The first of January 2006 marks a significant milestone for food safety in the EU, with the entry into application of a large updated body of food and feed legislation. The Food "Hygiene Package," the Regulation on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs, the Regulation on official feed and food controls and the Feed Hygiene Regulation constitute a complementary set of rules to tighten and harmonise EU food safety measures.
These laws will apply at every point in the food chain, in line with the EU’s “farm to fork” approach. A key aspect of the new legislation is that all food and feed operators, from farmers and processors to retailers and caterers, will have primary responsibility for ensuring that food put on the EU market meets the required safety standards.