Source: http://www.szpi.gov.cz/en/docDetail.aspx?prn=1&baf=0&nid=11460&doctype=ART&docid=1005161&chnum=19&inqResults=11369&hl=
Timestamp: 2013-05-25 02:00:35
Document Index: 368887206

Matched Legal Cases: ['Art. 11', 'Art. 6', 'Art. 10', 'Art. 8', 'Art. 11', 'Art. 11', 'Art. 10', 'Art. 10']

1. 1. Foreword
2. 2. Inspection Objectives in 2000
The CAFIA's inspection priority in the last year, as in former years, was food safety and incorrectly marked food (so-called 'adulterated' food). A brand new sphere of activity was the control of the introduction of a critical-point system into production.
Considerable attention was paid to the control of conditions under which foods were kept, which particularly involved the temperatures stipulated by legal regulations (for example, for frozen foods; unpacked pastry; frozen creams; diary produce; etc.), and/or declared on the package by the producer.
CAFIA's inspections also focused on correct labelling; maintaining quality standards; observing quantities declared; complying with 'Expiry dates' and 'Dates of minimum durability' in retail; and other binding requirements stipulated in relevant laws and their Codes of Practice. The Inspectorate was also involved in checking the fulfilment of measures imposed.
A certain part of inspections, both in the retail network and in production, was instigated by consumers or other entities, who drew our attention to non-compliance with quality and hygiene requirements during the sale of food.
For planning both at the Headquarters and the Regional Branches level, maximum use was made (and will continue to be made) of the CAFIA information system and its programs for 'Inspection Activities' and 'Laboratory Activities'.
3. 3.1. Inspection Activities - General Overview
In the previous period, the CAFIA inspectors carried out 31,807 individual inspections: 18,002 in the retail network; 10,174 in production; 3,488 in wholesale; and 143 in other venues (for example, in restaurants). The increased number of inspections in production compared to 1999 (when a total of 4,623 inspections had been made) was particularly in connection with controlling the introduction of the critical point system; these inspections were commenced as of January 1, 2000. During the inspections, a total of 10,875 unsatisfactory food samples and tobacco products were found that did not comply with the legal requirements for food safety, quality, or labelling. As for the individual commodities, the highest number of unsatisfactory samples were found in the area of fresh vegetables; spirits and alcoholic beverages; grape wine; fresh fruit; delicatessen products; pastry products; meat and meat products; and bakery products. A relatively high number of unsatisfactory samples within the above fields were also due to more focused attention on these commodities, as they were largely represented in the market, or they required more attention due to a higher safety risk.
Regarding the place of sampling, the majority of non-conforming samples were found in the retail network: 8,583 samples. In production, 1,531 non-conforming samples were detected; 689 in production; and 72 in other places. When interpreting this outcome, it is necessary to consider that there is a large number of sales points, selling a wide range of products. It is therefore natural that a higher number of non-conforming samples were found in the retail sphere than in production or wholesaling
4. 3.2. Inspection Activities - Inspection Results According to Individual Fields and Types of Analysis
A frequent analytical defect in diary products was the detection of a different quantity of dry matter, or fat, or fat in dry matter, than claimed on the product label (for example, with cheeses).
5. 3.3. Inspection Activities - Subject-oriented Inspections
With regard to the amended law on foodstuffs, which newly defines foodstuffs of a new type and stipulates obligations for them, the CAFIA undertook a monitoring of genetically modified foodstuffs. Its objective was to check whether such foods were put into circulation in the Czech Republic's retail network. Samples taken in September, October, and November were analysed in a renowned foreign laboratory in Switzerland. A total of 10 potentially genetically modified foodstuffs, containing soya or sweet corn, were sampled; four of them contained genetically modified DNA. The food samples (from the same lot) will serve as reference material for the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics of the CAFIA laboratory in Brno. The results will be used for inspection planning in the next period.
