OFFICIAL CONTROL OF FOOD LABELLING AND FOOD QUALITY CONTROL

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OFFICIAL CONTROL OF FOOD LABELLING AND FOOD
QUALITY CONTROL

• Dr. Pirjo-Liisa Penttilä
• Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
• Finland

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LEGISLATION

• Regulation (EC) No 882/2004
• Official controls performed to ensure the
  verification of compliance with feed and food
  law, animal health and welfare rules
• Covers food safety, other consumer protection
  (food labelling)
• Came into force on 11th January 2006

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WHY NEW LEGISLATION ?

• Earlier legislation sectoral, overlapping and
  loopholes
• Problems with national control systems
• Harmonised Community approach needed
• Role of the Commissions own control services not
  clear

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FOOD SAFETY POLICY

• Must be based on a comprehensive , integrated
  approach
• Business operators have the prime responsibility
  for safety
• Competent authorities monitor and enforce this
  responsibility
• Must be risk-based
• Covering food chain farm to table

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MAIN TARGETS

• Community framework of national control systems
• General requirements for competent authorities
• Their responsibilities to check that business
  comply with legislation
• Also role of Commissions Food and Veterinary
  Office defined

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NATIONAL ENFORCEMENT

• Member States should establish and implement
  multiannual national control plans
• Annual reports are needed
• - how multiannual control plans are
• implemented, results, (indicators)
• - corrections to plans if needed
• Commission control services verifies control
  activities and results

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FINNISH NATIONAL PROGRAMME

• Instructs officials in Finland how arrange food
  control which covers
• Basic and special legislation
• Whole food and feed chain
• All type of products
• quality andlabelling
• Imports /Exports
• Laboratories, inspections, sampling

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PLANNING OF PROGRAMME

• Planning is based on domestic co-operation
• -different ministries
• -district authorities
• -local authorities

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PLANNING OF PROGRAMME 2

• Timing of planning is important
• Activities for the next year should be ready as
  early as possible (Multiannual/Annual Progarams)
• EU has schedules for specific control programs

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PLANNING OF PROGRAMME 3

• Financing must be planned
• - sampling and laboratory analysis
• Reserving laboratory capasity
• Sampling officers should be available
• Good knowledge of the item is needed
• - training programs

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PLANNING OF PROGRAMME 4

• National plan can be based on
• Legislation (EU or national)
• Recommendations (EU or national)
• Earlier activities
• Found violations
• Risk evaluation
• Consumer or other interests

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PLANNING OF PROGRAMME 5

• National Food Agency is responsible for
• co-ordination of national programme
• NFA expects local authorities to prepare their
  own food control plans, taking into consideration
  the contents of the national food control
  programme

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PLANNING OF PROGRAMME 6

• Local plans should be submitted to provincial
  state offices by the end of February
• They should be based on up-to-date information
  concerning all local food establishments, risk
  assessment, available resources and statuory
  requirements

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EU MONITORING PROGRAMMES

• EU legislation
• national salmonella programme
• foreign subtances in products of animal origin
• pesticide residues
• dioxins in fish
• - EU co-ordinated annual programmes

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Examples from national programmes

• Evaluations of local food control
• HACCP systems development and training continued
• Effects of new food legislation
• Import Control
• Control programmes
• Products from nature
• Yersinia
• etc.

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Annex

• LIST OF LEGISLATION
• GUIDELINES FOR FOOD CONTROL
• - responsibilities of different authorities
• planning of control
• registration of establishments
• monitoring of in-house control
• sampling and laboratory analyses

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CHANGES NEEDED IN FINLAND

• Multiannual plans / Annual plans How to
  implement?
• Examples from other EU countries
• More public information of official food control
  , Campaignes
• How to take into consideration in-house control
• Development of indicators and information systems