Food safety

Since, the movement of food products between different markets of the world brings about an inevitable risk for the consumers´ health, the European Union pays great attention to the food safety policy. Therefore, food safety is also one of the most important fields of activities of the Ministry of Agriculture of Estonia.

Estonia spends annually millions of kroons for the monitoring of domestic and imported food products. The responsibility of the state is to ensure that the food that we eat would be safe despite its origin. Monitoring is carried out through the recognition of an enterprise, approving their own checks programmes, inspection and auditing.

The principle of EU food safety policy is to apply a harmonized approach, which includes all the fields of the food chain – production of feedingstuffs, plant and animal health, animal welfare, activities connected to agricultural production, processing food products, storage, transport, retail, import and export. This kind of a comprehensive approach, which clearly establishes the responsibility of food and feed handlers, represents a common, effective and dynamic food policy.

Since 1 July, 2007, the monitoring of the entire feed and food processing chain belongs under the sphere of competence of the Veterinary and Food Board.

The good cooperation between monitoring authorities in the European Union makes it possible for every Member States to quickly receive information about infectious animal diseases and food crises breaking out in other Member States. The monitoring system of Member States is based on trust.