Food News

The Directorate General for Health and Food Safety of the European Commission (DG SANTE) has published the Management Plan on Health and Food Safety, where it describes political priorities and planning assumptions, for the period 2020-2024.

Part 1 of this Management Plan sets out how DG SANTE will contribute to two General Objectives, an European Green Deal and promoting our European way of life. The main objectives are:

1)  Food and feed safety

• Ensuring animal health and managing and isolating outbreaks of major animal disease.
• Preventing plant pests.
• Ensuring market access to safe substances and products.
• Performing effective, efficient and reliable controls.
• Maintaining well-developed rapid alert systems.

2)  Sustainable food systems – the ‘Farm to Fork’ Strategy

• Reducing dependency on and promoting the sustainable use of pesticides.
• Improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the pesticide legislation.
• Reducing the use of antimicrobials in animals to contribute to the fight against AMR.
• Fostering the use of innovative and more sustainable feeds
• Reducing food loss and waste
• Ensuring a sustainable food production that improves the welfare of animals.
• Fighting against food fraud.
• Empowering consumers to make sustainable and healthy food choices through the provision of food information.
• Supporting innovation in the food chain, especially via the promotion of novel food, plant reproductive materials and innovative techniques.
• Improving the regulatory framework on Food Contact Materials (FCM).

3)   International promotion of EU food safety standards

• Improving multilateral relations
• Improving bilateral trade relations

Part 2 clarifies how DG SANTE will continue to modernise the administration in 2020 to achieve the greatest possible levels of efficiency and sustainability.

Author: Dra. Isabel Gómez