Holiday Season: Enhanced Food Inspections

As it does every year, the Ministry of Agriculture is stepping up health inspections in anticipation of the holiday season. Starting today and through January 11, 2013, some 4,000 ministry officials will be conducting food safety inspections.   This annual inspection campaign is a tradition during this period of high demand for “holiday” foods. The inspections target facilities involved in the production, processing, and sale of shellfish, game, and holiday foods (catering services, poultry, waterfowl, and foie gras), as well as the transportation and storage of these products. Monitoring has been streamlined since the reform of the Departmental Directorates for the Protection of Populations (DDPP or DDCSPP), which now fall under the jurisdiction of the Direction générale de l'alimentation (DGAL) and the General Directorate for Competition, Consumer Affairs, and Fraud Control (DGCCRF). Inspections to ensure compliance with hygiene, safety, and product quality standards lead each year to the initiation of administrative or legal proceedings against establishments that fail to comply with health regulations, including those related to labeling. Among the violations identified are prohibited practices such as “repackaging” or spraying shellfish. In 2011, 167 violation reports were issued, and 281 formal notices were sent to business operators requiring them to comply with current regulations, primarily in the commercial food service and food distribution sectors.   For more information: http://alimentation.gouv.fr/fetes-de-fin-d-annee-controles 2011 Report: http://alimentation.gouv.fr/controles-fetes © BN