[Health risks through imported food]

For the evaluation of health risks emerging from imported foods data can be utilized which result from national surveillance programmes of member states and which are summarized, e.g. in the WHO Surveillance Programme for Control of Foodborne Infections and Intoxications in Europe. Within this programme annual reports are published reflecting the situation in the various European countries. The epidemiological data allow for long term preventive measures to be developed in an attempt to minimize health risks resulting from foods. Within this programme an Early Warning System has been established to monitor and report on incidents of international concern. The Commission of the European Communities operates an Alert System on contaminated food articles which are in international or intracommunity trade. Thus countries shall be placed in a position to initiate without delay steps for the prevention of current health risks. It is the declared policy of the EEC to dismantle by 1992 all trade barriers between the member countries and thus complete the European domestic market. This situation will make impossible border controls for food within the Community. From that time on import controls will only exist towards so-called Third Countries at the outer border of the Community. The internal free trade with foods on the one hand and the shift of inspection and control measures on the other necessitate a reconsideration of traditional official food inspection procedures. This reorientation has to include risk evaluations and strategies for routine food inspection services as well as questions of judgement criteria for different articles of food, e.g. microbiological criteria, agreement on sampling plans and standardization of examination procedures which would have to be applied.