Safety Culture in the News

Safety Culture in the News

EU plans to include food safety culture in regulation

EU plans to include food safety culture in regulation

The European Commission has published draft legislation that includes food safety culture.

A revision of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on food hygiene also covers allergen management, and redistribution of food.

The Codex Alimentarius Commission is expected to adopt a revision of its standard on General Principles of Food Hygiene in the next few months. This update introduces the food safety culture concept as a general principle. Food safety culture’s aim is to increase awareness and improve the behavior of employees in establishments.

Considering the change of this standard and expectations of consumers and trade partners that food produced in the EU complies with such a standard, it is necessary to include general requirements on food safety culture in EU regulation, according to the EU Commission.

The draft introduces requirements on good hygiene practices to prevent or limit the presence of substances causing allergies or intolerances in equipment, conveyances, and/or containers used for harvesting, transport, or storage of foodstuffs.

Part of the new legislation asks management and all employees of businesses to commit to an appropriate food safety culture which includes a clear distribution of responsibilities, appropriate training, and supervision, and verifying controls are performed timely and efficiently and documentation is up to date.