Transcript International Food safety

International Food safety
Sanitary, Phytosanitary and
Regulatory Framework
Purpose of Sanitary and
Phytosanitary (SPS) Regulation
SPS measures are applied to imported and
domestically produced plant and animal
products to:
 protect humans from animal and plant-borne
diseases;
protect plants and animals from pests or
diseases; and
protect countries from the economic cost of pest
or disease introduction or spread
International SPS Agreements
International SPS agreements are defined in:
 the 1994 GATT Agreement on Technical
Barriers to Trade and, more recently;
 the WTO Agreement on the Application of
Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures,
negotiated during the Uruguay Round.
These agreements require
Member countries to:
prepare their SPS measures based on
international standards or regulations;
 base SPS measures on scientific principles;
 not unjustifiably discriminate between Members
where similar conditions prevail;
 not apply measures that disguise trade
restrictions;
 maintain an SPS Enquiry Point and inform WTO in
advance of changes to SPS measures.
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SPS and Transitional Economies
Transitional economies are often not well placed to
manage SPS regimes as they:
lack information, transparent regulations & science-
based risk assessment systems;
don’t participate effectively in the setting of
international standards;
have difficulty meeting conformity assessment tests;
are unable to reduce costs through equivalency
agreements.
SPS and Trade Barriers
 While most SPS standards reduce risk,
respond to consumer concerns and
facilitate trade, the concern remains,
despite WTO provisions, that, in a world of
reduced tariffs and quotas, SPS
requirements could be used to constrain
trade and protect markets through
unjustified specification or costly and
time-consuming tests.
Principle of “Equivalency”
 the principle of “equivalency” is expected
to reduce costs and ensure freer trade;
 mainly limited to trade pacts (EU, NAFTA,
Australia-New Zealand);
 many countries seeking “sameness”
instead of equivalency in testing regimes.
SPS and Food Safety Systems
Should Be
institutionally efficient;
 rule based;
 take into account the concerns of
consumers and industry;
 able to act rapidly to address hazards;
 consistent with international bodies;
 progressively harmonizing with the EU.
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SPS and Food Safety Vision
The vision for a SPS/food safety regime
should be to ensure:
 worldwide market access for exports;
 protection of the country’s agricultural
production, consumers; and
 protection of human health and the health
of the country’s flora and fauna.
WTO and EU Compliance
The WTO SPS Agreement requires that technical
measures be based on risk assessment, without
which capacity, members cannot fully benefit;
 EU law gives clearer guidance on the type of food
controls required;
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• regulation (EC)No 178/2002 Of The European
Parliament And Of The Council of 28 January2002;
• Council Directive 89/397/EEC of 14 June 1989 ;
• Council Directive 93/99/EEC of 29 October 1993
EU Food Safety Processes
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Risk assessment: consisting of hazard identification,
hazard characterization, exposure assessment and risk
characterization;
Risk communication: exchange of information and
opinions amongst key stakeholders;
Risk management: process of of weighing policy
alternatives in consultation with interested parties;
Official control: inspection of establishments, processes
and products;
Agencies Typically Involved in
Food Safety
 Ministry of Agriculture,
 Veterinary Department
 Plant Protection Department, where
 Food Processing Department
 Ministry of Health,
 Sanitary Department
 Ministry of Industry, Economy or Trade
 State Department(s) of Standardization, Metrology
and Certification
 State Inspection of Products and Services
What is Wrong With Many
Present Systems
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inadequate risk analysis and risk management, hence no
scientific basis for allocating resources to food safety
problems;
too many bodies involved in inspection, with lawful but
overlapping responsibilities resulting in multiple inspections ,
with no single body having an overview of food chain safety;
Inspection bodies compete for territory to gain external
income from certification and are subject to political influence
and corruption;
Inspectors’ technical knowledge and skills are outdated, few
have experience of hazard based process-control approach to
food safety management.
What is Wrong With Many
Present Systems (contd. )
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food businesses sustain unjustifiably high costs due to
excessive and meaningless testing and certification, reducing
competitiveness
food standards fail to prioritize between food safety and
commercial quality concerns
too many State supported testing laboratories, mostly illequipped and staffed;
no laboratory accreditation service to international levels;
few laboratories with the technical standards to carry out
reference functions;
overall, food safety policy has a low priority on Government’s
agenda.
What Should We Do ?
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prepare a framework law to define the organizational structure
and approach to food control;
establish a single Agency for the application of technical food
regulations, supported by stakeholder and scientific
committees;
establish risk analysis and risk assessment functions within
the Agency;
provide for an effective means of coordinating the inspection
bodies;
provide budgetary allocations for government food safety
activities.
What Should We Do (contd. ) ?
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apply EU compliant control systems focused on the
conditions of production and approval of establishments,
rather than certification of foods;
separate inspection on trading standards (labeling, price
marking, functional claims, etc) from food safety
inspection
define the role of laboratories in providing defined
testing services of an acceptable standard for inspection
bodies;
if required, define the scope of government regulation of
food quality.
Food Safety Agency Responsibilities
The responsibilities of such an Agency would
include:
 management of inspection of foods and places
where food is produced, processed & distributed;
 management of inspection and certification of
food at borders;
 monitoring of foods on the market to assess
compliance and identify and quantify human
health hazards;
Food Safety Agency Responsibilities
(contd.)
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ensuring adequate laboratory provision;
prosecution of offences against the food law;
review and development of new food legislation;
assessment of risks to human health from foods;
receiving and acting on complaints from
consumers;
providing information to industry and consumers
about food safety.
Structure of Food Safety Agency
 Such an agency is likely to include:
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a Food Safety Council,
a Scientific Council
a Consultative Council
Functional departments including:
– Inspection and Enforcement;
– Scientific Affairs;
– Public Relations; and
– Administration.
EUREPGAP: Good Agricultural Practice
EUREPGAP
is a global reference scheme for good
agricultural practice, managed by the EUREPGAP Secretariat.
EUREPGAP focuses on:
• Food Safety - derived from the generic application of HACCP
principals;
• Environment Protection - based on good agricultural practices
designed to minimize negative environment effects;
• Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare - establishes a
global level of farm occupational health and safety and
awareness and responsibility regarding social issues;
• Animal Welfare - establishes a global level of animal welfare
criteria on farms
EUREPGAP: Fruit and Vegetable
Control Point Compliance Criteria
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EUREPGAP is a means of incorporating Integrated Pest
Management (IPM) and Integrated Crop Management (ICM)
practices within the framework of commercial agricultural
production. All EUREPGAP fruit and vegetable farmers should
be able to demonstrate their commitment to:
• maintaining consumer confidence in food quality and safety;
• minimizing detrimental impact on the environment, whilst
conserving nature and wildlife;
• reducing the use of crop protection products;
• improving the efficiency of natural resource use; and
• ensuring a responsible attitude towards worker health and
safety.
EUREPGAP: Control Points &
Compliance Criteria