Eg. product name, manufacturer, dealer, ...

MENU Close

• 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

Representatives of the Federal Ministry for Health and Women (Bundesministerium für Gesundheit und Frauen) together with representatives of food safety authority of Lower Austria (Amt der NÖ Landesregierung/Lebensmittelaufsicht) visited the Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority (CAFIA) by the end of last week.

The Austrian delegation members were particularly interested in the system of food safety control in the Czech Republic and in its approach to the application of the Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning a coordinated programme for the official control of foodstuffs. With CAFIA experts they discussed the method of applying so called “European hygiene packet” that concerns all food business operators whose responsibility will be to ensure, as of 1 January 2006, determined hygiene requirements. The Austrian delegation also visited laboratories of the Brno inspectorate, where they showed interest in laboratory for wine analysis and laboratory for genetically modified organisms. They were also interested in analyses of foodstuffs for the presence of Sudan dyes.

During two-day expert discussions, agreement of opinions of both authorities that have very similar “Central European approach” to the inspection of foodstuffs became evident. The Austrian experts offered the CAFIA specific co-operation, for example in the form of consultations in developing necessary materials, and exchange of expert opinions. Nowadays, preparations are being made to initiate specific co-operation between two CAFIA inspectorates and Lower Austria and Upper Austria provincial authorities within the European project INTERREG III.

The Federal Ministry for Health and Women is responsible for coordinating official controls of foodstuffs in the whole country, whereas nine provincial food safety authorities, which come under the authority of the provincial governor, are responsible for performing inspections in the field. Analytical work is carried out by the Austrian Agency for Health and Nutritional Safety and three provincial laboratories that are part of the Federal Ministry.