More control for Finnish food chain
governments to start a programme to assess the conformity of
municipal food controlthrough more regulation.
The Agency says that the purpose of the assessment is to compare food controlin municipalities with law requirements as well as with the instructions and recommendations that the Agency itself issues.
The Agency has drawn up instructions for municipal food controlauthorities which emphasise the greater organisation of local food control. The instructions specify the grounds, which will serve as references in the assessment of the conformity of food control. The Agency says that the objective of the instructions is to promotethe use of risk assessment as the basis of food control and to increase thelogistics, quality level and consistency of food control in Finland.
Another objective is to support municipal control authorities in thedevelopment of food control activities.
The Agency's definition of high-quality food control involvespreparation of plans for control visits, sampling, investigations andcommunication. Local authorities shall also draw up procedures for food-relatedhealth hazard situations and set up a work group for investigation of foodpoisonings. In addition, the implementation of food control will bemonitored and the monitoring results utilised in the development of controland in the assessment of the required resources.
The programme was started by a pilot assessment carried out in the public health work local government regional authorityof Orimattila on 12 February 2004, the agency said. The experience gained from the pilotassessment is aimed at establishing a uniform procedure for firsttrial assessments and assessments in collaboration with provincialgovernments.
The Agency adds that the task of the control authorities is to ensure compliance with stipulations and regulations according to food and safety laws. This will involve the control of foodstuffs,their production and manufacture at primary production level as well as atall processing, manufacturing and distribution stages.
Currently the methods used in food control to verify the conformity of foodstuffs in Finland include inspections, sampling and investigations, guidance and advising ofentrepreneurs as well as employment of coercive means. Control analyses offoodstuffs shall be carried out by official food research institutes. Inaddition, control authorities shall ensure that the entrepreneurs have drawnup plans for compulsory in-house control and that in-house control isrealised in compliance with the requirements laid down in laws.
