It will oblige national authorities to work together with the Food Authority. And finally it will have a Scientific Committee with a co-ordinating role and scientific panels. We have come to the conclusion that food safety is an intrinsic part of food quality. European consumers will settle for no less than safe food and they are right. But they expect the food that they eat and feed to their children to be more than just safe.
Consumers expect food to meet their nutritional needs, to be wholesome and tasty.
They expect to be able to choose amongst a wide variety of foods. They expect their food to be produced and processed in accordance with good farming practices, with greater respect for the environment and for the welfare of animals. And they expect to be informed, in a precise and accurate manner, about the composition, the nutritional value, the durability, the origin, and, in certain cases, the method of production of the food offered to them. As we enter the 21 st century, the challenges facing the European food supply are constantly changing. We eat a greater variety of foods throughout the year, not only from all over the European Union, but from all around the world.