In December 2013, the European Commission initiated a fitness check of EU food legislation in order to identify burdens, inconsistencies, gaps, and ineffective measures, referred to as the REFIT. The first step in the REFIT is a fitness check of Regulation 178/2002 laying down the general principles and requirements of food law. The REFIT will be based on case studies in four key areas identified within Regulation 178/2002—traceability, responsibilities of business operators in the food chain, risk analysis, and precautionary principles and principles of transparency of EFSA. 

In January 2015, the Commission invited stakeholders to complete a questionnaire related to those case studies. The survey will be open until March 27, 2015, and is available here. Stakeholders were also invited to submit general comments on Regulation 178/2002 by the same deadline. Alea Bartl of Jones Day is a representative of the European Food Law Association ("EFLA") for preparation and submission of EFLA comments within the REFIT.

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