20160421 Jornada FIAB_ UE - Sistema de asistencia y cooperación administrativas

1. The Administrative
Assistance and
Cooperation (AAC) System
Seminario sobre Calidad
Alimentaria:
Lucha contra el Fraude
Alimentario
Madrid, 21 April 2016
Eric Marin
European Commission
DG SANTE
Unit G5 - Alerts, Traceability
and Committees

2. Strengthening the Commission and MS
capacity to address cross-border
non-compliances
1) Facilitating the exchange of information
2) Developing fit for purposes rules and
strengthening the EU control system
3) Better detection and prevention (training,
exchange of best practices)

3. A collaborative approach:
e.g. Creation of the Food fraud Network
Interpol
EUROJUST
Intelligence
TRUST
Expertise/ Enforcement
The EU Food
Fraud Network
Investigative legal
powers
Member States

4. Food Fraud
• No EU definition
• 4 key criteria:
• Violation of EU Food Law
• Intention
• Economic gain
• Deception of customers
Impact on consumer confidence
2000
Adulterated oil
Spain
Adulterated
butter
Italy
1981
Melamine peT food
China / USA
2007 2008
Melamine in milk
China
2012
Horsemeat
scandal
Fraudsters have no
interests to create
public health
incidents

9. 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
Prohibited substance
Species or ingredients substitution
Absence of documentation
Products unfit for human consumption
Falsified certifications / documents
Prohibited treatment and/or process
Labelling non-compliance
Fraud Cases exchanged via the Network (since July 2013)
200+ cases

10. EU Coordinated control plans
to better understand extent of fraud in certain sectors
• Article 53 of Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 on coordinated control
plans
• Ad hoc basis, in particular with a view to establishing the
prevalence of hazards in feed, food or animals
• 2013-2014: horse meat
• 2015: two EU coordinated control plans (honey, fish)

11. Results 1 – Fish
• Successful plan, nearly 4000 samples, well distributed along the food
chain. Over 150 white fish species tested.
• Assessment of results: Overall less substitution in most white fish species
than reported earlier. Some species (Sole) still problematic.
• Big variation in results between MS. Not enough information to assess the
possible reasons.
Unprocessed products Processed products Total
Samples NC % NC Samples NC % NC Samples NC* % NC
2429 155 6% 1477 78 5% 3906 232 6%
Table 1: Numbers of samples, non-compliances and category of product

12. Preliminary results Honey (2)
• Suspicions of non-compliances:
• Sampling points:
Border
inspection post
Producer Importer or
wholesaler
Packaging or processing
establishments
Distribution
or retail
n samples taken 52 336 236 306 1307
% of samples taken 2% 15% 11% 14% 58%
% non-compliant samples 2% 15% 19% 17% 10%
% suspect samples among
the remaining samples
29% 10% 9% 8% 8%

13. AAC system (IT tool)
• Launched in November 2015
• facilitate compliance with AAC obligations (Title IV of
Regulation 882/2004)
• Initially limited at the cooperation in case of suspicion of fraud
• Foreshadows a more general Administrative Assistance and
Cooperation System (open to assistance on non-compliances,
not limited to fraud)
• Future link with other systems, e.g. RASFF, TRACES, OFIS

14. Example of case coordinated by the Commission in the
framework of art. 40 of Regulation (EC) N°
882/2004
Potential food fraud with falsified health certificates of aflatoxins in nuts from a Third Country.
Reported by a Spanish border inspector in Valencia (RASFF). Feb 2016
Suspicion based on the fact that the fine print " INSPECTION AND QUARANTINE" bordering an
original certificate was not readable on the version presented to the border inspector.
Commission services contacted the TC competent authority which confirmed that the
certificate presented at the EU border was a fake.
The Commission suspected similar batches imported into several other Member States. Around
20 similar certificates have been identified so far.
Ongoing investigation.

15. Better detection and prevention: BTSF
training
Better Training for Safer Food (BTSF) ;
• Five courses per year
• Participants from food control, police, border control,
etc.
• Courses on
• investigation techniques to detect "food fraud"
• e-commerce in food, i.e. sales of food and food
products on the internet

16. • Network of official Reference Labs (EURLs)
• Joint Research Center (JRC)
• Support to Coordinated Control Plans
Research and technology for fraud
prevention

17. Conclusions
• AAC and food fraud will remain a priority
• Action will continue:
• to strengthen cooperation across borders (FFN)
• to promote cooperation across agencies
• to seek new synergies with colleagues across the
Commission
• Mobilisation necessary in Member States:
• to use AAC provisions and tools to the fullest
• to integrate specific controls directed at
intentional violations in their control plans

18. Thank you for your attention
and do not forget the overall perspective…
Food in the EU has never been safer
SANTE-882-FOOD-FRAUD@ec.europa.eu
http://ec.europa.eu/food/safety/official_controls/food_fraud/index_en.htm