Safety first
Eastern European candidate countries (CEEC's) are meeting this week
for a seminar on food safety.
Around 30 industry and governmental experts from Central and Eastern European candidate countries (CEEC's) are to meet this week for a seminar on food safety to be hosted by the Confederation of the Food and Drink Industries of the EU (CIAA).
The aim of the project is to contribute to an effective implementation of EU food safety standards on the ground and to raise awareness of EU requirements in CEEC.
Representatives from national industry federations, national authorities and companies of the eight acceding countries from Central and Eastern Europe (Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Latvia, Slovakia, the Czech republic, Slovenia and Estonia) as well as from Romania and Bulgaria (due to join the EU in 2007) have met with representatives of EU food companies and EU institutions.
The seminar, which will focus on the three main industry sectors of meat, dairy and fruit juices, is organised in the context of the Business Support Programme (BSP) and is being carried out by the CIAA with the support of the EU Phare programme.
Some of the various aspects of food safety to be discussed in the workshops and seminars include; auto-control systems and methodologies to ensure food safety, implementation of HACCP, good manufacturing practices, certification audits and crisis management.
Through the BSP project, the CIAA aims to provide CEEC companies with practical information, training and direct technical support on the application of regulations and on the implementation of methodologies to ensure food safety. Speakers are to include representatives from EU food companies already established in CEEC who are to share their experience.
From 1 May 2004 all products commercialised throughout the enlarged EU or exported to third countries will have to conform with EU food law requirements. Now that most of the EU food regulations have been transposed into national laws, CEEC industries have to apply them and the national authorities will have to control their effective implementation.
Actions to be undertaken both in the EU and locally include the training of tutors on voluntary auto-control systems and support for implementation of GHP systems at industry level through industry site visits.
The CIAA is the voice of the EU food and drink industry, the largest industrial sector in Europe with over €600 billion of production value, 3 million employees and 26,000 companies, out of which a majority of SMEs.
The next CIAA conference, ANUGA 2003, is to be held in Cologne on the 14 October.
