Food Law News - EU - 1996

19 April 1996: HYGIENE - Moves towards consolidation


19 April 1996

Hygiene Measures - Progress Towards Consolidation

Anyone who has had to grapple with the complexity of the European hygiene controls on products of animal origin will appreciate that greater coherence and transparency is this area is long overdue. On 19 April 1996, the Agriculture Directorate-General (DGVI) produced a document (of about 150 pages) described as "A Guide to certain rules governing production, marketing and importation of products of animal origin intended for human consumption". This has been described as "an aid to reading existing legislation and to reflection on how to improve it". It is however written in a form which could be used as a consolidating directive. It would replace and repeal 13 directives covering hygiene of such foods as fresh meat, poultry meat, dairy products, eggs, snails, etc.
Although the concept of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) is presently only included in the Directives on fish and milk, the Guide indicates that it could become a key part of the total control system for all these products areas. It does not incorporate any aspects of the General Food Hygiene Directive (93/43). The Commission is hloding discussions with key gropus of interested parties and has invited comments on the document.


To go to current EU Food Law News page,
click here.
To go to main Food Law Index page, click here.