Food Law News - EU - 1999
7 October 1999: FOOD SAFETY - Food safety review announced
The Week in Europe, 7 October 1999
Food Safety Review Announced
An overhaul of EU food safety legislation was announced yesterday by Commission President Romano Prodi. The new Commission has made food safety a top priority, he told the European Parliament on 5 October; consumers deserve to have their health protected and food has a cultural importance. This fundamental review will involve a White Paper by the end of this year, with a three-year action plan on food safety and options for a possible European Food Agency to ensure a high level of protection. A Communication will discuss the precautionary principle - the idea that provisional safety measures should be taken where concerns arise and scientific information is incomplete. EU food policy must have safety as its prime concern, and in any conflict with producers' interests, the health of consumers must take precedence. At the same time, the production of high-quality food is also in the interests of European farmers and processors, Prodi said; no-one is served by undermining public confidence.
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