92/540/EEC: Commission Recommendation of 9 November 1992 concerning coordinated programme for the official control of foodstuffs for 1993
Date: 1992-11-09
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: baby food, dairy ice cream, fishery resources, food inspection, fruit juice, prepared foodstuff













EUR-Lex - 31992H0540 - EN






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31992H0540

92/540/EEC: Commission Recommendation of 9 November 1992 concerning coordinated programme for the official control of foodstuffs for 1993  


Official Journal L 350 , 01/12/1992 P. 0085 - 0092 





COMMISSION RECOMMENDATIONof 9 November 1992 concerning a coordinated programme for the official control of foodstuffs for  1993 (92/540/EEC) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, and in particular the  second indent of Article 155 thereof, Having regard to Council Directive 89/397/EEC of 14 June 1989 on the official control of foodstuffs   (1), and in particular Article 14 (3) thereof, Whereas it is necessary, with a view to the completion and operation of the internal market, to  arrange for coordinated food inspection programmes at Community level; Whereas such programmes should not only establish compliance with the Community legislation but  also check that the foods is fit for consumption; Whereas simultaneous implementation of national programmes and coordinated programmes can provide  experience which is still widely lacking at present; Whereas the Standing Committee for Foodstuffs has been consulted and has expressed itself in favour  of the coordinated programme of inspections planned for 1993, HEREBY RECOMMENDS THE MEMBER STATES TO TAKE SAMPLES OF THE FOLLOWING PRODUCTS AND TO ANALYSE THE  SPECIFIED PARAMETERS IN 1993: I.  Adulteration of orange juice II.  Nitrates and  nitrites in baby foods containing vegetables III.  Weight inspections for deep-frozen seafood IV.   Microbiological tests on edible ices V.  Microbiological tests on ready-made foods  Explanatory  memorandum on the coordinated programme of inspections for 1993 In 1993 the first coordinated  programme of inspections provided for by Article 14 (3) of Directive 89/397/EEC will be carried  out. The Commission has deliberately recommended a limited, straightforward programme confined to  just a few groups of foodstuffs and easily measured parameters. The analyses proposed are designed  to test compliance with the public health regulations, to guarantee fair trade and to protect  consumer interests. The Commission decided not to set uniform rates for the sampling or the on-the-spot inspections.  The number of samples must take account of both public health and competition aspects, i.e. they  must not only cover the manufacturers playing an important part in intra-Community trade but must  also be extensive enough to provide an overview of the market in the foodstuffs concerned. The Commission has laid down no stipulations with regard to sampling and analysis methods for this  first coordinated programme of control. Each Member State will take the samples in the context of  its own official food control programme and analyse them on the basis of its standard rules. The  methods of analysis used must be mentioned or described briefly on the answer sheets annexed  hereto. If a given Member State has conducted detailed analyses covering every point in the coordinated  programme of controls within the last two years on any of the products or parameters proposed, no  further controls are necessary. The evaluation of the results of the earlier analyses will be made  available to the Commission. In addition to sampling and analyses, on-the-spot inspections of businesses are another useful  means of determining whether a specific product is up to standard. I  Adulteration of orange juice The objective of this analysis is to determine whether too much  water and/or sugar was added in the manufacture of the orange juice and orange juice concentrates  or in the redilution of the orange juice concentrates. The inspection must also ensure that the products are correctly labelled as rediluted or  sweetened. Reference is made to Council Directive 75/726/EEC  (1) and Directive 89/397/EEC. II  Nitrates and nitrites in babyfoods containing vegetables High nitrate and nitrite contents in  babyfoods pose a potential health hazard to infants and small children. Consumers expect a high  level of protection for this particularly vulnerable sector. A Community-wide inspection, is,  therefore, appropriate. To allow fuller assessment in due course, both the aggregate results and  the individual values for each type of vegetable should be recorded. III  Weight inspections for deep-frozen seafood For transport purposes, seafoods are deep-frozen  and, where necessary, wrapped in ice. Often the declared weight bears little relation to the weight  after defrosting. To monitor fair trade and to protect consumers from operators with an unfair  economic advantage, the drain weight after defrosting will be inspected for: -  scallops, -  shrimps, -  lobsters, and -  clams. IV  Microbiological tests on edible ices The inspection reports submitted by the Member States to  date have clearly shown that microbiological contamination is common in edible ices. The objective of the Community-wide inventory is to determine whether substandard hygiene during  the manufacture and distribution of ices poses a health hazard to consumers. For this reason, not  only the Escherischia Coli and germ counts will be determined but also the levels of Staphylococcus  aureus, as an indicator of substandard hygiene, and the readings for the pathogen Salmonella ssp. V  Microbiological tests on ready-made foods The inspection reports submitted by the Member States  to date have revealed microbiological problems with certain ready-made foods, notably: 1.  heat-treated ready-made foods which can become contaminated during reprocessing and which, if  necessary, must be reheated before consumption; 2.  non-heat-treated ready-made foods stabilized in other ways, for example with the aid of  preservatives; 3.  raw ready-made foods requiring no reheating; 4.  raw ready-made foods requiring heating before consumption. For this reason, samples of these ready-made foods should be tested for pathogens, other germs with  signs of substandard hygiene and germs typical of microbial contamination. Ready-made foods in  sterile packaging or sterilized ready-made foods (e.g. tinned foods) are not included in this  programme. Done at Brussels, 9 November 1992. For the Commission Martin  BANGEMANN Vice-President