Lecture 10: Food safety legislation in the European Union

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A.Food Safety and H.A.C.C.P.1.Food Safety
Requirements
10. Food Safety Legislation in the European Union
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Food Safety and European Union (part I)

• The objective of the European Union's food safety
  policy is to protect consumers health and
  interests while guaranteeing the smooth operation
  of the single market.

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Food Safety and European Union (part II)

• In order to achieve this objective, the EU
  ensures that control standards are established
  and adhered to as regards food and food product
  hygiene, animal health and welfare, plant health
  and preventing the risk of contamination from
  external substances

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General Food Law (part I)

• In all Member States and many third countries,
  the overarching principles concerning food safety
  and consumer protection are established in
  national legislation.
• However, at EU level, food legislation has
  evolved without some of these basic principles
  having been established in an overarching legal
  instrument.

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General Food Law (part II)

• On the 28th of January 2002 the European
  Parliament and the Council adopted Regulation
  (EC)178/2002 laying down the General Principles
  and requirements of Food Law.

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General Food Law (part III)

• In October 2010, the Commission initiated the
  fitness check exercise which aims to review an
  entire body of legislation in a certain policy
  area with the purpose of identifying excessive
  burdens, overlaps, gaps, inconsistencies and/or
  obsolete measures.

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General Food Law (part IV)

• The food chain was identified as one of four
  pilot projects. This fitness check provides the
  groundwork for the Regulatory Fitness and
  Performance Programme (REFIT) which was
  introduced at the end of 2012.
• It serves as both an overall assessment by
  establishing the state of play and, at the same
  time, as initial mapping exercise outlining the
  next steps.

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Food Safety policy (part I)

• The provision of safe, nutritious, high quality
  and affordable food to Europe's consumers is the
  central objective of EU policy, which covers all
  stages of the EU food supply chain, "from farm to
  fork".
• Its standards and requirements aim to ensure a
  high level of food safety and nutrition within an
  efficient, competitive, sustainable and
  innovative global market.

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Food Safety policy (part II)

• However, a series of emerging challenges and
  risks could put the currently successful European
  food system under severe stress.
• These challenges include demographic imbalances,
  climate change, resource and energy scarcity,
  slowing agricultural productivity, increasing
  concentration of the supply chain, price
  volatility, changing diet trends and the
  emergence of antimicrobial resistant strands

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Summary of 10th Lecture

• General food law in the European Union
• Food Safety Policy in the European Union