The EU and candidate countries: How to cope with food safety policies?

doi:10.1016/S0956-7135(02)00112-3

Food Control

Volume 14, Issue 2, March 2003, Pages 89-93

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0956-7135(02)00112-3 Get rights and content

Abstract

The Central and East-European EU-Associated Countries are facing great challenges in the New Millennium. Besides all requirements factors influencing food safety, food-borne outbreaks, food safety scandals and consumers whose perception is changing as well make us to understand the ever-growing importance of food safety and prepare ourselves by establishing food safety policies. The harmonisation of food legislation, the enforcement of legislation, better co-ordination and highly efficient food control in these countries might enhance the active participation of all those involved in the food chain. The attitude and awareness of Hungarian consumers towards food safety issues is rather similar to those in the EU. In order to protect consumers’ health in the region we have to be aware of our weaknesses, fulfill requirements and strengthen our achievements. Food is as much as an essential emotional, political and public health issue as in other parts of the world.

Introduction

The Central and East-European Countries (hereinafter CEECs), in the first run of EU-enlargement are facing great challenges in the New Millennium.

Outbreaks of food-borne illnesses that have occurred over the past few years world-wide have made consumers increasingly aware of the naturally occurring threats to food safety.

Section snippets

Factors of significance

Several factors are influencing food safety (Table 1). Food safety is one of the most important topics of food industrial development in every industrialised country, because

•
food-borne microbial pathogens in food cause millions of cases of human illness and thousands deaths world-wide every year,
•
liberalisation of the world trade increases the public concern on safety of imported products,
•
globalisation of trade increases food-borne risks both real and percieved,
•
the abolishment of trade barriers

From product testing to a proactive food safety policy

In the ‘80s much effort was taken in the CEECs on traditional quality control practices to provide good properties, large and medium size companies mostly had comprehensive traditional internal inspection and testing systems focused on product testing.

Food industry has been essentially privatised in the ‘90s mainly by multinationals. The high interest for quality management issues in the food industry resulted in a rapidly growing number of people understanding requirements, the significance of

Real and perceived risks––risk communication

I have briefly mentioned that globalisation, food-borne risks, food scandals, changes in the system and lifestyle and several other reasons increased the food-borne risks both real and perceived.

Consumer perception and attitude was one of the less important and interesting issues in the past in the region. The safety (especially microbiological and chemical safety) of the food marketed was of major importance and unfortunately food supply (sufficient quantity) in some countries were on the top

Points of interest

On our way to the EU-enlargement we, candidate countries have harmonised legislation, official control system, certain programmes and policies to ensure a high level of consumer protection throughout the food chain.

Nevertheless we have to be aware of our weaknesses which are of common interest and often caused by factors beyond our limitations to influence them. The ongoing issues are partly specific ones but some are of common interest in the EU or world-wide. Measures and control systems

Acknowledgments

This is to highly appreciate the valuable advice and co-operation of Dr. Z. Lakner, Assistant Professor at the Szent Istvan University, Hungary in the field of consumer perception studies.

References (2)

Bánáti, D., & Lakner, Z. (in press). The food safety issue and the consumer behaviour in a transition economy: A case...
FAO (2000). Report of the FAO Regional Conference for Europe. Twenty-second Session. Porto, Portugal, 24–28 July 2000....

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