Food safety plans near fruition
Proposals for a European Food Authority (EFA) designed to address consumers' fears over food safety are to be published next month.
The European Commission hopes to have the body up and running by 2002. It wants it to become "the automatic first port of call when scientific information on food safety and nutrition is sought or problems have been identified."
The authority will concentrate on providing scientific advice, while the Commission will remain responsible for recommending legislation and controls.
As well as gathering and analysing information and communicating its findings to governments and consumers, the EFA will be expected to operate a rapid alert system when urgent food safety problems are identified. It will also develop and operate food safety monitoring programmes.
The plans for the EFA were outlined in the White Paper on Food Safety published in January, which also detailed over 80 measures intended to improve and streamline existing EC legislation on food.
by Angela Frewin angela.frewin@rbi.co.uk
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