Transcript Health & Consumer Protection Directorate General

Food
Shared
Safetyhealthcare
in the European
challenges
Union
- Seattle, 12 April 2008 Canice Nolan, 12 April 2008
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Canice
Nolan - EC Delegation to the USA
The EU
27+ countries
490+ million consumers
Educated, informed
With high expectations for:
- Safety
- Quality
- Choice
- Availability
- Price
- Convenience
- Taste
Worlds’ largest importer of food
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Response to crises
Separate the promotional aspects
of agriculture from food safety –
SANCO
Separate risk assessment from risk
management - EFSA
Enhance risk communication
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Level EU ploughing
field
Uniformity of application (defragment market):
Move from Directives to Regulations
Train the auditors/trainers
Domestic vs imported meet same standards
Don’t let market penalise those with higher standards
Harmonise and improve standards:
Include a regulatory impact assessment
Equivalence vs compliance
Help where necessary:
SMEs
Developing countries – Aid for Trade
R&D
International engagement:
Codex, IPPC, FAO, OIE, WHO
World Bank
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General Food Law
Regulation (EC) N˚ 178/2002
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General principles (definitions)
Risk analysis
EFSA
Traceability
Precautionary principle
RASFF
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General Food Law
Article 17 – Liability
Operators 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 - Imports
Food and feed imported into the Community shall comply with
the food law or conditions recognised as equivalent
Article 12 - Exports
Food and feed exported shall comply with the food law, unless
otherwise requested by importing authorities
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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 tag
food 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.
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HYGIENE 2
EP and Council Reg. (EC) N. 853/2004
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.
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HYGIENE 3
EP and Council Reg. (EC) N. 854/2004
Characteristics: Official Controls
Quantitative 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.
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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) and
The food in question is on the market and
has left the immediate control of the food
business and
The consumer has access to this food
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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
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Criteria for notification
Prohibited substances or ingredients
Unauthorised substances or ingredients
Exceeding of legal limits
Unauthorised establishment for food of
animal origin
Unauthorised novel food / GM food
Physical risk (foreign bodies)
Incorrect labelling implying health risk
Other risk based on risk assessment
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RASFF
The RASFF is:
a network
for the notification of direct or indirect risks to human
health
deriving 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.
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RASFF Members
Contact point in each Member Country
Austria
Belgium
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Ireland
Italy
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Netherlands
Poland
Portugal
Slovakia
Slovenia
Sweden
Spain
United Kingdom
Romania
Bulgaria
Iceland
Norway
Liechstenstein
European Food Safety Authority
European Commission
EFTA Surveillance Authority
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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 notifications
Information related to the safety of food/feed
Not communicated as an ‘alert’ or an ‘information’
But is judged interesting for the control authorities
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Market Control
MEMBER COUNTRY
NOTIFICATION
Media
Border Control
Business / Consumer
Third country / Media
RASFF
ASSESSMENT
ANNUAL
REPORT
WEEKLY
OVERVIEW
FEEDBACK
FROM
MEMBER COUNTRIES
MEMBER
COUNTRIES
RASFF
TRANSMISSION
FEEDBACK FROM
THIRD COUNTRY
CONCERNED
THIRD COUNTRY
CONCERNED
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Procedure for requesting guarantees
after repetitive notifications
LETTER FROM THE
DIRECTOR GENERAL
+COPIES OF NOTIFICATIONS
MISSION
THIRD
COUNTRY
GUARANTEES
THIRD COUNTRY
COMPETENT
AUTHORITY
RASFF
MEMBERS STATES
CONTACT POINTS
8000
Evolution of the number
of notifications
7000
6000
5000
Additionals to
Information
notifications
4000
Additionals to Alert
notifications
3000
Information
notifications
2000
1000
Alert notifications
0
2000
2001
2002
Canice
2003 Nolan, 12
2004April 2008
2005
2006
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Type of control
2006 notifications according to type of control
border control import rejected,
1274, 45%
market control,
1213, 42%
consumer
complaint, 125,
4%
company own
check, 139, 5%
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border control screening
sample, 123,
4%
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Product origin
2006 - Alert notifications according to product origin
Third Countries, 330,
35%
Candidate Countries
(Bulgaria, Croatia,
Former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia.
Romania and Turkey),
26, 3%
Member States (EU +
EFTA/EEA), 587, 62%
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Notifications for US exports to EU
60
5
1
1
1
0
1
1
50
4
1
1
1
0
1
8
1
12
1
1
0
5
0
1
1
1
2
40
Aflatoxin
almonds
30
2
1
1
1
39
1
1
1
1
1
1
3
1
1
1
3
1
7
1
1
1
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
GM Rice
May
April
March
2
3
1
1
1
11
3
1
3
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
11
3
1
0
7
Feb
Jan
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sept
Aug
July
June
May
7
1
2
2
2
20
10
ay
M
A
pr
il
M
ar
c
h
Fe
b
Ja
n
D
ec
N
ov
ct
O
S
ep
t
A
ug
Ju
ly
Ju
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M
ay
0
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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 concerned
reciprocity must be granted
confidentiality measures equivalent to those
applicable in the
EU must be in place.
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WWRASFF
2015
WWRASFF
2013
2011
REGIONAL
RASFF
NATIONAL RASFF
EU confidentiality agreement
and reciprocity
RASFF TRAINING
2007
Call for tender
Regional
projects
Call for tender
Third Countries
projects
Seminars
Closing thought on foodborne
disease…
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