Health and Consumers

Overview of the Rapid

Alert System for Food

and Feed (RASFF) John McEvoy,

Deputy Head of Unit,

Unit F5, Directorate F (Food and Veterinary Office),

DG SANCO

European Commission

john.mcevoy@ec.europa.eu

FAO/IAEA Workshop on Food Control Systems and role of different

stakeholders in the food supply chain.

IAEA, Vienna, 14 Nov 2014

mailto:john.mcevoy@ec.europa.eu

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RASFF:

what is it?

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• An informatics tool to ensure the cross-border

exchange of information to swiftly react when

risks to public health are detected in the food

and feed chain

• Regulation (EC) nº 178/2002 (art.50) - general principles and requirements of food law and procedures

of food safety

• Regulation (EC) nº 183/2005 (art. 29) - requirements for feed hygiene

• Regulation (EU) nº 16/2011 - implementing measures for the RASFF

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RASF – who are the actors?

• 32 European countries:

• 28 Member States of EU

• 3 EFTA/EEA countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway)

• Switzerland (partial)

• European Commission

• European Food Safety Authority

• EFTA Surveillance Authority

• http://ec.europa.eu/rasff

http://ec.europa.eu/rasff

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@ European level: • 32 countries

• 1 single RASFF National Contact Point (NCP) per country

• European Commission Contact Point (ECCP)

@ National level:

• RASFF NCP

• Market surveillance authorities

• Border control authorities

• Customs

• Police

RASFF network

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RASFF network

Organised way of information exchange

MS Word templates (by email)

iRASFF online platform

TRACES

Clearly identified contact points (2 lists)

List of NCPs (with ECCP data)

List of emergency contacts

• In case of an urgent notification outside of

office hours all members have out-of-hours

arrangements (24/7)

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RASFF – what information?

• Common template used

• Identification of the product,

• Hazards found,

• Measures taken and

• Information on tracing the product.

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RASFF – types of notification?

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• Alert notifications: rapid action required/serious risk

• Information notifications: no rapid action needed

• Border rejection notifications: product stopped on the border by BIP/PE inspectors

• News: interesting for control authorities, transmitted informally and not as a notification

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RASFF – basis of notification?

• Border control

• Market control

• Company own-check

• Customer complaint

• Food poisoning

• NB: Applies to food, feed, food contact materials

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50%

Border rejections at the

borders of the EEA

50%

Products that are

circulating on the

EEA market and

need to be traced

RASFF – origin of notification?

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299

332

2885

RASFF-

source of notifications:

food, feed & food contact

material

Annual Report 2012

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

alert borderrejection

informationfor attention

informationfor follow-up

Total: 3516

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RASFF – main problems

in 2013

http://ec.europa.eu/food/safety/rasff/reports

_publications/index_en.htm

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RASFF – top 10 by country of origin 2013

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RASFF – access to information

• RASFF Portal – general public real time! (+ annual report)

• RASFF Window – members via CIRCABC – real time

• iRASFF – members – real time

• email to third countries from ECCP

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RASFF – access to information

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RASFF and the FVO

• Data used for audit planning purposes

• Country, establishment, region

• May visit affected establishments

• Allows CAPAs to be verified on-the-spot

• Measure of competent authority

commitment to address root causes

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• RASFF is a useful information sharing

platform

• Important tool in ensuring safe food and feed

is placed on the market

• Increases consumer confidence in the

functioning of food control systems in the EU

Summary

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Acknowledgements

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