FOOD SAFETY IN OUR DAILY LIFE

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FOOD SAFETY IN OUR DAILY LIFE

• Laurentiu SOLACU - Counselor
• National Authority for Consumer Protection

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FOOD SAFETY IN OUR DAILY LIFE

• The safety of the food products we consume on a
  daily basis is essential to our health, and it
  involves the entire food chain from producers of
  raw materials to the finished products that reach
  us every day.
• The defining elements for food safety are The
  quality of raw materials that go into the
  production process Production of food products
  Storage and transport of food products Manner
  and marketing conditions of food products.
• Food safety consists in observing the hygiene and
  health rules throughout the production process
  and is aimed at "guaranteeing the populations
  health in terms of the hygiene, freshness and
  nutritional value of the food products they
  consume."
• Order of the Minister of Health no. 975 on
  December 16th, 1998 approving the Norms on the
  Hygiene and Health of Food Products

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Processed Food Products - a Need of the Modern
World

• Today, as the population of the world is growing,
  processed food products have become indispensable
  in our daily diet. Companies in the food industry
  cover the huge demand of processed food products,
  ensuring the compliance with the conditions of
  storage, preservation and marketing, from
  producers to the end consumer, that is essential
  for food safety.
• Food additives are substances that have a
  nutritional value or not, used in the processing
  of food products to improve their quality or to
  allow the use of more advanced processing
  technologies.
• Artificial and Natural Additives
• Some additives are obtained from natural sources,
  such as soybeans, corn or red beetroot. Other
  additives do not occur freely in nature, so that
  they must be produced by artificial means, by
  chemical synthesis. The presence of food
  additives in the composition of processed food
  products, be they natural or artificial, is
  subject to the effective legislation, which sets
  forth the accepted amounts, according to the
  safety standards.

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Processed Food Products - a Need of the Modern
World

• Everything that exists in nature is made of
  chemical substances. Some additives are obtained
  from natural sources, such as soybeans, corn or
  red beet. Some other additives do not occur
  naturally and must be obtained artificially,
  through chemical synthesis. For example, the
  ascorbic acid and vitamin C are exactly the same
  substance, irrespective of their being found in
  an orange or obtained in a laboratory.
• From the food safety standpoint, there must not
  be differences between natural and synthetic
  additives. From this point of view, the fact that
  a food product does not contain artificial
  additives is not of a major importance, as
  natural compounds have almost the same chemical
  structure as synthetic products.
• For a toxicologist, the term natural can even
  raise suspicions, as many chemical substances
  that occur naturally are known for the side
  effects they may produce. For example, studies
  conducted in Great Britain show that allergic
  reactions to natural foods (eggs, milk,
  strawberries, some spices) are quite common,
  affecting almost half of the worlds population.
  Irrespective of additives being extracted from
  plants or animal tissues, produced by
  microorganisms or synthesized in a laboratory, a
  toxicologist includes these additives in the same
  category. They are all chemical substances that
  can have toxic properties. As for the analysis of
  their safe use for consumption in respect of the
  regulation of their use, the process is identical
  for all additives, regardless of the origin of
  the chemical substance.

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CATEGORIES OF FOOD ADDITIVES

• The effective Romanian legislation states the
  list of food additives accepted to be used in the
  food industry, also mentioning the foods in which
  they can be used and the maximal accepted dose.
  This list is compliant with the list of additives
  accepted in the European Union.
• Categories of Food Additives accepted by the
  Romanian legislation
• Preservatives Antioxidants Acidifiers
  Buffers Antifoaming agents Emulsifiers
  Jellification agents, sequestering agents,
  stabilizers, thickeners Sweeteners Natural
  and synthetic colouring agents Leavening agents
  and anticaking agents Flavour enhancers
  Support-substances Enzymes Flavourings

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CATEGORIES OF FOOD ADDITIVES

• Main groups of foodstuffs
• Bread and bakery products
• Milk and dairy products
• Meat and meat products
• Fish and fish products
• Oils and fats
• Eggs and egg-based products
• Sugar and sweets
• Fruits, vegetables and processed products
• Alcohol beverages
• Non-alcohol beverages
• Confectionery and pastry products
• Cereals and cereal products
• Spices, soups, sauces, salads
• Ice creams
• Foods with a special destination
• Other foods

