EU food alerts in decline before horsmeat scandal
The report revealed that in 2012, RASFF notifications decreased by 3.9% from 2011 levels to 8,797. Of these, 3,516 (40%) were original notifications and 5,281 (60%) were follow-up notifications. Notifications on products considered to pose a serious risk fell by 14% year-on-year.
The majority (2,885) of notifications transmitted in the RASFF in 2012 were related to food, with just 9.4% relating to feed and 8.5% relating to food contact materials.
The report also revealed that, in 2012, nearly half of all rejections of food and feed imports at EU borders were the result of potential food safety risks.
EU Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy Tonio Borg said: “RASFF is now an indispensable tool to respond to, and mitigate, food safety situations in the EU, since vital communication is swiftly exchanged to protect European consumers.
“While the horsemeat scandal that has been making headline news does not fall within this reporting period, it is important to highlight that, thanks to the existence of the RASFF, food safety authorities throughout the EU were able to swiftly exchange information. As a result, the products were traced and withdrawn from the market.”
The European Commission aims to extend the scope of the RASFF in the wake of the horsemeat scandal, which raised the need to exchange information on cases of food fraud.
The Commission’s five-point action plan includes the establishment of a procedure for the rapid exchange of information and alerts in cases that could constitute fraud.
The RASFF network, set up 30 years ago, facilitates the rapid exchange of information between EU member states and the Commission when safety risks are identified in the food and feed chain. This allows member states, the Commission and food safety groups to act on potential risks and respond collectively. Norway, Liechtenstein, Iceland and Switzerland are also part of the network.
