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The Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority (CAFIA) points out that by 30 April 2005 all food business operators, thus those who in whatever way produce, process or distribute foodstuffs (excluding primary producers), will have to determine critical control points. These are those stages in the production of foodstuffs or placing on the market, where food safety could be impaired. This new obligation applies particularly to sellers of foodstuffs, because in the production, this HACCP system is in place since 2000.

This obligation is determined by the Act on Foodstuffs, Decree No. 147/1998 Coll. (as amended by Decree No. 196/2000 Coll., and Decree No. 161/2004 Coll.), and also by the Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council No. 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs, which will come into force on 1 January 2006. In principle, for food business operators it means to identify risks and critical control points in their establishments, to determine critical limits in these control points, to find and implement procedures how to monitor the whole system, and finally, to determine remedy measures if any of critical control points is not under control. There is no regulation that would stipulate how many and which critical control points should be identified and monitored, however, it is necessary to take into account specific conditions in the production, storage, distribution or sale of particular kinds of foodstuffs. For example, when selling frozen foodstuffs, reception of food into the shop can be a critical point and certain temperature of freezer can be a critical limit. The temperature will certainly have to be continuously monitored and it will be necessary to be prepared for the possibility of electricity cut off.

Therefore, above all sellers should have critical control point system in place as of 1 May. If the CAFIA inspectors find out during the first months that there are no critical control points determined in the establishment, they will firstly impose measure to remedy the situation and only after follow-up whether the situation has been remedied they will initiate administrative proceeding. They will also provide basic information, primarily to small and medium operators.

The CAFIA approach to the inspection of these obligations and relevant legislation is published at www.szpi.gov.cz