Food security is understood in its broadest sense as the ability to ensure consistently and satisfactorily food and water to meet the energy requirements the body needs for survival and life under adequate hygienic conditions. The commonly accepted international definition is the one developed at the World Food Summit in 1996 according to which all people, at all times, must have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences to lead an active and healthy life.1 From a purely health perspective, food safety is also understood as food and feed hygiene safety from the perspective of integrated environmental supply chain. In the legal understanding, food is defined as any processed, partially processed, or unprocessed substance or product intended to be ingested, or reasonably expected to be ingested, by human beings.2 In any case, the precise definition of food safety is still not so unambiguous, and in the countries of the European Union (EU), the closest notion is that of “food at risk,” which is found to be covered in Article 14 of European Regulation EC 178/2002.2,3 This regulation is a key reference for the evolution of food law in Europe, as the rule introduces the general principles and requirements of food law, which are monitored by the European Food Safety Authority,4 also establishing procedures in the field of food safety. The European Food Safety Authority is responsible for the scientific assessment of risks, whereas decisions regarding their management are the responsibility of European Union experts.4 The regulations issued by the European Union3,4 play a priority role in food legislation, which must be followed locally by the EU countries, and provide some specific principles including risk analysis. Risk analysis is a systematic methodology for assessing the likelihood of occurrence of undesirable effects on human health, associated with a specific type of food, in order to provide for the adoption of effective and targeted measures with the aim of increasing the safety of food use in adults and children. The EU pays close attention to the certification of foods and their contents, both in terms of allergenic agents and as contaminants.2,5 In particular, the EU has recently made an effort in the area of infant food safety, sponsoring a project6 called Safe Food for Infants (SAFFI), developed by a consortium of 14 partners from 7 EU countries, whose goal is to provide solutions to develop a most efficient multistakeholder surveillance system in the infant food sector.7 The project will serve the object to integrate the tools and methods for detecting and managing infant food chain risks from primary production to the consumer. The European Pediatric Association-Union of National European Pediatric Societies and Associations is part of the consortium. The aim of this article, authored by board members of European Pediatric Association-Union of National European Pediatric Societies and Associations, is to raise further awareness of decision and policy-makers, including government and legislators, and end-users, including consumers and health care professionals involved in childcare and nutrition, on the impact of the food chain risks on food safety. A second objective is to inform the scientific community of the EU’s efforts in this field by supporting a project that aims to develop an extensive and coordinated food risk identification system.

Food Safety: The European Union's Food Safety Initiative and Its Impact on Risks from Microbial and Chemical Hazards in Infant Food Chains

Giardino, Ida
Investigation
;
Indrio, Flavia
Investigation
;
Pettoello-Mantovani, Massimo
2023-01-01

Abstract

Food security is understood in its broadest sense as the ability to ensure consistently and satisfactorily food and water to meet the energy requirements the body needs for survival and life under adequate hygienic conditions. The commonly accepted international definition is the one developed at the World Food Summit in 1996 according to which all people, at all times, must have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences to lead an active and healthy life.1 From a purely health perspective, food safety is also understood as food and feed hygiene safety from the perspective of integrated environmental supply chain. In the legal understanding, food is defined as any processed, partially processed, or unprocessed substance or product intended to be ingested, or reasonably expected to be ingested, by human beings.2 In any case, the precise definition of food safety is still not so unambiguous, and in the countries of the European Union (EU), the closest notion is that of “food at risk,” which is found to be covered in Article 14 of European Regulation EC 178/2002.2,3 This regulation is a key reference for the evolution of food law in Europe, as the rule introduces the general principles and requirements of food law, which are monitored by the European Food Safety Authority,4 also establishing procedures in the field of food safety. The European Food Safety Authority is responsible for the scientific assessment of risks, whereas decisions regarding their management are the responsibility of European Union experts.4 The regulations issued by the European Union3,4 play a priority role in food legislation, which must be followed locally by the EU countries, and provide some specific principles including risk analysis. Risk analysis is a systematic methodology for assessing the likelihood of occurrence of undesirable effects on human health, associated with a specific type of food, in order to provide for the adoption of effective and targeted measures with the aim of increasing the safety of food use in adults and children. The EU pays close attention to the certification of foods and their contents, both in terms of allergenic agents and as contaminants.2,5 In particular, the EU has recently made an effort in the area of infant food safety, sponsoring a project6 called Safe Food for Infants (SAFFI), developed by a consortium of 14 partners from 7 EU countries, whose goal is to provide solutions to develop a most efficient multistakeholder surveillance system in the infant food sector.7 The project will serve the object to integrate the tools and methods for detecting and managing infant food chain risks from primary production to the consumer. The European Pediatric Association-Union of National European Pediatric Societies and Associations is part of the consortium. The aim of this article, authored by board members of European Pediatric Association-Union of National European Pediatric Societies and Associations, is to raise further awareness of decision and policy-makers, including government and legislators, and end-users, including consumers and health care professionals involved in childcare and nutrition, on the impact of the food chain risks on food safety. A second objective is to inform the scientific community of the EU’s efforts in this field by supporting a project that aims to develop an extensive and coordinated food risk identification system.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11369/436231
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