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2. INSPECTIONS

2.7 Production inspection

In 2003 the CAFIA inspectors conducted the total of 7357 inspections of producers during which 3118 premises (points of production) were checked; a number of them were checked repeatedly. In terms of the commodities, the majority of the inspections were conducted in bakeries, delicatessen production premises and in confectionery production premises.

In 1925 cases the inspection focused on the Critical Control Points System (CCP System). The inspections showed that at that time the level of the CCP System implementation in foodstuff producing premises was at a very high level (77.8% of premises had the CCP System implemented without any deficiencies, in 13.8% premises minor deficiencies were found in the CCP System implementation and only 8.4% showed significant deficiencies in terms of the CCP System).

Apart from the inspections of the CCP System implementation the CAFIA in 2003 focused on checking the compliance with other requirements of legal regulations when inspecting foodstuff production premises, for example sampling to check food safety and quality, hygienic conditions, or whether the measures imposed were followed.

One of the principal objectives of the CAFIA inspections of foodstuff production premises in 2003 was to assess the impact of the requirements of the Ministry of Agriculture Code of Practice No. 451/2002 Coll. concerning the conditions and requirements for operational and personal hygiene of foodstuffs, with the exception of foodstuffs of animal origin, on foodstuff production premises. This was carried out in the framework of the inquiry survey (the so-called passportization) focused on all production premises for the inspecting of which the CAFIA was competent. As of January 2003 the CAFIA monitored the level of foodstuff production premises meeting the requirements of the Code of Practice for operational and personal hygiene and acquired data to establish a basis for the analysis of the impact of the Code of Practice on the foodstuff producers.

In the monitored period the total of 1959 food producing premises were assessed in the framework of passportization; out of them only 1.23%, i.e. 24 premises, had fully complied with the requirements.
The outcome of the passportization showed that the producers’ principal problems lied in inadequate facilities in the buildings and in poor equipment and environment cleanliness. This was proven by the bad results of “smears from surfaces” and “smears from basins”. However, it can be said that for many producers it is difficult to deal with the above as well as other aspects in an appropriate way. With regard to the date of the Code of Practice coming into effect no penalties have been imposed for the deficiencies found.
It is obvious that the new Code of Practice stipulating the requirements for operational and personal hygiene of foodstuffs affects every producer in terms of investments. Some food producers, particularly the smaller ones, have serious problems rectifying the deficiencies and facing the related costs.

In the framework of production inspections the CAFIA in 2003 participated in the project of the Ministry of Agriculture for drawing allowances from grants. The objective of this project was to support the competitiveness of the Czech food industry. The CAFIA issued a certificate announcing the commencement of food production to those applicants-producers who had not acquired the HACCP or ISO certificate, and immediately conducted the inspection of the Critical Control Point System. The applicants who had acquired the HACCP or ISO certificate in the previous years were first of all, in the first half of 2003, given the CAFIA opinion which formed an integral part of their application (with a task to describe and assess the initial condition), and then in the second half of 2003 the CAFIA provided them with its statement as to whether the subsidized investment had led to meeting the requirements arising from applicable regulations for given production premises in the EU in terms of the increased effectiveness of the HACCP system; this was a prerequisite for awarding the grant. The total of 111 food entities was assessed during 157 inspections.