6. 3.4. Inspection Activities - Production Control
Last year's CCP system checks revealed significant differences in the conditions of individual producers. In general, it can be stated that the presence of the CCP system increased in proportion to the size of the production entity; that is, the larger the enterprise was, the more likely it was to have introduced the system. Thus, the CCP system is usually fully functional in those entities that are strong in terms of their financial position and management. Furthermore, fewer problems were found among producers who had a narrow product range, used simpler technology, and produced foods with a low epidemiological risk.
7. 3.5. Inspection Activities - Retail Control
This sphere of activity includes the inspections undertaken in a retail network (including markets) and wholesale warehouses.
In a retail network, a relatively low number of inspections were carried out following a consumer complaint or comment. Another reason for these inspections was the plan of regional branches; sampling, for example, within a framework of centrally managed inspections; and tracking non-conforming foodstuffs detected during the monitoring of producers. In most cases when the inspection was done on the basis of a complaint, monitoring the observation of other obligations took place at the same time as the investigation of the actual subject of the complaint. Regarding the requirements set forth in legal regulations, the inspections focused on complying with hygiene regulations in retailing, on shop equipment according to the range of foodstuffs sold, observing the 'Expiry date' and 'Date of Minimum durability' regulations, correctness of labelling, packaging, documents accompanying the commodity, etc. In the framework of the storage-condition check, the inspectors focused on complying with temperature regimes for keeping chilled and frozen foodstuffs and on other foods which required special temperatures when being put into circulation: for example, pastry products; diary products; fresh mushrooms; or products where the storage temperature was determined by the producer. From the point of view of individual fields, the inspections in permanent shops most often focused on fresh fruit and vegetables; processed fruit and vegetables; meat products; diary products; wine; spirits; bakery products; pastry products; and delicatessen products. In shops in filling stations, the inspections were directed to delicatessen products (baguettes), soft drinks, confectionery, long-life pastry, and others. In markets, including sales at fairs, the inspections were particularly focused on spirits; winter sales of fresh fruit and fresh vegetables; and summer sales of chocolate, chocolate confectionery, and mushrooms. As for the markets, the inspections specifically focused on Easter and Christmas markets and stall equipment.
Inspections in wholesaling were particularly directed to imported foodstuffs and to tracking non-conforming samples detected in retailing; in terms of commodities, they were focused on fruit and vegetable quality.
8. 4. Complaints
A majority of complaints concerned food sales in smaller self-service shops and shops selling over the counter; fewer of them concerned sales in supermarkets.
9. 5. Penalties
In 2000, the CAFIA imposed 2,874 penalties in administrative proceedings for breaching obligations stipulated by legal regulations; the total of the penalties amounted to 31,382,300 CZK. The main reason for imposing the penalties in administrative proceedings especially was non-compliance with the following provisions of legal regulations (the figures in brackets indicate the number of cases when the breach of the relevant provision resulted in the penalty): Art. 11 Par. 1 Letter d) of the Act on Foodstuffs ( 1,307); Art. 6 of Act on Foodstuffs ( 1,131); 3. Art. 10 Par. 1 Letter c) of the Act on Foodstuffs ( 1,024); Art. 8 of the Act on Foodstuffs ( 831); Act on Vineyards and Viniculture ( 655); Art. 11 Par. 1 Letter c) of the Act on Foodstuffs ( 641); Art. 11 Par. 2 c) of the Act on Foodstuffs ( 557); Art. 10 Par. 1 Letter b) of the Act on Foodstuffs ( 475); Art. 10 Par. 1 Letter a) of the Act on Foodstuffs ( 446).
If concurrent breaches of more provisions of legal regulations were committed by the person inspected, the penalty was imposed in an aggregate sum for all defects ascertained. The number of penalties imposed was thus significantly lower than the number of violations revealed. Foodstuffs worth 26,508,882 CZK were banned from circulation (out of this, 12,420,538 CZK worth of imported products in retailing; 6,372,106 CZK worth of domestic products in retailing; and 7,716,238 CZK worth of products in production).
