• Entrepreneurs
• Business information
• Certification
• CAFIA laboratories
• CAFIA opinions
• More information
• Consumers
• How to know the food market
• Results of CAFIA inspections
• Consumer rights
• List of risky sites
• Hoaxes
• Other visitors
• Press Releases
• Internships at CAFIA
• Public contracts

14. CONCLUSION
 
Year 2003 in the CAFIA was entirely marked by an ever-increasing pace of all activities, connected to the preparations for the accession of the Czech Republic to the European Union.

The main priority of inspections, as in previous years, was the control of food safety. The Authority inspected them for harmlessness and for the compliance with the requirements for quality, proper labelling and so-called food “adulteration”, as well as for the compliance with statutory requirements set forth by respective legal regulations.

In 2003, a total of 19,960 individual inspections were carried out, out of which 10,984 were undertaken in the retail network, 7,357 in production, 1,583 in warehouses and 42 elsewhere.

The CAFIA imposed in administrative proceedings 1,707 penalties for breach of duties stipulated by legal regulation, amounting to CZK 11,029,200 in total. With regard to the fact that Act No. 146/2002 Coll., on the Czech Agriculture and Food Authority, as amended, allows, as of January 1, 2003, to impose measures for correction of shortcomings ascertained without administrative proceedings, the Authority did not impose penalties as often as was usual in past years.

10,215 bans on putting into circulation were imposed on incompliant foodstuffs and tobacco products whose value amounted to CZK 17,722,114. The share of production was CZK 1,153,608 and the sales network CZK 16,568,506.

In 2003, the CAFIA’s activities also continued successfully in the international sphere. The CAFIA’s staff participated in many meetings with important foreign institutions and authorities as well as in many specialised seminars and conferences.

From April 2003, the CAFIA started to take an active part in discussions of working parties and committees of the European Committee and the Council of Europe. Throughout the year, 19 CAFIA’s experts were appointed to 26 working parties and committees.

The “Strengthening of Food Safety Policy” Phare project launched in April 2003 and focused on the CAFIA’s development by training and consultancy, and improvement of its management processes by the introduction and certification of ISO 9001:2000 and creation of a common information system of the supervisory bodies for food safety in the CR. The CAFIA also took an active part in another Phare project, “Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights”, implemented under the Industrial Property Office. The CAFIA experts also carried on in their participation in the Quid Thematic Network project in 2003.

In 2003, the CAFIA’s information system was introduced into operation and it will consist of several sub-systems, e.g. a specialised and laboratory system Inspections and Laboratory Activities and HR information systems which are already running. This will gradually be completed with e.g. an economic information system and others. The CAFIA also continued investing in its IS technical base, e.g. notebooks and mobile phones for inspectors and personal computers and LCD panels.

In 2003, the CAFIA continued fulfilling its concept of open communication with the public and also started to deal with its internal communication.