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Food and Feed Hygiene
Why did the Commission draw up new food and feed hygiene legislation?
The aim of the new food and feed hygiene legislation is to simplify, upgrade and consolidate EU rules, with a view to enhancing food safety and consumer protection. The Hygiene Package for food (which consists of 3 Regulations (1) and 2 Directives) and the Feed Hygiene Regulation are an integral part of the EU’s “farm to fork” strategy for food safety. They provide for a single, transparent EU hygiene policy, applicable to all food and feed and at every point on the food chain. They seek to provide effective tools to ensure food safety and to manage potential food and feed crises.
What are the main provisions for food hygiene within the Hygiene Package?
Under the new rules for food hygiene, general measures are laid down for the production of all food, while specific rules are laid down for meat and meat products, bivalve molluscs, fishery products, milk and dairy products, eggs and egg products, frogs’ legs and snails, animal fats and greaves, gelatine and collagen. Among the main provisions introduced by the new food hygiene legislation are:
• Responsibility for ensuring that food hygiene standards are met lies first and foremost with all food operators involved in the production, manufacture, processing, distribution or retail of the food.
• Primary producers must protect, as far as possible, primary products against contamination.
• Establishments involved in food production have to be registered and some will need to be approved by the competent authority
• The HACCP principles (see below) should be applied at every stage in the food chain except primary production
• Guides of good practice should be drawn up by the food business sector at national level for operators to follow.
• Technical requirements on infrastructure and equipment, food handling, water quality, pest control, the maintenance of the cold chain etc must be respected.
• The new rules can be applied in a flexible way, in particular with regard to traditional methods of production, food establishments in regions subject to geographical constraints and small businesses.
• Imported food has to meet the same high standards as EU products.
What special measures are in place for meat under the food hygiene rules?
The general measures of the food hygiene legislation will apply for meat, but other more specific provisions are also laid down. There will be a new, risk-based approach to inspection, while still ensuring that the food safety practices are properly controlled. In the case of fattening pigs post-mortem inspection can be limited to a visual examination where all the food safety production rules have been applied, unless abnormalities are detected. There is also a clear division of responsibilities between the slaughterhouse operator and competent authorities when it comes to inspection. Mandatory documentation and reporting practices by operators will ensure a continuous information flow throughout the production chain. Fresh red meat will continue to be marked with a health mark, and from the beginning of 2006, meat products (like other food products of animal origin) will have to carry an identification mark. When sending animals to slaughter, farmers will have to register all health related problems and send this information to the slaughterhouse prior to sending the livestock. Some flexibility is provided in the rules to allow traditional meat production and processing methods to continue.
Who is responsible for meat inspection?
The inspection of live and slaughtered animals is the responsibility of official veterinarians. They may be assisted by official auxiliaries and, under specific circumstances and only for poultry and rabbit meat, by slaughterhouse staff. At least one official veterinarian needs to be present in the slaughterhouse throughout the inspection of live and slaughtered animals. Inspection of live animals on the farm by an approved veterinarian is also possible. Extensive, mandatory training is laid down for veterinarians, auxiliaries and slaughterhouse staff involved in meat inspection. At cutting plants, an official vet or auxiliary must be present when meat is being worked upon, although this measure is flexible in terms of how frequently it must be applied (dependant on the risk assessment carried out by the competent authority).
What are the key features of the Regulation on feed hygiene?
The new Regulation on feed hygiene applies to the production of animal feed at all stages, including at primary level, i.e. on the farm. It will therefore provide for higher safety standards and improved traceability throughout the food chain. Under the new rules, operators are responsible for ensuring that the produce they intend to put on the EU market is safe. They will have to comply with the HACCP principles in the manufacture of feed, and keep records of production and marketing to ensure traceability. The feed hygiene Regulation lays down mandatory training for feed producers, and all operators will have to be registered with the national authorities. As with the food hygiene Regulation, the feed hygiene legislation foresees guides to good practice being set up, at either community or national level, which feed operators would be expected to follow. Stringent conditions for the storage, transport and handling of feed are also included in the Regulation, and imported feed will have to meet the same hygiene standards as EU feed.
What are the HACCP principles and who must apply them?
The new rules for both food and feed hygiene introduce Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) principles for all business sectors except for the primary sector (farms). Food and feed businesses will have to establish, implement and maintain a permanent procedure based on the HACCP principles.
There are 7 HACCP principles:
• Identification of potential food safety risks through hazard analysis
• Identification of critical control points to prevent such hazards
• Establishment of critical limits
• Monitoring of the critical control points
• Corrective actions if something goes wrong
• Verification that monitoring is being properly carried out, corrective actions are being taken in time and measures are working effectively
• Documenting the process
Example of HACCP application: When carrying out a hazard analysis, slaughterhouse operators may decide to identify important critical control points such as the prevention of faecal contamination of carcasses or ensuring the correct temperature of carcasses during storage. Such critical control points must then be further monitored by the slaughterhouse operator. HACCP is a vital system to enhance food safety.
The system is a flexible one so as to be applicable in all situations, including in small businesses. The need for documentation and record keeping, for example, will be proportionate with the nature and the size of the food business. Guides for the application of the HACCP principles may also constitute a means to facilitate HACCP implementation.
Where does responsibility lie when it comes to food and feed hygiene?
Under the new legislation, food operators at each stage in the food chain are
responsible for ensuring that EU hygiene rules are respected – farmers, processors,
manufacturers, distributors, retailers and caterers. The obligation also lies with feed
operators to guarantee the safety of any animal feed marketed. The competent
authority in each Member State must control the situation through regular
inspections and on-the-spot checks. All food and feed business operators need to be
registered, and some businesses, such as slaughterhouses and cutting plants, need
approval before they can operate. Moreover, certain establishments such as
slaughterhouses and cutting plants must also guarantee other rules are complied
with, such as animal welfare, humane killing procedures and the prevention of crosscontamination.
What provisions are made for small businesses and local producers?
The new legislation on food hygiene does provide some flexibility for small businesses, traditional food manufacturers and businesses in remote regions. For example, in slaughterhouses, this could include flexibility regarding the presence of a vet during post-mortem examination, or regarding the content and frequency of information the operator must deliver. The rules will not apply to primary production for domestic use, nor to local producers who wish to sell small quantities directly to the consumer e.g. farm gate sales or local retail shops. Likewise, the Feed Hygiene Regulation provides derogations for local trade of small quantities of feed and the private production of feed given to animals for home consumption.
How will the hygiene rules affect imports?
Imported food and feed products have to meet EU food safety standards, including the hygiene rules. The import of products of animal origin is only allowed from countries and establishments placed on an EU list managed by the European Commission. (See below for how countries can be listed).
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Regulation 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs; Regulation 853/2004 laying down
specific hygiene rules for food of animal origin; Regulation 854/2004 laying down
specific rules for the organisation of official controls on products of animal origin
intended for human consumption