Minister Calls on Companies to Share Cost Burden of Food Controls
GERMANY – German Federal Consumer Protection Minister Ilse Aigner has called for improved and more targeted food safety controls in Germany.
15 May 2013
1 minute read
Recent scandals have highlighted gaps in the control of imported food and feed in some places, she said.
Minister Aigner speaking before the Spring Conference federal and state consumer ministers in Bad Nauheim (Hesse) said she was open to the idea of food and feed businesses in future paying more to the cost of official controls.
"Checks cost money. In many places, the competent supervisory authorities need to be better equipped,” she said.
“If some countries cannot afford it for financial reasons, they have to take the opportunity to ask businesses to pay. The efficiency of food controls must not be compromised by the cash situation," Minister Aigner said.
The Federal Minister for Consumer said that this stance had been supported by the EU Commission in Brussels and the Federal Court.
She said the BRH had warned that "financial and human resources for the official food control" are "often inadequate."
On 6 May 2013 the European Commission presented a proposal, which also provides for food and feed companies - with the exception of small scale enterprises to take a greater share in all the costs of official controls across Europe.
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