EU: massive failures in health protection

The next food scandal is only a matter of time, he said, should the EU food law not be comprehensively reformed, the consumer organization wrote. foodwatch activists handed over the Open Letter in Brussels and protested in front of the EU Commission building: a demonstrator dressed as President Juncker presented European citizens with well-known Scandal food of past years - such as Fipronil eggs or horsemeat lasagna - as tasty delicacies that could be consumed without hesitation.
"Whether it's fipronil in eggs, contaminated Lactalis baby milk or horsemeat in beef lasagna: Europe is repeatedly rocked by food scandals, often associated with health risks for consumers. Instead of protecting Europe's 500 million citizens and remedying weaknesses in EU law, Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker is acting as if everything is fine."criticized foodwatch expert Lena Blanken.

Weakness analysis of the EU food law
The consumer organization presented the Commission with an analysis of weaknesses in EU food law, including concrete proposals for improvement. For example, the EU must ensure the traceability of food. The fipronil scandal, for example, has shown that the complete traceability in the food chain, which is actually prescribed in EU food law, does not function to this day. In addition, companies must be obliged to test their own products for health safety. foodwatch also criticized the warning system as inadequate: EU food law must clearly stipulate that authorities must inform consumers quickly and comprehensively in the event of violations - naming the names of the manufacturers and products, and both in cases where there is a health risk and in cases of fraud. In addition, foodwatch demanded the legal possibility for consumer associations to sue authorities if they disregarded their obligations under EU law. Only this would create the necessary leverage for consumer organizations.

Wrong and disrespectful to European citizens
However, Jean-Claude Juncker himself apparently sees little need for action: Only recently, he let it be known through a spokesperson that food could be traced along the entire production chain. This is the only way the Fipronil scandal can be dealt with so quickly. foodwatch criticized these claims in the letter to Mr. Juncker as "completely false and disrespectful to European citizens." Until today no one would know, how many millions of eggs with the Insecticide Fipronil are loaded and where they were delivered to.
In April, the European Commission presented a reform proposal for European food law. However, this only provides for new rules in the risk assessment of plant protection products - all other areas remain unaffected. foodwatch criticized the proposal as insufficient. Instead, the fundamental weaknesses in EU law must be remedied. The general European food law, the so-called EU Basic Regulation 178/2002, was introduced in 2001 in response to the BSE crisis ("mad cow disease") was adopted. It is now to be revised as part of the European Commission's "REFIT process" (Regulatory Fitness and Performance Programme).

Sources and further information:
– Open letter to EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker
– Weakness analysis of the EU food law
- EU Commission: Food is traceable (dpa report)
- Jean-Claude Juncker: Official "Mission Letter" on EU Food Law

Text: foodwatch