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.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.