Brochure

Food Safety, Traceability and Liability in the food chain

This brochure is addressed to the following audiences in companies and governmental institutions irrespective of their size:

• Quality managers
• Supply Chain / logistics managers
• Factory and warehouse managers
• Customer and consumer services
• Legal departments
• Communication managers
• IT experts

Food safety and quality have become increasingly important in international trade over the last decade. The agreements reached during the Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade negotiations (1986-94) and the establishment of the World Trade Organization (WTO) brought agriculture and food products under global trading rules for the first time.

The inclusion of international food standards in the WTO's Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement and the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) has provided a level playing field for countries involved in food and agricultural trade. The SPS and TBT Agreements have also created new opportunities for developing and transition countries to stimulate economic development through increased food and agricultural exports. However, weak capacity seriously limits many countries from taking advantage of these opportunities. In the most extreme cases, exports from developing country have been banned because they fail to meet food safety standards. However, even when exporters can meet the requirements of export markets and the SPS Agreement, the costs of compliance are often prohibitively high.
Food control is the mandatory regulatory activity of enforcement of food laws and regulations by national or local authorities to provide consumer protection.
Food control also ensures that all foods during production, handling, storage, processing and distribution are safe, wholesome and fit for human consumption, conform to safety and quality requirements, and are honestly and accurately labelled as prescribed by law.

This includes:

• Food law and regulations
• Food control management
• Inspection services
• Laboratory services
• Information, education, communication and training

Companies which produce, handle, supply or deliver food products recognize an increasing need to demonstrate and document the control of conditions with an impact on food safety.

This also applies to their subcontractors.

Companies are subjected to regular supervision by authorities and customers, national as well as international. There is an increasing desire in the food industry to be able to set up management systems for standardized control of food safety.

The relevant standard-setting organization of the WTO-SPS Agreement regarding to food is the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC).

This Commission was created in 1963 by FAO and WHO to develop food standards, guidelines and related texts such as codes of practice under the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme.
The main purposes of this Programme are protecting health of the consumers and ensuring fair trade practices in the food trade, and promoting coordination of all food standards work undertaken by international governmental and non-governmental organizations.

The SPS Agreement encourages governments to establish national SPS measures consistent with international standards, guidelines and recommendations. This process is often referred to as "harmonization". The WTO itself does not and will not develop such standards. It sets out the basic rules for the use of risk analysis..
WTO is not an organisation for food safety but for international trade. In this connection WTO has to accept the basic demands of FAO and WHO regarding food safety.

To protect the health of the consumer is only possible when the risks are known.
Such a necessary Risk Analysis consists of 

• Risk Assessment
• Risk Management
• Risk Communication

In line with WTO-SPS this brochure give an overview about the most important elements

• Food Safety
• Traceability in the food chain
• Product Liability in case of an emergency
• Rapid Alert System
• Consumer Information

You can download th full version of this brochure in word format

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