In the latest instalment of our profile of agencies around the world, this week we look at the authorities protecting food safety in Finland and France. How do they work, and who controls them?
Country: FINLAND
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Name: The National Food Administration
History:
Finland’s National Food Administration, which is presently subordinate to the Ministry of Trade and Industry, is undergoing restructuring changes coinciding with the establishment of a new department at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. Finland is emerging as a serious contender to host the new European Food Authority (EFA).
Structure:
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By GlobalDataThe National Food Administration (NFA) controls the production, import, serving and sale of foodstuffs in Finland under the Food Act and the Public Health Act, which falls within the sphere of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. It also carries out management tasks in its field for the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. At the practical level, food control is conducted by local authorities with the assistance of the Provincial State Offices (regional authorities).
The NFA operates on the basis of performance targets set by the relevant ministries in order to achieve long-term goals and objectives decided by Parliament. The NFA’s primary customers are the Provincial State Offices, local authorities and Customs. One of the NFA’s most important tasks is to direct and support municipal food control. There are about 50 municipal food laboratories in Finland. A point of interest is that the NFA does not have direct power over the provincial state offices or over the local authorities, which are largely self governing under Finnish law. Instead, it issues recommendations and strives to motivate other authorities to utilise quality systems in their own work.
Objectives and Responsibilities:
The NFA’s clients are provincial and municipal officials, food research institutes, ministries, international cooperation parties and particularly the European Commission and other member states of the EU, business and consumers.
The key task of the National Food Administration of Finland is to direct and support municipal food control.
For this purpose, it carries out the following functions:
- Prepares an annual food control plan
- Supports municipalities through control and research projects
- Issues interpretations and control guidelines
- Arranges the implementations of EU control projects in Finland
- Trains municipal and provincial officials
- Develops food laboratories#; activities
- Collects information on municipal food control
- Monitors the quality of control, by ensuring food quality and composition, eliminating and preventing health risks to consumers, and providing an adequate and reliable supply of information on foodstuffs
- Arranges the active exchange of information
In addition, the NFA directs businesses to act in accordance with regulations, by issuing instructions on compliance with food regulations, directs and develops in-house control to ensure food quality and compliance with regulations. In-house control is covered by legislation and monitored by authorities, and if necessary, it is empowered to apply coercive measures.
NFA’s objectives in controlling foodstuffs of animal origin pertain to hygiene legislation, veterinary and food department, control in the single market, own-checks, salmonella control and residue control.
Comments:
Finland’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry explains that food quality control in Finland is based on self-regulation by enterprises, backed up by official inspection. “The crucial questions for food control are breadth and quality. The first consideration in food quality control is the regularity of inspection,” says the Ministry. An interesting point, as outlined in the current procedures of food control, is the present legal status and responsibilities of the local municipalities and local authorities over the National Food Administration. As pointed out earlier in this report, Finland’s Food Administration is undergoing structural changes, a factor to be taken into account in reviewing the country’s system and mechanism pertaining to food safety and food control.
Country: France
Name: Agence Française de Sécurité Sanitaire des Aliments (AFSSA)
History:
Laws creating the AFSSA were passed in 1998 to reinforce health safety in France, and it was established in April 1999 under the triple supervision of the Ministries of Health, Agriculture and Consumer Affairs. It is responsible for the evaluation of health and nutrition risks related to food products intended for human and animal consumption in France.
Structure:
AFSSA is governed by a Board of Directors. Apart from the president, the Board consists of 24 members: 12 representatives of the government and 12 representatives of consumer associations, professional organisations, the Agency staff and scientists. The Agency employs 800 people, and also draws on the know-how of the 250 experts who are members of its specialised committees and all of the people who are involved in its different activities. AFSSA’s overall budget for the year 2000 amounted to FF474m.
The law provides the Agency with a Science Council whose purpose is to “watch over the consistency of scientific policy.” The French Food Safety Agency has 13 laboratories at 10 different sites, which carry out scientific research programmes as well as providing the know-how and scientific and technical support necessary for the Agency to carry out its missions.
The internal organisation of the Agency includes the following: General Management, directed by the Managing Director; the Secretary’s Office, and four departments responsible for the scientific activities of the Agency:
- The Department for the Evaluation of Nutrition and Health Risks
- The French Agency for Veterinary Medicine
- The Department of Animal Health and Well Being
- The Food Safety Department
AFSSA is a public organisation. It monitors and evaluates risks within the framework of food safety in France. It does not have direct monitoring nor police health powers which are both the responsibility of the concerned ministries.
Objectives and Responsibilities:
AFSSA#;s scope of evaluation activities covers the following aspects:
- The entire food chain, since the law specifies that AFSSA is involved in every step, from the production of raw materials to the distribution to the final consumer
- Each of the stages of this chain as specified by the law: production, transformation, preservation, transport, storage and distribution;
- Food products for human as well as for animal consumption
The French Agency for Veterinary Medicinal products is under the supervision of the French Food Safety Agency, and is responsible for the following:
- Evaluation of requests for marketing authorisations of veterinary medicines
- Evaluation of requests for maximum residue limits
- Qality control of veterinary medicines
- Monitoring advertising
- Management of veterinary pharmaco-vigilance
Moreover, the Agency participates in inspections in this area in collaboration with the inspection services of additional departments.
Part of AFSSA’s role is to issue opinions, draw up recommendations, carry out research and provide expertise within the framework of technical and scientific support. It is also responsible for education and information activities. The Agency has access to all of the information necessary to carry out its missions.
“In relation to food safety, the Agency is systematically consulted on all projects concerning the drafting of regulations or legislation within its field of competence,” according to AFSSA.
AFSSA is involved, as part of its objectives, in two particular areas:
- The nutritional and functional properties of food products, dietary products or those intended for a specific purpose as well as food products with the exception of medicine for human use;
- Health risks related to the consumption of food products composed of or resulting from genetically modified organisms.
“As an evaluation authority, the Agency may be or must be consulted in different situations as specified by the law. These texts lay out the procedure for which it is obligatory to consult the agency: (a) draft projects for legislative provisions, (b) regulatory decision drafts, and (c) individual decisions related to an authorisation.
Comments:
The structure, objectives and responsibilities of the French Food Safety Agency are quite comprehensive and cover several aspects which are not covered by some other national food agencies. However, the French Food Safety Agency has no authority to enforce the law, as is the case with The Food Safety Authority of Ireland. It is an advisory and inspection organisation. It also differs from some other agencies in that it is accountable to three government ministries.
By Aaron Priel, just-food.com correspondent
To see PART ONE of this feature, focusing on National Food Standards Authorities in the UK and the US Click Here
To see PART TWO of this feature, focusing on National Food Standards Authorities in the Australia and Ireland Click Here
To see PART THREE of this feature, focusing on National Food Standards Authorities in the Canada and Sweden Click Here
To see PART FOUR of this feature, focusing on National Food Standards Authorities in Denmark and Germany Click Here