10. 6. Laboratories
One of the conditions for granting the authorisation for conducting analytical analyses of grape wine for evaluation, as well as classification of grape wines, is to participate and successfully complete the inter-laboratory comparative tests of grape wine organised by the CAFIA. These tests are annually incorporated into the national programme of capability testing. During the year 2000, an important project within the Czech Republic took place: establishing a laboratory for identification of GMO DNA in agricultural products and food; this project was incorporated into the National Quality Project at the same time. As part of this project, some foodstuffs were tested for GMOs; the method used was qualitative screening, based on polymeraze chain reaction. Apart from other activities, the CAFIA's laboratories were also involved in research schemes of the Ministry of Agriculture included in the Project for NAZV (National Agency for Agricultural Research). Apart from an active participation in the projects of the Ministry of Agriculture in the spheres of science and research, in 2000 the CAFIA's laboratories also focused on the development and introduction of new testing methods, such as the determination of fat-free cocoa and milk dry matter in chocolate and chocolate confectionery products; determination of deoxinivalenole, a mycotoxin, in cereals and cereal products; determination of gluten in gluten-free foods; proving adulteration of animal and vegetable foodstuffs; and proving selected types of pathogenic microorganisms - Camphylobacter jejuni/coli, Escherichia coli 0 157. 11. 7. Certification
Based on the intergovernmental agreement for facilitation of food exports to the Russian Federation, the Russian authorities GOSSTANDART (equivalent of the Czech UNMZ) and GOSKOMSANEPIDNADZOR (hygiene service) accredited the CAFIA as the only Czech Republic body in the area of food allowed to do food certification within the Russian GOST R system. Based on this accreditation, the CAFIA can conduct laboratory tests on food, including the evaluation of results according to Russian standards and regulations. Last year, an audit by both these Russian authorities was successfully completed, resulting in the extension of the CAFIA's accreditation for another three years.
12. 8. Foreign Relationships
The CAFIA's representatives participated in the Conference on Food Safety, held every year in Brussels; in 2000, this conference took place in the light of reactions to the European Commission's White Paper. Also very important in this respect was the Conference on Product Safety, which was not only a reaction to changes in European Food Legislation but also a reaction to changes in the consumer-protection concept, enforced by the DG SANCO. The CAFIA's activities as well as its developmental conception were presented at the conference called 'CR Foodstuffs in the Extended EU Market', arranged for by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic in Brussels at the end of the year. The CAFIA's participation in the seminar called 'Food Safety Above All', held in the Netherlands, was extremely beneficial; its objective was to familiarize the participants from associated countries with the food-inspection system in the Netherlands and with the method of communication with the European Union. At the seminar on food safety held in Poland, the CAFIA's approach to risk evaluation was presented; at the practical seminar in Italy, both theoretical and practical findings were acquired in the area of analytic methods used for detecting the presence of GMOs in food; at the subsequent seminar in Brussels, the CAFIA's results were already presented in the sphere of GMOs detection. The CAFIA's inspectors participated in the international seminar on quality control of fresh fruit and vegetables. As part of the training course held in the USA, the issue of inspection and analyses of irradiated food was discussed. Foreign residential courses in which CAFIA employees participated were not only focused on inspection and laboratory methods and on sampling methods, but also on getting to know the organisational structure of the partnership organisations and their methods of communication with the European Commission.
13. 9. Educational Projects
PHARE SPAN Inspectorate Food and Agricultural Czech the of Support - 9809-04-01&02 CZ
In the middle of 2000, an extensive project was commenced involving educational seminars intended for CAFIA operatives and for food producers in the Czech Republic. The project was paid for from the PHARE program; for its execution, the company Irish Agri-Food Development was chosen.
During the seminars for CAFIA employees, virtually all inspectors involved in checking critical points in production and in checking fresh fruit and vegetable quality were professionally trained (according to individual commodities). The CAFIA's employees were also trained in the sphere of European food legislation and the GMO issue. In 2001, the seminars above will be followed up by the training organised and paid for by TAIEX; this training will be held in one of the EU member countries.
