A healthy perspective

Late last year President Barroso stressed that the focus for 2007 would be on the realisation of the key strategic objectives fixed at the start of the current Commission. Naturally, the main target remains sustainable growth, but what are the challenges for those involved in the food and health industries? Food Solutions caught up with European Commissioner for Health Markos Kyprianou to find out what the Commission’s priorities are for the coming year and what successes his directorate has had to date.

FS. How is the commission approaching the challenge of ensuring better food safety in Europe? What do you see as the key issues?

MK. There is a solid body of EU food safety legislation in place, which the Commission is continually reviewing and updating as necessary. Our over-riding goal is to ensure that European consumers can continue to rely on the high food safety standards that they have come to expect. Be it pesticide residues or microbe levels, additives or food packaging materials, the Commission always works on the basis of the latest scientific advice and technological developments to ensure that proportionate and effective EU rules are in place to protect consumers. However, it is not enough just to legislate. Obviously, the actual level of food safety depends on how well the food safety rules are implemented across the EU. This is where the control authorities come in. Member states are responsible for ensuring EU legislation is fully and properly implemented and complied with in their territories, while the Commission’s Food and Veterinary Office carries out a substantial number of checks every year, both in the EU and third countries.

FS. Why is an integrated approach to food safety needed? What does this involve?

MK. Since the publication of the White Paper on Food Safety in 2000, the Commission has made the integrated approach to food safety (i.e. ‘farm to fork’) the foundation for any work we do in this area. To ensure that food is produced in a safe and responsible manner, we have to start at the very beginning of the food and feed chain, and follow the product right through to the end, until it reaches the consumer. We cannot expect the food that we find on the supermarket shelf to be safe if it was produced from unhealthy plants or animals, processed in an unhygienic environment or exposed to toxic elements during packaging, storage or transport. That is why the EU food safety rules place equal emphasis on each point of the food chain. This means that the responsibility for food safety is shared by all involved in food production, while regular controls must be carried out at various junctures to ensure that the strict rules we have set out are being respected.

FS. What initiatives are you involved in at the Commission to help drive the issue of better food safety into the everyday operations of those involved in Europe’s food chain?

MK. At the beginning of 2006 we saw the entry into force of a whole new body of very important food safety rules. The Hygiene Package sets down strict rules on the hygiene of foodstuffs, including requirements to implement and maintain procedures based on the HACCP principles and comply with the relevant hygienic requirements with regard to premises, equipment, transport, water supply, personal hygiene, etc. General rules are laid down for all food, while specific measures are included for certain food of animal origin. There is a separate regulation on feed hygiene, which is just as important given that many of our food crises over the past couple of decades have originated with problems in animal feed.

Reflecting our ‘farm to fork’ approach, these laws apply at every stage of the food chain. Everyone from primary producers to final retailers must comply with these regulations. An important principle underlined in this legislation is that responsibility for food and feed safety lies first and foremost with the operators – whether that is the farmer, processor or caterer.

The hygiene rules are complemented by the regulation on official food and feed controls, which seeks to ensure better, more harmonised and more efficient controls by national authorities.

FS. Why is better training essential for ensuring safer food, and what work are you doing in this area?

MK. Well-trained officials are clearly a prerequisite for full and proper veterinary controls. And good controls are a key factor in making sure that all food safety rules are complied with, so that the food and feed put on the EU market meets the high safety standards we have set. The Commission has therefore embarked on an ambitious strategy entitled “Better Training for Safer Food”. This involves organising training for both EU and third country officials in the areas of food law, feed law, animal health and welfare and plant health. The aim is to keep control authorities up-to-date with EU legislation in this area, and to ensure that controls are carried out in a uniform and effective way in all member states. For 2007, we have planned 12 training programmes under this initiative. They will cover such issues as HACCP, animal by-products, veterinary checks at borders, animal welfare standards and the monitoring and control of food-borne diseases.

FS. What are your thoughts on current European food safety? Are there any food safety concerns raised by the further enlargement of the EU? Do you have any other concerns (such as importing foodstuffs from less-developed countries)?

MK. In the EU, we enjoy one of the highest levels of food safety in the world. European consumers demand high standards and the strong body of food safety legislation that we have put in place serves to meet these expectations. Moreover, the Commission is not content to rest on its laurels, and is continually monitoring and reviewing the rules to ensure that they are as effective as they can be.

I do not have any concerns about the impact further enlargement will have on food safety in the EU. Our approach to enlargement is very clear – new member states may only put products on the EU market if they meet the strict requirements that other member states must adhere to. We have agreed on transitional measures for many Bulgarian and Romanian food establishments that require more time to upgrade to the EU standards. Products that are not in full conformity with EU rules and requirements will only be allowed on the domestic markets.

Likewise, for third countries, we demand that their exports to the EU are of an equivalent standard to EU products when it comes to food safety. Controls are done both at in the country of origin and at EU borders to ensure this principle is complied with and to check that imports pose no risk to European consumers.