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Donata Meroni
Head of Unit – Health and Food Safety
Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency
In this newsletter edition of May 2020, Donata Meroni talks about the EU’s response to COVID-19 and in particular, the impact of the crisis on the Better Training for Safer Food initiative.
How has the Commission responded to COVID-19?
The Commission is responding on all fronts to the outbreak of COVID-19. Every Department is involved, from health to transport, from social and human rights to research and innovation. In particular, the Directorate General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE) has been actively working in crisis management and preparedness to protect the public, to contain the spread of the virus and to help EU countries to provide the healthcare to those who have been infected and are in critical condition. Several guidance documents have been issued in this respect, economic and other measures have been put in place, such as direct support to EU healthcare sector, supply of personal protective equipment, supporting research for treatment, diagnostic and vaccines and fighting disinformation. The Commission’s Agencies are also on board, including the Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency (Chafea) that manages the Health Programme and the Better Training for Safer Food (BTSF) initiative in collaboration with DG SANTE.
How has the pandemic impacted the Better Training for Safer Food initiative?
A wide variety of training sessions are held both in and outside the EU, and these face-to-face courses on site have had to be cancelled or postponed until 1 September 2020, for the time being. Like many other organisations, the forced shift to digitalisation has prompted Chafea, with the support of DG SANTE, to also consider the organisation of online courses in the form of webinars for the next months.
Fortunately, through the BTSF Academy, people can follow eLearning courses such as for animal welfare, animal health (Aquaculture animals and TSEs), HACCP, food hygiene of fishery products, RASFF, Feed and Food contact materials whenever and wherever, especially now. These courses are available in 5 languages.
In addition to eLearning courses, BTSF Academy has almost 50 titles offered in a format of Learning Resources. This format of on- line learning is covering the entire sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) field, from food safety law to animal disease preparedness and animal welfare rules, up to sustainable use of pesticides and plant health controls. These Learning Resources have been built up from the pedagogical material from Face to Face-training material. Learning resources in the Academy, and offer presentations in PPT and videos of the recorded lectures from each Face to Face training held since 2016 up to today.
Since the start of the confinement the BTSF Academy has registered 1944 participants in nine weeks, thus offering a possibility to train participants even in these circumstances.
How the Better Training for Safer Food initiative proves its importance during this crisis?
The global pandemic underlines the need for food safety and conformity to standards. Through this ordeal, people have become more sensitive about the safety of what they consume, even of the packaging of these consumables and the delivery chain and sales points. The value of the European single market also became even more evident, and the invaluable connection between the EU and other parts of the world who we trade with from farm to fork.
COVID-19 reminded us of our need to work together, to respect and support each other. That has always been the philosophy behind BTSF. The initiative safeguards people’s health and helps businesses to compete on a level-playing field. The months and years to come may prove challenging for business, especially smaller and midsize producers – but it will be important not to cut corners on quality and safety. BTSF initiative will be there to provide all the assistance and support we can to everyone involved from the beginning to the end of the food chain.
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