EUROPEAN COMMISSION

1st International Animal Feedstuffs Congress:

Food Safety and Innovation

Donostia-San Sebastian 10-12 June 2009

José Luis DE FELIPEHead of Sector

European Commission

Presentation on the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed

Legal basis

Who we are?

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

What is RASFF?

Legal basis: Articles 50-52 of EC Regulation 178/2002 (food law)

information on food and feed which present a risk to the health of consumers

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Members of the RASFFContact point in each Member Country

European Food Safety Authority

European Commission

EFTA Surveillance Authority

Switzerland – partial participation

Austria Germany Netherlands Iceland Belgium Greece Poland NorwayBulgaria Hungary Portugal LiechstensteinCyprus Ireland RomaniaCzech Republic Italy Slovakia Denmark Latvia Slovenia Estonia Lithuania Spain Finland Luxembourg Sweden France Malta United Kingdom

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed

RASFF network organisation and flow of information

How the information obtained by RASFF is used?

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

MEMBER COUNTRYNOTIFICATION

RASFF ASSESSMENT

FEEDBACK FROM

MEMBER COUNTRIES

RASFFTRANSMISSION

MEMBERCOUNTRIES

THIRD COUNTRYCONCERNED

Business/Consumer

FEEDBACK FROM THIRD COUNTRY

CONCERNED

WEEKLYOVERVIEW

ANNUALREPORT

Border Control

Market Control

Third country/Media

Media

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

SANCORASFF

OTHER DG’S

THIRDCOUNTRIES

FVODG SANCO

MEMBER STATES

DG TREN

Radioactivitymushrooms

Regulation

Emergencymissions

Prioritymissions

DecisionsPistachios Iran

Missions

Peanuts Egypt

Animal productsfrom China

monitoring plans

RASFF Window

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed

Types of notifications

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Alert Notifications

Food or feed for which a serious risk has been identifiedProduct is on the marketImmediate action is required by members of the network

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Information Notifications

Food or feed for which a serious risk has been identified but no rapid action required on the product

OrNot a serious riskbut useful for food/feed control in other member countries

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Border Rejection Notifications

Any rejection, related to a direct or indirect risk, of a batch, container or cargo of food or feed at a border post

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

News Notifications

Information related to the safety of food/feedNot communicated as an ‘alert’ or an ‘information’But judged as interesting for the control authorities

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed

Criteria for notification

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Criteria for notification

Food and feed for which exists a direct or indirect risk to human healthSince 2006 also animal health and environmental threat for feed: this includes pet food!Basis is EU legislation or if not harmonised: national legislation

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Criteria for notification by risk Prohibited substances or ingredientsUnauthorised substances or ingredientsExceeding of legal limitsUnauthorised establishment for food of animal originUnauthorised novel food / GM foodPhysical risk (foreign bodies)Incorrect labelling implying health riskOther risk based on risk assessment

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

What triggers RASFF notifications:

A RASFF notification is usually triggered by a control:

A control on the marketA control at the EU border

It is usually an official control but it can be an own-check, verified by official authorities and followed up by an official control if necessary

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

2008 notifications according to type of control

border control - import rejected, 1378, 46%

market control, 1130, 37%

consumer complaint, 135, 4%

company ow n check, 197, 6%

food poisoning outbreak, 23, 1%

border control - screening sample, 183,

6%

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

9172 63

84

129

163181

63

0

50

100

150

200

2002 2004 2006 2008

Number of feednotifications

Feed notifications 2002-2009

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

2008 Feed notifications by hazards

90

Dioxins Mycotoxins8

Chloramphenicol

Others

0102030405060708090

Salmonella SRM

2008 Feednotifications byhazards

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed

RASFF in the world

RASFF WindowWorld Wide RASFF Workshops

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed

RASFF Window

new on-line RASFF databasereplacing traditional transmission of notifications to Third Countries

available to Third Countries interested in having access to their notification a day after their transmission through the system

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Worldwide RASFF(in cooperation with WHO-Infosan)

RASFF TRAININGBETTER TRAINING FOR SAFER FOOD

NATIONAL RASFF

REGIONALRASFF

wwRASFF

2007

2012

2015

2020

Seminars

Call for tenderThird Countriesprojects

Call for tenderRegionalprojects

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

RASFF trainingsActivities:

workshops support assistance (as from next year)

Aim: Explaining the principles of the RASFF with a view to

Better cooperate in exchange of information with Third CountriesDiscuss the desirability of and requirements for setting up similar systems in other world regions

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed

The examples of cooperation with INFOSAN:

Melamine in infant formula from ChinaSalmonella in peanut butter from the USAINFOSAN presence during RASFF workshops held in Third Countries

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed

Publications

Annual reportPublic weeklyLeaflet

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Week 2008/6TABLE 1: ALERT NOTIFICATIONS Notifications in blue typeface concern feed, all other notifications concern food.

DATE NOTIFIED BY REF. REASON FOR NOTIFYING NOTIFICATION BASIS

STATUS

04/02/2008

Austria 2008.0127

Salmonella (3 out of 5 samples; 3 out of 5 samples /25g) and Salmonella poona in ground black pepper from Hungary

company's own check

distribution on the market (possible) / public warning - press release

04/02/2008

Germany 2008.0129

migration of DINP - di-isononyl phthalate (695; 240 mg/kg - ppm) from lid of jars containing curry paste from Thailand, via the Netherlands

official control on the market

distribution on the market (possible) / product (to be) withdrawn from sale

04/02/2008

Italy 2008.0130

bacterial contamination and bulging packaging of canned black olives in brine from Spain

official control on the market

distribution on the market (possible) / product (to be) withdrawn from sale

05/02/2008

Finland 2008.0135

undeclared sulphite (63; 61 mg/l) in vinegar from France official control on the market

distribution on the market (possible) / product (to be) relabelled

06/02/2008

the United Kingdom

2008.0137

foreign body (yellow rubber pieces - up to 30 x 45 mm) in crisps from the United Kingdom

company's own check

distribution on the market (possible) / public warning - press release

06/02/2008

Belgium 2008.0141

migration of 4,4'-diaminodiphenylmethane (1.09; 0.39; 0.48 mg/dm²) from nylon kitchen tongs from China, via the Netherlands

official control on the market

distribution on the market (possible) / product (to be) recalled from consumer

Weekly overview

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Annual report

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed

this July RASFF celebrates 30th

birthday

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

RASFF on the web:

http://ec.europa.eu/food/food/rapidalert/index_en.htm

information regarding the system and its legal basispublications:

Weekly public overviewsAnnual reports

EUROPEAN COMMISSION