Food Safety Regulations Tightening Across the Globe says EAS

The European Union’s (EU) continued strengthening of its food safety regulation and the United States’ (US) recent adoption of a new Act on food safety, shows a trend towards heightened food safety awareness globally.

2/28/2011 --- Food safety is fast moving to the top of the agendas of food law regulators with new and evolving regulations being put in place throughout the global arena, international food policy consultancy EAS has said.

EAS Food Law Manager Xavier Lavigne said that the European Union’s (EU) continued strengthening of its food safety regulation and the United States’ (US) recent adoption of a new Act on food safety, shows a trend towards heightened food safety awareness globally, whereas in the past the nutritional area of food law had taken the leading role.

“The EU, for example, has been further harmonising rules on additives, enzymes and flavours, and is continuously revising the EU-harmonised authorised contaminants and pesticides levels,” said Mr Lavigne. “With the United States’ new Act on food safety, one can see two different philosophies and legal frameworks towards the same goal. This will ultimately strengthen the trend towards food safety at global and Codex Alimentarius level.”

He added: “The changes triggered in Codex are important. As the WHO/FAO international monitoring body, its Standards and Guidelines have a significant impact on the 183 countries in the global arena that make up its membership. The Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems, for example, is currently developing Guidelines on national food control systems. This discussion is still at an early stage, but developments in the EU, US and the Association of South East Asian Nations will certainly speed up the rate at which it moves along.”
EAS is holding a morning seminar on food safety rules and regulations in the international arena, including the European Union and the global food arm of the WHO/FAO, Codex Alimentarius.

The three-hour seminar, titled ‘Food Safety Culture: Overcoming challenges in Europe and international markets’, will take place at the Singapore Polytechnic on Tuesday, March 8, to clarify for exporters the key regulatory opportunities and challenges when exporting food products internationally.

Mr Lavigne, who will lead the workshop, will clarify the legal text of the European Union’s food safety regulation, show how the food standards of Codex Alimentarius impact on regulations across the globe, and highlight the key players shaping future regulation and regulatory trends in food safety.

For more information or to register for the session, visit www.eas.asia, email cec@sp.edu.sg , or tel +65 677 212 88.