A guidance document on the implementation of the General Food law main requirements has been developed by a working group of Member State experts. These requirements are traceability of food and feed products, responsibility of operators, withdrawal of unsafe food or feed from the market and notification to the competent Authorities.

Their implementation from 1st January 2005 has given rise to numerous questions in particular from E.U. food chain operators and third country trading partners. The guidance document aims to assist all players in the food chain to better understand and to apply correctly and in a uniform way the Regulation.

These guidelines have not addressed specific issues which relate only to a single type of food business operators. However, as regards the implementation of traceability requirements to charities, the Commission has presented its position following a request from the European Parliament
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The Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health has approved the guidance document at its meeting of 20 December 2004 and considers that this useful procedure should continue in the light of the experience gained by the full application of the General food law main requirements from 1 January 2005.

Revised version of the guidance document

Since then, the guidance document has therefore been reviewed and complemented. A new section has been developed on food safety requirements, and the sections on traceability, withdrawal/recall and export of food and feed, have been redrafted with a view to simplifying, clarifying and completing them.
The Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health has approved the revised version of the guidance document at its meeting of 26 January 2010.