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MEAT INSPECTION ROUND TABLE.

MEAT INSPECTION ROUND TABLE. Brussels 25.10.2010 Robert REMY Expert Food Policy – BEUC/TEST ACHATS. CONSUMER PRINCIPLES. A public safety backstop. Food businesses are responsible. A science - based approach. A multi - disciplinary approach. A risk - based approach. Independent oversight.

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MEAT INSPECTION ROUND TABLE.

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  1. MEAT INSPECTION ROUND TABLE. Brussels 25.10.2010 Robert REMY Expert Food Policy – BEUC/TEST ACHATS

  2. CONSUMER PRINCIPLES. • A public safety backstop. • Food businesses are responsible. • A science - based approach. • A multi - disciplinary approach. • A risk - based approach. • Independent oversight. • Clear criteria for any transfer of responsibilities.

  3. CONSUMER PRINCIPLES. 8. Incentives and disincentives for compliance. 9. Review and monitoring. 10. Address future hazards.

  4. 1. A PUBLIC SAFETY BACKSTOP. • Fundamental for protecting public health. • Essential to identify animal health problems and food safety hazards. • Need to deal with most significant hazards. • Important to ensure that consumers can buy a wholesome product.

  5. 2. FOOD BUSINESSES ARE RESPONSIBLE. • Ultime responsibility for safety lies with food businesses. • But independent inspection does not undermine this responsibility.

  6. 3. A SCIENCE BASED APROACH. • Decisions about the nature of meat inspections guided by advice from EFSA. • To learn lessons from the approach to poultry before shifting responsibilities for other meat inspection.

  7. 4. A MULTI – DISCIPLINARY APPROACH. • To take in account a wide range of relevant expertise (veterinary and public health expertise). • To take account of slaughterhouse practices… • …and consumer expectation. • All relevant stakeholders need to be consulted.

  8. 5. A RISK – BASED APPROACH. • Meat industry is very diverse and operating to different standards. • Important that the enforcement regime reflects this…with greatest resources focused on the poorest performing. • But also needs to take account that circumstances can quickly change.

  9. 6. INDEPENDENT OVERSIGHT. • Strong independent oversight by competent authorities will always be essential. • Any conflict of interest in responsibilities must be avoided.

  10. 7. CLEAR CRITERIA FOR ANY TRANFER OF REPONSIBILITY. • Where businesses consistently perform to a high standard, it may be appropriate to transfer greater responsibility. • Essential…a high level of confidence in the management. • Clear, transparent criteria.

  11. 8. INCENTIVES AND DISINCENTIVES FOR COMPLIANCE. • Non – compliance should not be tolerated and tough penalties to prevent poor standards. • To publish hygiene standards or scores so that the public can see which are the best and poorest performing businesses.

  12. 9. REVIEW AND MONITORING. • Regular review and monitoring as circumstances change. • Periodic unannounced visits by independent enforcement officers.

  13. 10. ADDRESSING FUTURE HAZARDS. • Important to recognize the meat inspection’s role in identifying and addressing eventual new animal diseases. • Necessity to detect new and emerging hazards at an early stage. • No conflict of interest should delay reporting and disclosure.

  14. CONCLUSION. • Meat safety remains a sensitive issue for consumers. • Much effort has be put into improving food safety in recent years… • …but problems remain and it’s important to be alert to emerging risks. • Inspection must focuse the most significant hazards.

  15. CONCLUSION. • But it also needs to be ensured that meat is wholesome. • Modernisation exercise must be based on scientific evidence. • HOW to do should be distinguished from WHO does it. • A risk – based approach is essential…but always need to be effective, independent oversight.

  16. THANK YOU ! food@beuc.eu rremy@test-achats.be

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