Food Safety in the European Union: Progress with the Implementation of HACCP Systems

摘要

Over the past number of years food safety has become a major political issue as a result of a series food scares that have damaged the public's confidence in the safety of the food supply. This has led to the evaluation of food safety control systems and reviews food safety legislation to ensure the best possible levels of consumer protection. Across the European Union Member States have responded by establishing Food Safety Control Authorities. The European Commission (EC) has placed food safety and consumer protection as a top priority on its agenda and has recently established the European Food Safety Authority as its scientific advisory and risk assessment body. One of the major areas identified in 2000 in the "White Paper on Food Safety" for review was food hygiene and the application of the Hazards Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system in the food industry. Across the EU it is widely accepted that HACCP is making headway in large food businesses while small and less developed businesses are struggling. This paper discusses progress with the application of HACCP in the food sector.