WRITTEN QUESTION E-0913/02 by Emmanouil Bakopoulos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Food safety problems.
Date: 2002-04-08
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU law, consumer protection, food safety, health control, health legislation, health risk, import, third country, veterinary legislation

26.9.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 229 E/159

None of the programmes submitted to the Commission in 2001 came from a Finnish trade or inter-trade
organisation.

(1) OJ L 333, 29.12.2000.

(2002/C 229 E/184)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0913/02

by Emmanouil Bakopoulos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(8 April 2002)

Subject: Food safety problems

Commissioner Byrne warned recently about the dangers posed by lack of food safety in third countries.

In particular there is a threat to the European market from food originating from Turkey, Russia,
Bylorussia, the Ukraine and Moldavia where health checks on food are non-existent.

In view of the above, will the Commission say what measures it intends to take to protect the health of
European consumers and whether it is aware of any cases of insanitary food being imported into Greece
from third countries?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(6 June 2002)

For products of animal origin import conditions and import controls are harmonised at Community level.
There is a considerable body of Community veterinary legislation to ensure that acceptable animal health
and public health standards are met for all imported consignments. Such products may only be imported
into the Community in accordance with this legislation, which is aimed at ensuring that health standards
in imported products are at least as high as those applicable to Community production.

For food of non-animal origin, import conditions and import controls are not harmonised at Community
level. However, the general principle applies: food imported into the Community for placing on the market
within the Community shall comply with the relevant requirements of food law or conditions recognised
by the Community to be at least equivalent thereto. It is the aim to harmonise these import conditions by
including a procedure for that purpose in the forthcoming proposal on official food and feed controls
referred to in the White Paper on food safety (1).

This general principle is embedded in Community law through Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 (2) which
provides that the Member States notify to the Commission any findings related to a direct or indirect risk
to human health through the rapid alert system for feed and food. In case of regular serious findings
concerning a product from a third country, a measure may be taken to temporarily impose special import
conditions or even to suspend imports of that product. For the future, the Commission proposal on feed
and food controls will
include procedures to ensure further harmonisation of import conditions and
import controls for this type of food.

Since January 2001 there have been 27 notifications from Greece to the rapid alert system mainly for nuts
and vegetable products. For 25 consignments the products were not permitted entry to the Community.
Only two notifications resulted in an alert being signaled to other Member States through the rapid alert
system. One alert concerned glass in a chocolate powder, and the other chloramphenicol found in frozen
shrimps.

(1) COM(1999) 719 final.
(2) Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 of 28 January 2002, of the Parliament and the Council laying down the general
principles of food law, establishing the European Food Safety Authority and laying down procedures in matters of
food safety, OJ L 31, 1.2.2002.