The EU is to introduce tighter food safety regulations including, for the first time, changes in legislation to provide for criminal sanctions, it was announced today.
The announcement was made at an international conference hosted by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) in Dublin today.
The regulations, due to come into force in 2006, include heightened traceability and greater transparency among foodstuffs.
Addressing delegates Mr Alan Reilly of the FASI highlighted the role the ten new accession states would have in forming new control points for food imports.
"It is imperative the new accession countries have robust controls similar to the current EU Member States, otherwise it will be like having the back door ajar when heating a room," Mr Reilly said
Under the new regulation controls on food and feed will be structured so that they are integrated at all stages of production using the "farm-to-fork" principle.
Each country must produce emergency plans as well as a multi-annual food and feed control plan to be updated annually.
The conference also heard that from 2005 every food business in the EU will be obliged to have a "one up - one down" traceability system. In other words businesses must maintain records of all ingredients for products supplied to them and their origin, and also, records will be held on every business supplied to.
Speaking at the conference the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, said the regulation come at "a crucial time in the development of the EU".
"Confidence in each other's food control systems will be crucial and it is crucially important that we prepare together for the new arrangements and, in the spirit of partnership, that we develop models of Best Practice covering all aspects of food control" he added.