In 2000, the first series of seminars intended for Czech food producers were also held; the subject of the seminars was the introduction of the critical point system into production. These seminars will be followed in 2001 by similar seminars for small producers, for example, of bakery products, wines, and fresh fruit and vegetables. The seminars can assist the producers to determine and record critical points, thus fulfilling the conditions for the production of safe food.
In 2001, other seminars on fresh fruit and vegetable quality control for producers will take place; importers and retailers may also participate in these seminars.
The project, whose total value exceeds 12 million CZK, will be finished in June of the next year. Until then, more than 30 various courses and seminars will have taken place, both for CAFIA employees and for Czech food producers. The project will assist in establishing conditions for the implementation of the new European policy regarding food safety, based on continuous control of the whole food chain and on transferring the main responsibility for food safety to the producer.
Seminars organised in cooperation with the French DGCCRF
Within the cooperation with the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Protection, and Suppressing Adulteration (DGCCRF), seminars for CAFIA employees were held, as in previous years; the seminars were focused on increasing skills in the area of inspecting and laboratory work and on acquiring further knowledge of EC legislation.
In 2000, the seminars were held on using information technology for management; on food adulteration; on wine and spirit inspection; and on metrology.
The CAFIA employees also participated in residential study courses, organised in cooperation with the DGCCRF and held at the French Directorate.
In 2000, residential courses focused on monitoring foodstuffs for special diets took place, as well as practices in the microbiological laboratories, and a course focusing on economics.
14. 10. Participation in the Development of Legal Regulations
The CAFIA actively participates in specialised commenting and legislative work concerning various legal regulations (laws and decrees); it was given this assignment by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic on the basis of the so-called 'legislation task'. Examples of this activity are as follows: the amendment of an act on product safety; the amendment of the customs act; the act on administrative control; the amendment of the food act; the development of the decree on official sampling; the amendments of 'commodity' decrees; etc. This activity culminated during the preparation of the amendment to the act concerning the CAFIA, which should harmonise this legal regulation and the European legal formulation and incorporate into it some EU directives and regulations, such as 89/397/EEC; 93/99/EEC; 2251/92/EEC, and a number of others. The elaboration of the compatibility tables according to the governmental order no. 257 dated March 15, 2000 is oriented in this direction. As part of this effort, preparation has started for the development of software enabling clear and user-friendly retrieval of information by all operatives involved.
15. 11. Cooperation with Other State Administration Bodies
The CAFIA acquires important information from the customs administration bodies regarding foodstuffs imported to our country from abroad. In consultation with trade licensing authorities, it checks the validity of Trade Licences submitted by the persons inspected and passes information on serious breaches of trade performing legal obligations to the relevant licensing authority.
16. 12. Information for the Public
17. 13. The Internet
Most instances of access were recorded during April, October, and November. In April, a large amount of new information was published, such as the results of the scheduled inspection of contaminants for 1999, the list of E codes, and information on up-to-date amendments to executing decrees. In October, the report on checking the correctness of food labelling was published. In November, the CAFIA's attitude to genetically modified food, as well as other up-to-date amendments to executing decrees, was published. PHARE seminars for food producers in the Czech Republic, focused on HACCP, were held. The most frequent hours when people entered the CAFIA's www-pages were 8 - 11 a.m., and 2 - 3 p.m. In 2000, the most frequently visited files were: The International List of E Codes; Sensitivity to Food; Control of Correct Food Labelling (food 'adulteration'); List of References Related to the CAFIA's Web Issue; New Acts and Decrees; Interesting Issues for Consumers (articles 'Before You Go Shopping', and 'What the Food Package Says'); Seminars for Czech Food Producers within the PHARE Project; and The Legal Framework of the CAFIA's Activities. Most instances of access to the CAFIA's www pages were from within the Czech Republic. Many people accessing the site were from the USA, mostly from the commercial sector, followed by educators and the governmental sector. The most frequent visitors were from Slovakia, Hungary, Germany, Sweden, Great Britain, Finland, Belgium, and other states.
