Food companies and retailers should be aware of new traceability rules found in EU Regulation 178/2002. The regulation lays down the general principles and requirements of European food law. These rules will apply throughout the European Union as of 1 January, 2005. The traceability of food and ingredients must now take place at all stages of production, processing and distribution in the food chain, from farm to fork. There are no derogations from these obligations for any individual sectors such as SMEs or small local producers. These obligations have come about as a result of the BSE and Dioxin contamination food safety crises.
Under the rules, food businesses must be able to identify where they obtained a food ingredient or product and to whom they supplied it. The requirement aims to facilitate targeted individual product recalls, and to provide appropriate information to consumers and national control authorities. More detailed requirements will be introduced in sector-specific legislation as appropriate. More stringent requirements are already contained in EU Regulation 1760/2000 for beef, and proposals are presently being discussed at EU level on additional requirements in the areas of food hygiene and GMOs.
