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CNN World Report

EU Creates New Food Safety Organization

Aired June 24, 2001 - 14:32   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ASIEH NAMDAR, CNN ANCHOR: The European economy has suffered severely from food safety issues over the past few years. Industries like tourism were particularly affected during the recent outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. Now, the European Union is creating an agency to bring back confidence among Europe's farmers and producers.

EUTV reports.

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JIM GIBBONS, EUTV REPORTER (voice-over): Food safety is something nobody in European can afford to ignore these days. Here, a Belgian Health Ministry inspector is making a routine check on a large supermarket. On this occasion, he's checking the way chilled and frozen food is being handled and stored. But the buzz word today is traceability; having such detailed labels that every step along the route from farm to table can be identified. Retailers have to be very careful.

CLAUDE FRANCOTTE, RETAIL QUALITY MANAGER: If you take a piece of meat, it's possible to know exactly from which animal they come.

GIBBONS: In Belgium, for example, a veterinary inspector has to check the records of all cattle going to slaughter. There are other tests and procedures to carry out before they enter the food chain, too. Until now, though, Europe has had no single, unified body dealing with food safety. They new Food Safety Authority should address that.

PHILIP WHITEHEAD, BRITISH MEMBER, EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: I think we have now got a position where we can show by making this a key priority that the European consumer will get a better deal.

GIBBONS: The authority will have a mainly advisory role, but it should end conflicts between different EU member states over scientific criteria and best practice, and that's important if consumers are to be persuaded that European produce is safe.

(on camera): Even in huge markets like this, where the professionals buy their produce, changing consumer tastes are having an effect. People are, it seems, more demanding about freshness and quality and for the moment, at least, they're prepared to pay for it.

(voice-over): This is the early morning market in Brussels, where Belgium shopkeepers and restauranters get their produce. Wholesalers here are having to respond to a demand that reflects a lack of faith in European producers.

BART VAN NIEUWENHOVE, GROCERY DEALER: We sell a lot of Australian lamb and beef now. The same with ostrich, poultry; everything goes better than before.

GIBBONS: The European parliament is calling for some changes in the plans for the new authority, like the word safety in its title, a wider remit, and the appointment of officials on merit rather than by nationality. Inspection and enforcement will remain the tasks of national bodies.

Europe's food is now amongst the most rigorously checked in the world. But the people responsible for doing that checking say it is possible to win back the trust of consumers.

LUC BEERNAERT, BELGIAN GOVERNMENT FOOD SAFETY AGENCY: Not by kinder publicity, not by words; but by strict control, guaranteeing that no contamination comes into the plate of the customer.

GIBBONS: After scares like BSE, dioxin contamination and foot- and-mouth, the new authority must set standards consumers have faith in, and the pressure is on to get it up and running next year.

Jim Gibbons, EUTV, for the CNN WORLD REPORT.

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