterhouses and cutting plants;Emergency slaughter.

Objectives:safety of foodstuffs “from farm to fork”;to facilitate controls.


HYGIENE 3


Characteristics: Official ControlsQuantitative assessment of risks determining the ante and post-mortem examinations;Food business operator is still responsible;Verification by competent authority;Goal more important than the means.

Major changes: (compared to 64/433/EC and 71/118/EEC)Actions if animals are not clean;Food chain information;Visual inspection;Use of company staff.


FOOD RECALL

Obligation for a business operator to inform consumers on the reasons of a withdrawal

and, if necessary, recall the food when:A food is considered as not being in compliance with the food safety requirements (unsafe food) andThe food in question is on the market and has left the immediate control of the food business andThe consumer has access to this food


NOTIFICATION

Article 19.3 requires immediate information to the competent authorities of a potential risk and action taken to prevent it when a food placed on the market may be considered injurious to health

Added value: Facilitates a global prevention of risks by enabling

the competent authorities to receive early warnings or to identify potential (possibly emerging risks) in order

to ensure the most efficient and proportionate ways to manage them


Criteria for notification

Prohibited substances or ingredientsUnauthorised substances or ingredientsExceeding of legal limitsUnauthorised establishment for food of animal originUnauthorised novel food / GM foodPhysical risk (foreign bodies)Incorrect labelling implying health riskOther risk based on risk assessment


RASFF

The RASFF is:a networkfor the notification of direct or indirect risks to human healthderiving from food or feed.

The RASFF involves:the Member States, the European Commission and the Authority (EFSA).

Each of them designates a contact point, which is a member of the network.

The Commission is responsible for managing the network.


European Food Safety Authority

European Commission

EFTA Surveillance Authority

Contact point in each Member Country

Austria Greece Poland Iceland

Belgium Hungary Portugal Norway

Cyprus Ireland Slovakia Liechstenstein

Czech Republic Italy Slovenia

Denmark Latvia Sweden

Estonia Lithuania Spain

Finland Luxembourg United Kingdom

France Malta Romania

Germany Netherlands Bulgaria

RASFF Members


RASFF Notifications

Alert notifications (Year/Number) Food or feed for which a risk has been identified Product is on the market Immediate action is required by members of the network

Information notifications (Year/Letter code) Food or feed for which a risk has been identified Product has not reached the market Immediate action is not required by members of the network

News notificationsInformation related to the safety of food/feedNot communicated as an ‘alert’ or an ‘information’ But is judged interesting for the control authorities


MEMBER COUNTRY NOTIFICATION

RASFF ASSESSMENT

FEEDBACK FROM

MEMBER COUNTRIES

RASFFTRANSMISSION

MEMBERCOUNTRIES

THIRD COUNTRYCONCERNED

Business / Consumer

FEEDBACK FROM THIRD COUNTRY

CONCERNED

WEEKLYOVERVIEW

ANNUALREPORT

Border Control

Market Control

Third country / Media

Media

Procedure for requesting guarantees after repetitive notifications

MISSION THIRD

COUNTRY

THIRD COUNTRYCOMPETENT AUTHORITY

MEMBERS STATES CONTACT POINTS

LETTER FROM THEDIRECTOR GENERAL

+COPIES OF NOTIFICATIONS

GUARANTEES

RASFF


Evolution of the number of notifications

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Additionals toInformationnotifications

Additionals to Alertnotifications

Informationnotifications

Alert notifications


Type of control

2006 notifications according to type of control

border control - import rejected,

1274, 45%

market control, 1213, 42%

company own check, 139, 5%

consumer complaint, 125,

4%

border control - screening

sample, 123, 4%


Product origin2006 - Alert notifications according to product origin

Candidate Countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, Former Yugoslav

Republic of Macedonia. Romania and Turkey),

26, 3%

Member States (EU + EFTA/EEA), 587, 62%

Third Countries, 330, 35%


Notifications for US exports to EUMay June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb March April May

5 8 4 0 12 2 11 1 11 2 7 3 71 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 3 3 1 1 11 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 21 1 1 0 1 0 1 3 1 1 1 20 0 2 5 39 7 1 1 1 0 3 21 1 1 1 1 11 1 1 1

1 11 11 11 1

1

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

GM RiceAflatoxin almonds


Third countries ?

Participation in the rapid alert system may be opened up to:

applicant countries, third countries, or international organisations.

Conditions:there must be an agreement concluded for this purpose, between the EU and the country or international organisation concernedreciprocity must be granted confidentiality measures equivalent to those applicable in the EU must be in place.

WWRASFF

RASFF TRAINING

NATIONAL RASFFEU confidentiality agreement

and reciprocity

REGIONAL RASFF

WWRASFF

2007

2011

2013

2015

Seminars

Call for tenderThird Countriesprojects

Call for tenderRegionalprojects


Closing thought on foodborne disease…

Canice Nolan, 12 April 20081 Shared healthcare challengesFood Safety in the European Union -...

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