Chapter 37 - Food safety in international food trade—imports and exports

Abstract

Consumers’ confidence in safety and quality of their food supply depends on the effectiveness of food-control measures. Inspection and certification systems, especially in the foods of animal origin, are an inseparable part of food-control measures. But these may, sometimes, become obstacles in the international food trade. Importing and exporting countries often operate different food inspection- and certification systems due to different food-safety hazards/risks and their management. In order to facilitate international food trade and protect the health of consumers, exporting and importing countries should work together to make sanitary measures of an exporting country more effective to achieve an appropriate level of protection of an importing country as per the World Trade Organization Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures. Significance of the export-certification system must be recognized by other countries, and export-control systems should be established as per the Codex Guidelines.