Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on the "Communication from the Commission entitled White Paper on Food Safety"
8. 8. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 226/7 Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on the ‘Communication from the Commission entitled “White Paper on Food Safety”’ (2000/C 226/03) THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS, having regard to the Commission’s White Paper on Food Safety (COM(1999) 719 final); having regard to the decision taken by the Commission on 28 January 2000, under the first paragraph of Article 265 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, to consult it on the matter; having regard to the decision taken by its president on 4 April 2000 to direct Commission 5 for Social Policy, Public Health, Consumer Protection, Research and Tourism to draw up the relevant opinion; having regard to the decision taken by its president on 5 April 2000 to appoint Ms Bunyan (UK/PES) and Mr Gonzi (I/EPP) as rapporteurs-general, under rule 40(2) of its rules of procedure; having regard to the general exploratory debate on the subject of the opinion, held by Commission 5 for Social Policy, Public Health, Consumer Protection, Research and Tourism and Commission 2 for Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries, under rule 40(3); considering the concern of COR members for a European food policy that guarantees a high level of consumer health protection; considering the reference to food safety in the Commission’s communication to the European Parliament, the Council, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on strategic objectives 2000-2005: Shaping the new Europe (COM(2000) 154 final), adopted the following opinion at its 33rd plenary session held on 12 and 13 April 2000 (meeting of 12 April). The Committee of the Regions, 4. Agrees that the fundamental principles of food safety and public confidence must be based upon a comprehensive and integrated approach, encompassing the whole food chain ‘from farm to table’: 1. Welcomes the Commission’s determination to develop and implement an EU food policy that ensures the highest standards of food safety. — transparency of all actions and opinions; 2. Shares the Commission’s recognition that recent emerg- encies in aspects of food and feedingstuffs have eroded public confidence in the safety of food and the effectiveness of the existing food safety control measures within the EU, whilst at the same time causing farmers significant loss, due to the reduction in demand for products considered to present a risk to health. — maximum information in clear and understandable form being provided to allow effective consumer choice; — effective traceability of all ingredients and feedingstuffs through the foodchain to the consumer, ensuring at every stage of the process the ability to identify all ingredients; food, 3. Believes that an important step in restoring confidence is the placing of the interests of the consumer clearly above all other interests in regard to issues of safety, as evidenced by the decision of the Commission to transfer responsi- bility for all food safety matters to the Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection. — application of the precautionary principle in appropri- ate circumstances. 5. Would wish to state its belief that the proper application of Risk Analysis must be seen as the foundation of future EU food safety policy. C 226/8 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 8. 8. 2000 6. Recognises the need to acknowledge and respect the diversity and cultural and economic significance of regional and local traditions and customs with respect to food production and taste, and therefore of always seeking the appropriate balance between consumer safety and consumer choice. 15. Emphasises that the application of the principle of tracea- bility of food, ingredients and feedstuffs throughout the food chain is vital in order to ensure that consumers can rely on the claims made about foods. 7. Believes that the promotion and support of typical food products from different local traditions represents a very decisive way to give consumers healthy foods, and at the same time to help the economies of many rural areas. 8. Endorses the view that there is a need for consistent and effective enforcement of food safety control measures, which must be achieved by ensuring the highest standards of enforcement across the EU. 9. Argues that better compliance with safety standards can be achieved by promoting and assisting with the adoption of effective quality assurance systems by food producers. 10. Acknowledges the necessity to understand the particular requirements of small and medium sized businesses, but this understanding should not be allowed to compromise consumer safety. 11. Considers that agricultural legislation should be further updated in order to guarantee food safety and enable businesses to receive technical assistance and guidance. 12. Would urge the Commission to recognise the essential role played by local and regional authorities in the assessment of food safety risks within their area, in taking action to minimise risk and in the effective communication of information and advice to local consumers, food producers and distributors. 13. Wishes to point out that dietary, nutritional and health risks attached to food affect the socially excluded and vulnerable consumers in significantly greater proportion, and that therefore special consideration should be given to their particular needs when developing and implementing food policy. 