In the White Paper on Food Safety the Commission outlined a radical revision of the Community's food safety hygiene rules, under which food operators right through the food chain will bear primary responsibility for food safety. The new regulations merge, harmonise and simplify detailed and complex hygiene requirements previously contained in a number of Council Directives covering the hygiene of foodstuffs and the production and placing on the market of products of animal origin. They innovate in making a single, transparent hygiene policy applicable to all food and all food operators right through the food chain "from the farm to the fork", together with effective instruments to manage food safety and any future food crises throughout the food chain.

Related press releases

In order to explain to everyone concerned the new approach taken on the hygiene of foodstuffs since 1/1/2006, we have published an on-line magazine " FOOD Hygiene & Safety" that explains and documents the new rules.

The hygiene Regulations contain the legal requirement for the Commission to submit a report to the European Parliament and to the Council, reviewing the experience gained from their application and, if appropriate, accompanying the report with relevant proposals. In addition, Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 requires the Commission to consider if it is desirable and practicable to extend the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) requirements to food business operators in the primary production area.

The report below aims at presenting factually the experience gained, including the difficulties encountered, in 2006, 2007 and 2008 from the implementation of the hygiene package by all interested actors. It does not suggest any detailed solutions to the difficulties reported and is, therefore, not accompanied by proposals.

Commission report

The report is accompanied by a staff working document (SWD) where Annexes referred to in the report can be found.

• FAQ on flexibility for food business operators
• Flexibility provisions for competent authorities

A Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on the future necessity and use of mechanically separated meat in the EU including the information policy towards consumers, was adopted on 2 december 2010