Tightening of Food Inspections

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May 5, 2017 -

Tightening of Food Inspections

On April 7, 2017, the EU Parliament decided to tighten food controls throughout the entire food supply chain from producer to consumer. The new Regulation (EU) 2017/625 takes effect immediately.

The new regulation aims to improve the traceability of food, combat fraud, and restore consumer confidence in the integrity of the food chain. The legislation will introduce a comprehensive, integrated and more effective control system in the areas of food and feed safety, veterinary and plant protection, organic production, and protected geographical indications. The agreement includes better enforcement of fraudulent or misleading practices and also unannounced, risk-based controls in all areas. The intended procedure largely corresponds to what is done by an auditor in the context of a certification audit. DO NOT PANIC! We are preparing you for this!

In the future, the official controls should be carried out using uniform procedures. 

Controls include:

• the controls introduced by the operators and the results achieved;
• equipment, means of transport, premises and other places under their responsibility as well as their surroundings;
• animals and goods, including semi-finished products, raw materials, ingredients, processing aids, and other products used for preparing and manufacturing goods or for feeding or treating animals;
• cleaning and maintenance agents and procedures;
• traceability, labeling, presentation, advertising, and packaging material, including materials intended to come into contact with food (food contact materials);

Further, the following will be:

• hygiene controls conducted on the premises,
• procedures reviewed within the framework of good manufacturing practice, good hygiene practice, good agricultural practice
• procedures based on the principles of hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) assessed.
• documents and records for traceability reviewed
• other records important for assessing compliance with regulations examined
• further discussions conducted with the operators and their staff;
• measurements taken by the operator controlled and test results, sampling, analyses,
• and tests traced, as well as inspection of audit results