B Is For BSE And Risk Control Measures

The acronym BSE stands for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy.

The rate of BSE cases in cattle being reported now is significantly lower than in 1988, when the disease was first made notifiable, and the number of new cases continues to decline yet further.

The affects of the BSE and other crisis caused a review of legislation and regulatory bodies. EU Food Safety Regulation 178/2002 (the Regulation) set down the general principles and requirements of food safety that apply today. It included risk analysis procedures and elements of the precautionary principle, the establishment of the European Food Safety Authority, the requirement of "traceability" for food producers and that any safety notifications are provided to the Rapid Alert System for notification across Europe. Traceability provides the ability to track and trace the history of all the ingredients of a food product right the way through from primary production to the point of final sale of the product.

The Regulation allocated specific responsibilities to all food business operators at all stages of the food production chain to withdraw or recall any unsafe product. In appraising whether a given foodstuff can be considered unsafe, such factors as the likely effect of the product on health, in the light of normal conditions of use and/or the particular health sensitivities of the group of consumers at which the product is aimed, are taken into account. If an unsafe foodstuff forms part of a batch or production consignment, the entire quantity is presumed to be unsafe.

Food safety incidents, such as BSE, as well as those involving dioxins in animal feedstuffs, unfit poultry meat, and the foot and mouth epidemic have highlighted the importance of food traceability issues for those involved at all stages of the food chain. These, together with the increased globalisation of food supply sourcing and distribution, the more rapid spread of contamination and disease resulting from this globalisation, and the growing threat of bio-terrorism, mean alerts and traceability issues are more relevant than ever.

The Regulation in action was shown in December 2008 with the complete product recall of all Irish pork placed on the market from 1 September...