Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-12-17-Speech-3-412"
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"en.20081217.24.3-412"2
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Madam President, I should like to state that the fundamental principle of European Union legislation on food is that only safe food can be placed on the Community market and that all foods and fodder legally placed on the market of the European Union must be safe irrespective of their origin. A broad range of food safety measures and measures to facilitate the withdrawal of unsafe foods and fodder from the market has been introduced within the framework of Community legislation.
Under the general food regulation, traceability within the territory of the European Union is mandatory for food companies at all levels and stages of the food chain, from importers to retailers. As far as products of animal origin in particular are concerned, including products from third countries, food legislation further strengthens traceability for products of animal origin which are covered by Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 by imposing the following requirements:
Food business operators must have in place systems and procedures to identify food business operators from whom they have received and to whom they have delivered products of animal origin. These products must also bear a health mark or an identification mark. The Commission does not foresee any changes in the traceability rules or health or identification marks for processed products of animal origin.
As regards compulsory indication of the place of origin of all food products in general, it should be stressed that the indication of place of origin of foods is not a food safety measure; it is a tool used by citizens to recognise the characteristics of each product. The indication of the place of origin is, however, required as a matter of principle in cases in which there is a danger of misleading consumers as to the real origin of food, as well as in application of special rules, such as the rules on fruit, vegetables, bovine meat, wine, honey and fish. In these cases, the indication of origin is compulsory. An indication of origin is also required for imported poultry meat and, from 1 July 2010, it will also have to be stated on pre-packaged foods labelled as organic. In these cases, the indication of origin is necessary and compulsory.
Of course, the Commission is aware that this is a matter which requires further debate and we know that often citizens want to know the origin of products. However, that is not sufficient reason to make the indication of origin compulsory, precisely because we consider that it is not a food safety measure. As I explained, it is a tool to inform citizens of the characteristics of the origin of products. Food labelling may, of course, be voluntary rather than compulsory, in which case we have to follow certain common rules, so that there is conformity by all the Member States.
Nevertheless, the Commission proposal on food information covers all methods used to supply food to consumers, including distance selling. The objective is to clarify that, in such cases, the relevant compulsory information, such as the ingredients and allergens in food, must also be given to the purchaser during distance selling, not only on delivery of the products, but also from the moment someone starts the ordering process, they must know exactly what the ingredients are and if the products which they intend to order contain allergens or anything else."@en1
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