Abridged text of this article

PDF [abridged] of this article

Send a response to this article

Download to Citation Manager

Search Medline for articles by: Watson, R.

Alert me when: New articles cite this article

Collections under which this article appears: International health

News roundup

EU plans new food authority

The European Union is set to have its own food authority to help improve safety standards across the 15 nation bloc under plans published by the European Commission earlier this month. Already the proposals have the backing of members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and will now be examined by EU member governments.

The initiative follows several food scares in recent years ranging from Listeria, contaminated wine, and dioxins to the ongoing concerns over beef and "mad cow disease." If the legislative timetable is kept, the food authority will be operating by 2002. The European Commission envisages an authority with 250 staff and a budget of some 40 million euros within three years, and for the overall number of employees eventually to rise to about 330. The agency's role would be to provide authoritative, up to date scientific advice to consumers, industry, governments, and EU institutions.

According to EU Health and Consumer Commissioner David Byrne, "a key element of the authority is the closest involvement of the food safety authorities of the member states to facilitate the early identification of emerging risks and to avoid confusing and conflicting messages to consumers." The authority is part of a wide ranging package of measures the commission has proposed for the entire food chain "from the farm to the fork" to contribute to a high level of public health protection and restore consumer confidence. The authority would be completely independent, operating under its own management board consisting of national and EU representatives with some places reserved for other interested parties from consumers and industry.

Its role would be essentially advisory, leaving decisions on the action to be taken to EU governments and the European Commission. In addition to independent scientific opinions, the authority would provide advice on technical issues such as food safety and nutrition, plant health, and animal health and welfare. It would also collect and analyse data on dietary patterns, identify emerging risks, operate a rapid alert system covering both human and animal food, and be responsible for informing and communicating with the public on all matters within its remit. Although some of the detail will change as the legislation is processed, the idea of the authority is already widely supported. One of the more contentious issues may be its location: Helsinki, Barcelona, and Parma are all making a strong play to be the host city.

ç indietro