14. Considers that whilst there is unquestionably a need to improve food labelling in order to allow consumers to make informed choices about what they decide to eat, it is essential that the information provided with food is easily understandable and therefore helpful to consumers in making such decisions. 16. Commends the proposals to develop a European Food Authority in that its creation would demonstrate the commitment of the EU and Member States to raising the importance of food safety to the highest level and believes that the proposals create a context and momentum for radical review and modernisation of European food safety controls and coordination. 17. Would encourage the Commission, in the interests of creating a culture of transparency, to consider how the voice of European consumers from all Member States should be represented in the structure of the European Food Authority, and how to take into account the voices of European farmers, food producers and distributors. 18. Would urge the Commission to ensure that sufficient resources are provided in order that the European Food Authority can become a centre of scientific excellence and effectively carry out the significant tasks that are proposed for it. 19. Recognises the need for clarification of the relationship between any European Food Authority and Member States’ own national food authorities that have been or are in the process of being created, so that the work of the European Food Authority will complement and not duplicate the activities of these bodies; in particular a clear hierarchy of duties should be created in order that food authorities in the Member States are certain as to their responsibilities; consumers will also then have more confidence in the advice they are given and the effective functioning of these authorities. 20. Agrees that real added value from a European Food Authority will be realised from its role in coordinating the gathering, analysis and dissemination of information of the highest quality, particularly in response to emergency situations. 21. Is of the opinion that there is a need to organise throughout all Member States an adequate sampling and analysis programme for human and animal foods; this is important in order to guarantee the safety of food and also to help protect European producers from any unfair competition; and in the case of a negative result, immediate action should be taken, including the provision of information to all public authorities, together with the possibility of blocking any importation which should be attempted from outside the EU. 8. 8. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 226/9 22. Agrees that an effective EU food safety policy must apply to all food consumed within the EU, not simply that produced within the EU, and therefore equivalent compre- hensive and effective controls must be applied to all food and feedingstuffs entering the EU. Brussels, 12 April 2000. The President of the Committee of the Regions Jos CHABERT Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on the ‘Proposal for a European Parliament and Council Regulation establishing a system for the identification and registration of bovine animals and regarding the labelling of beef and beef products and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No. 820/97’ (2000/C 226/04) THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS, having regard to the Proposal for a European Parliament and Council Regulation establishing a system for the identification and registration of bovine animals and regarding the labelling of beef and beef products and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No. 820/97 (COM (1999) 487 final — COD 99/0204) (1); having regard to the decision taken by the Council on 12 November 1999, under Article 152 and the first paragraph of Article 265 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, to consult the Committee of the Regions on the matter; having regard to the COR Bureau decision of 17 November 1999 to direct Commission 2 for Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries to draw up the relevant opinion; having regard to the decision taken by its president on 6 January 2000, under rule 39 of the Committee of the Regions’ Rules of Procedure, to appoint Sir Simon Day (member of Devon County Council, UK/PPE) as rapporteur-general for the opinion; having regard to the Draft Opinion (CdR 525/99 rev. 1) adopted by Commission 2 on 24 February 2000 (rapporteur-general: Sir Simon Day), adopted the following opinion at its 33rd plenary session on 12 and 13 April 2000 (meeting of 12 April). 1. Background The BSE crisis and other concerns surrounding food 1. 1. safety have produced increasing political and consumer press- ure for systems of labelling which allow a product to be traced back down the food chain to its farm of origin and which provide verifiable assurance of the safe provenance of beef in particular. (1) OJ C 376 E, 28. 12. 1999, p. 42. 1. 2. The Commission responded with the Beef Labelling Scheme, which was introduced in 1998, under Council Regulation (EC) No. 820/972 (2). The prior approval which forms part of this scheme is designed to respond to any claims made by a retail purchaser about the origin, characteristics and production conditions of fresh or frozen beef or veal. A condition of this is that an verification system must be in place. Approval is not necessary where the label only gives customers basic information on price and cut. (2) Council Regulation (EC) No. 820/97, 21 April 1997 establishing a system for the identification and registration of bovine animals and regarding the labelling of beef and beef products (OJ L 117, 7. 5. 1997, p. 1)