18. 14. Internal Information System
Most instances of access were recorded during April, October, and November. In April, a large amount of new information was published, such as the results of the scheduled inspection of contaminants for 1999, the list of E codes, and information on up-to-date amendments to executing decrees. In October, the report on checking the correctness of food labelling was published. In November, the CAFIA's attitude to genetically modified food, as well as other up-to-date amendments to executing decrees, was published. PHARE seminars for food producers in the Czech Republic, focused on HACCP, were held. The most frequent hours when people entered the CAFIA's www-pages were 8 - 11 a.m., and 2 - 3 p.m. In 2000, the most frequently visited files were: The International List of E Codes; Sensitivity to Food; Control of Correct Food Labelling (food 'adulteration'); List of References Related to the CAFIA's Web Issue; New Acts and Decrees; Interesting Issues for Consumers (articles 'Before You Go Shopping', and 'What the Food Package Says'); Seminars for Czech Food Producers within the PHARE Project; and The Legal Framework of the CAFIA's Activities. Most instances of access to the CAFIA's www pages were from within the Czech Republic. Many people accessing the site were from the USA, mostly from the commercial sector, followed by educators and the governmental sector. The most frequent visitors were from Slovakia, Hungary, Germany, Sweden, Great Britain, Finland, Belgium, and other states. 19. 15. Conclusion
The CAFIA's inspection priority in the last year, as in former years, was food safety and incorrectly marked food (so-called 'adulterated' food). A brand new sphere of activity was monitoring the introduction of a critical-point system in production. Compliance with other legal regulations valid for putting food and tobacco products into circulation also received the necessary attention.
In the previous period, the CAFIA inspectors carried out 31,807 individual inspections. The greatest number of inspections was undertaken in retailing (18,002); in production (10,174); in wholesaling (3,488), and in other venues (for example, in restaurants - 143). The increased number of inspections in production compared to 1999 (4,623) was specifically in connection with monitoring the introduction of the critical-point system; these inspections were commenced as of January 1, 2000.
During the inspections, a total of 10,875 unsatisfactory samples of food and tobacco products were detected that did not comply with legal requirements for safety, quality, and labelling. The unsatisfactory samples represented a quantity of 788,323 kilograms, 896,084 litres, and 38,738 units of produce. In 2000, the CAFIA imposed 2,874 penalties in administrative proceedings, amounting to 31,382,300 CZK. Non-conforming foodstuffs worth 26,508,882 CZK were banned from circulation. These figures included imported products worth 12,420,538 CZK detected in retailing; domestic products worth 6,372,106 CZK detected in retailing; and 7,716,238 CZK worth of products detected in production. The CAFIA's international relationships in 2000 were characterised by more activities; this was particularly enabled by increasing the number of personnel and changing the CAFIA's organisational structure. The CAFIA's foreign activities were predominantly focused on communication with the European Commission, mainly regarding the following two spheres: the accession of the Czech Republic to the European Union and the extensive changes in the European food legislation being prepared by the European Commission. In the realm of education, the project paid for by the PHARE programme took place in 2000. The project included two main parts: educational seminars for the CAFIA employees, and seminars for Czech Republic food producers.
The CAFIA actively participated in specialised commenting and legislative work concerning various legal regulations (acts and decrees); it was given this assignment by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic. Cooperation with other state administration bodies continued and further developed.
The CAFIA regularly supplied both the specialised and the consumer public with relevant information via the media. An important part of the CAFIA's publication activities was effective utilization of Internet sites, which were regularly supplemented with up-to-date information.
