The role of food industry bodies in helping to maintain and promote food safety for the consumer was clearly underlined this week by the UK Food and Drink Federation.
Speaking at the Society of Food Hygiene Technology's (SoFHT) Annual Lecture, Sylvia Jay, FDF director general, said: "We are there to influence the regulatory environment within which the food and drink manufacturing industry operates. And food safety and hygiene legislation forms a major part of that environment."
Jay stressed the fact that UK food manufacturers are not working in an isolated bubble but are, "playing on the European field". She outlined some of the key principles that are helping the industry to accomplish this position.
"Food manufacturers put food safety first and this is not negotiable. Secondly, none of us work alone - we need a whole food chain approach. Thirdly, regulators and enforcers must understand that this is an international market and we need a level playing field. Finally, regulation should be appropriate to the scientific perception of risk."
Jay told the audience of food hygiene experts that the UK industry looked forward to working with the new European Food Safety Authority. "Having been a bit stuffy about the need for an EFA, I must say that we are warming tothe new EFSA.
We are delighted that it has two people with food and drink industry expertise and experience on its management board: Dr Bart Sangster of Unilever and Dr Matthias Horst, my opposite number in the German equivalent of FDF. We are also pleased to see consumer group interests represented by the Chair of our National Consumer Council - Deirdre Hutton - who will be one of the two deputy chairs of the EFSA."
Voicing her ideas as to how the new EFSA should function, Jay said that she would like it to be a one-stop-shop for the whole food chain and to be a highly visible point of contact able to offer flexible and rapid responses. Far from the Eurosceptic approach, Jay went as far as to add: "We believe the EFSA should be the pre-eminent source of scientific opinion and risk assessment in the European Union."
But she warned that EU food hygiene legislation should recognise the principle that food safety is, and must remain, an absolute non-negotiable priority at any stage of the food supply chain and should be totally in harmony across Europe.
She said:"The European Commission's proposal to consolidate and simplify EU food hygiene legislation provides for exemptions for certain premises and operations, such as those situated in regions with special geographical constraints, those supplying local markets or those involved in traditional methods of production.
We understand the thinking behindthese proposed exemptions, but believe that consumers are entitled to the same assurance of safety wherever they buy their food and no matter where it has been produced. "