A year on since its introduction, the European Commission is to undertake a review of the EU’s food hygiene legislation and is seeking comments from stakeholders on the review’s scope for the Food Chain Meeting scheduled for January 12.
The new hygiene rules, introduced in January 2006, consolidated a raft of existing legislation and put hazard analysis critical control points procedures (HACCP) at the heart of Europe’s drive for improved food hygiene along the food supply chain.
The UK’s Food Standards Agency will consult on any proposals that emerge, but is seeking comments on the scope of the review. To have your say, contact Catherine Bowles, Food Hygiene Implementation Division. Catherine.bowles@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk
With food safety concerns continuing to rise and reports of increasing incidents of Listeria monocytogenes and campylobacter, the February issue of Food Manufacture will carry a special feature on food safety and analysis.
Looking to the future Food Manufacture is also publishing a special supplement next month called 2020: A Food Odyssey. As part of this, Steve Wearne, head of the FSA’s Strategy, Risk and Regulation Division, said: "We see as the ideal a balanced and effective market where businesses ensure that the food and drink they sell is safe, fit for its intended purpose, and correctly described; manage effectively the food safety hazards within their products, processes and premises; and where empowered consumers have the information they need to make informed choices about what they eat."