Press Release: Food Safety : Report documents growing importance of the EU’s Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed

The European Union's system for quick exchange of information on risks linked to food and feed - an invaluable tool especially at times of crisis - has further grown in importance during 2010, the system's annual report reveals.

The 2010 annual report of the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF), notes that the number of notifications in RASFF rose to 8582 last year. This is a record number and constitutes an increase of 8% compared to 2009, when the number of notifications was slightly under 8000. This growth in notifications, taking place for the third consecutive year, is largely down to rejections of consignments at EU borders in the light of the strengthening of border controls as regards food of non-animal origin, through Regulation (EC) No 669/2009. There were also 576 alert notifications reporting on serious risks found in products on the market, a small increase compared to 2009.

European Commission: Memo/11/729: Questions and Answers on the role and achievements of the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/11/729&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

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