20. 16. Abbreviations and explanations
White Paper - the EU's official report on food safety dated January 12, 2000. This document Formulates the EU's priorities on this subject. CHEK - Chemische Kwaliteitsborging (the system of assessing the laboratory competence organised by the Inspectorate of the Netherlands) Customs Act - Act No. 13/1993 Coll., Customs Act, as amended CIA - the Czech Institute for Accreditation Codex Alimentarius - Codex Alimentarius Commission (the international commission for coordination of standards and directives for production, retailing, and food control) CR - the Czech Republic CSN - the Czech standard ČZPI/CAFIA - the Czech Agricultural and Food Inspectorate DGCCRF - Direction Générale de la Concurrence, de la Consommation et de la Répression des Fraudes (the regulatory body in France) DG SANCO - Directorate General SANCO - the Directorate General of the European Commission for Health and Consumer Protection DNA - deoxyribonucleic acid EEC - European Economic Community EC - European Commission EN - European norm EC - European Community EU - European Union FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN FAPAS - The Food Analysis Performance Assessment Scheme (international assessment of laboratory performance - chemical analysis) FEPAS - The Food Evaluation Performance Assessment Scheme (international assessment of laboratory performance - microbiological analysis) FLEP -Food Law Enforcement Practitioners (association of European inspection body representatives who enforce food law in practice) FSAI - Food Safety Authority of Ireland GEMS/Foodstuffs - the Global Environmental Management System / The programme of food contamination control and determination, generally known by the GEMS/Foodstuffs abbreviation; it was commenced in 1976 as a joint project of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), UN Environmental Programme (UNEP), and the World Health Organisation (WHO) GMO - genetically modified organisms GOSKOMSANEPIDNADZOR - State Committee for Sanitary and Epidemiological Supervision of the Russian Federation GOSSTANDART - the state standard of Russia Gost R - the system of the Russian certification HACCP - Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points IAFD - Irish Agri-Food Development (the company arranging for the PHARE project for CAFIA employee training ISDN - Integrated Services Digital Network KI - Regional Branch / Regional Inspection PC - personal computer PHARE - the European Commission's financial programme for assisting candidate countries in preparation for the accession to the European Union Public Relations QUID Thematic Network - (QUID - Quantitative Ingredient Declaration) - the European network of laboratories applying the Directive 79/112/EEC on labelling and quantitative ingredient declaration in practice TAIEX - Technical Assisstance Information Exchange Office - the institution founded by the European Commission with the objective of assisting the associated countries of Central and Eastern Europe in preparation for their incorporation into the EU internal market UNEP - United Nations Environmental Programme ÚNMZ - Úřad pro technickou normalizaci, metrologii a státní zkušebnictví (Authority for Technical Standardisation, Metrology, and State Quality Control) Decree of the Ministry of Health No. 294/97 Coll. - the Decree of the Ministry of Health No. 294/1997 Coll. concerning food biological requirements and method for their inspection and evaluation, as amended Decree of the Ministry of Agriculture No. 147/98 Coll. - the Decree of the Ministry of Agriculture No. 147/1998 Coll. concerning the method of determining critical points in production technology. Decree of the Ministry of Health No. 298/97 Coll. - the Decree of the Ministry of Health No. 298/1997 Coll., which stipulates chemical requirements for safety of individual food types and food raw materials; conditions of their use; their labelling on packages; requirements for purity and identity of additive substances and food supplements; and microbiological requirements for food supplements and additive substances, as amended Decree of the Ministry of Agriculture No. 220/98 Coll. - the Decree of the Ministry of Agriculture No. 220/1998 Coll. concerning the method and extent of evaluating food conformity; method of preparing and taking control samples of foodstuffs and tobacco products by the producer; types of foodstuffs for which the producer or importer will issue a written declaration of conformity; and the scope and content of this declaration (evaluation of conformity) WHO - World Health Organization www - World Wide Web Act on the CAFIA - Act No. 63/1986 Coll. concerning the CAFIA, as amended Act on Foodstuffs - Act No. 110/1997 Coll. concerning foodstuffs and tobacco products and alteration and supplementation of some related acts Act on Administrative Proceedings - Act No. 71/1967 Coll. concerning administrative proceedings (administrative order) as amended Act on Vineyards and Viniculture - Act No. 115/1995 Coll. concerning vineyards and viniculture and alteration of some related legal regulations