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Brussels, |
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Food Safety - Feed Safety
Animal feed is a fundamental part of the food chain, and EU policy treats feed safety as essential to protecting both animal health and human health. The core principle is that feed must be safe, hygienic and produced to high standards, because risks entering the chain through feed can ultimately affect food safety and consumer confidence.
EU legislation covers all major categories of feed, including feed materials, compound feed, additives and premixtures. The framework is designed to ensure that feed does not harm animals or people, complies with legal limits for contaminants such as heavy metals, mycotoxins and dioxins, and remains properly labelled and traceable throughout the supply chain.
A key part of the system concerns feed additives. Only additives that have been authorised in advance may be used in the EU, and authorisation depends on a scientific safety assessment by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). According to the Commission, additives must be shown to be safe, effective and of good quality before they can be placed on the EU market.
Feed-business operators are also subject to strict hygiene obligations. They must be registered or approved by national authorities, apply good hygiene practices and follow HACCP principles. In practical terms, this includes maintaining clean and pest-free facilities, ensuring safe storage and transport, training staff in hygiene and feed handling, and keeping accurate documentation and records. National authorities then carry out regular checks and inspections to verify compliance.
Traceability is another central requirement. All feed must be traceable back to its source and forward to the next user, so that authorities and operators can act quickly if a feed-safety problem emerges. In emergency situations, coordination across the EU is supported by the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF), which allows national authorities to exchange information in real time and respond rapidly to risks.
EU legislation covers all major categories of feed, including feed materials, compound feed, additives and premixtures. The framework is designed to ensure that feed does not harm animals or people, complies with legal limits for contaminants such as heavy metals, mycotoxins and dioxins, and remains properly labelled and traceable throughout the supply chain.
A key part of the system concerns feed additives. Only additives that have been authorised in advance may be used in the EU, and authorisation depends on a scientific safety assessment by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). According to the Commission, additives must be shown to be safe, effective and of good quality before they can be placed on the EU market.
Feed-business operators are also subject to strict hygiene obligations. They must be registered or approved by national authorities, apply good hygiene practices and follow HACCP principles. In practical terms, this includes maintaining clean and pest-free facilities, ensuring safe storage and transport, training staff in hygiene and feed handling, and keeping accurate documentation and records. National authorities then carry out regular checks and inspections to verify compliance.
Traceability is another central requirement. All feed must be traceable back to its source and forward to the next user, so that authorities and operators can act quickly if a feed-safety problem emerges. In emergency situations, coordination across the EU is supported by the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF), which allows national authorities to exchange information in real time and respond rapidly to risks.
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