Europe Seeks Food Safety, Quality, Confidence Solutions

February 21, 2002

More than 40 European countries will meet later this month to discuss food safety and quality issues, and how to strengthen consumer confidence after recent food scares. The "Pan-European Conference on Food Safety and Quality" will be held in Budapest Feb. 25-28. The meeting is organized by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) and co-sponsored by the European Union and some FAO/WHO member countries, according to a statement issued by the two UN agencies.

The incidence of food contaminations caused, for example, by salmonella, dioxin or pesticide residues in food and water, is still of concern in Europe. Recent scares, like the antibiotic chloramphenicol in animal feed, have led to concern among consumers, according to the sponsoring groups.

To improve food safety and quality, the chain of food production needs to be transparent and reliable, they add, from the farm and fishing boat to the consumer's table, throughout the European region. Eastern European countries should upgrade their surveillance system, control and legislation, FAO/WHO said.

Representatives of governments, industry and consumer organizations will discuss food safety and quality threats, food-borne diseases, the expansion of a rapid alert system outside the EU and better communication with the consumer.

The meeting also will propose improvements to the different levels of food safety, regulations and control systems in eastern and western European countries. "Many of the food control systems in eastern and western European countries are difficult to compare. This creates uncertainty for food producers, traders and consumers," according to FAO/WHO.