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ACCEPTED DAILY INTAKE AND MAXIMUM USAGE LEVEL

• The Accepted Daily Intake of Food Additives is
  Set Following Extensive Testing.
• The legislation in force lays down the maximum
  level of additives that can be used in a
  particular food products in order to avoid any
  harmful effect on consumer health.
• Acceptable daily intake (ADI) The amount of a
  food additive, expressed as mg/kg body weight,
  that can be ingested daily over a lifetime
  without incurring any appreciable health risk.
• The ADI is based on an evaluation of available
  toxicological data and established by identifying
  the No-Observed-Adverse-Effect-Level (NOAEL) in
  the most sensitive experiment among a battery of
  studies in test animals performed with the test
  compound and extrapolating to man by dividing the
  NOAEL with a safety factor of usually 100.
• The levels of an additive permitted in foods is
  established so that the ADI is not exceeded and
  this will depend on the level of consumption of
  the various food categories in which the use of
  the additive is approved.
• With a view to confirming the safety limits of
  food additives consumption, the Accepted Daily
  Intake is used worldwide by the regulatory health
  and food authorities the World Health
  Organization, the Scientific Food Committee of
  the European Commission, the US Food and Drug
  Administration. The Accepted Daily Intake is
  subject to regular revisions. The results of the
  tests are certified by independent experts.

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LEGISLATION

• As far as the protection of consumer interests is
  concerned, the Ministry of Health and Family and
  the National Authority for Consumers Protection,
  along with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and
  Forestry, are the institutions in charge with
  issuing orders to regulate the conditions for
  authorizing the units that produce, process,
  store, transport and market food products, as
  well as the conditions for authorizing the foods
  declared fit for human consumption and
  controlling units producing foods.
• The marketing of food products in conditions that
  guarantee the protection of consumers health is
  regulated by the legislation in the following
  domains Regulations for the production,
  movement and marketing of foods - GEO no. 97/21
  June 2001, approved by Law no. 57/16 January
  2002 Conditions for obtaining, testing, using
  and marketing genetically modified organisms - GO
  no. 49/30 January 2000, approved by Law no.
  214/19 April 2002 Product marking and
  labelling - GD no. 106/7 February 2002
  Imitations of food products that may involve
  the risk of endangering consumer health or safety
  - GD no. 187/17 March 2000 Approval of the
  hygiene and health norms for food products -
  Order of the Minister of Health and Family no.
  975/16 December 1998 Approval of the hygiene
  norms regarding the production, processing,
  storage, preservation, transport and marketing of
  food products - Order of the Minister of Health
  and Family no. 976/16 December 1998 Approval
  of the Norms regarding the food additives
  destined to be used in food products meant for
  human consumption - Order of the Minister of
  Health and Family no. 438/18 June 2002 and Order
  of the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Forestry
  no. 295/12 July 2002 which shall enter into force
  12 months from date of its publication (Official
  Journal on 3rd October 2002).

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LEGISLATION

• Romanian laws are harmonized with European
  legislation
• Romanian laws establish the maximal accepted dose
  of each food additive in a particular food
  product. On the list of ingredients, food
  additives are registered with the name of the
  category followed by the specific name or the
  C.E. code. Compliance with the legal provisions
  shall be checked by the competent authorities in
  charge with performing control at producer,
  during storage and marketing of food products.
• As Romania is now preparing for EU accession, it
  has transposed the European directives regarding
  food additives. As a result, the Romanian food
  industry also uses food additives provided for in
  the following European directives Directive
  94/36/EC regarding colourings meant to be used in
  food products Directive 94/35/EC regarding
  sweeteners meant to be used in the food industry
  Directive 89/107/EC regarding food additives
  authorized for use in food products meant for
  human consumption Directive 95/2/EC regarding
  food additives other than colourings and
  sweeteners Decision 292/97/EC regarding the
  maintenance of national legislations forbidding
  the use of some food additives in the
  manufacturing of specific food products.
• On 3rd October 2003 shall enter in force the
  Order of the Minister of Health and Family no.
  438 / 18 June 2002 and Order of the Minister of
  Agriculture, Food and Forestry no. 295 / 12 July
  2002 approving the Norms on food additives
  destined to be used in food products meant for
  human consumption.

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LEGAL REGULATIONS GUARANTEE THE SAFETY OF FOOD
ADDITIVES

• Food additives are substances used for the
  preparation of foodstuffs, with a view to
  improving their quality or allowing the
  application of advanced processing technologies.
  1 The Codex Alimentarius Commission within the
  Food and Agriculture Organisation and the World
  Health Organisation specifies, in the procedural
  handbook, that food additives mean any
  substances, even microbiological ones, which are
  not naturally consumed as foods, even if they
  have a nutritive value or not, and whose addition
  to foods is related to a technological (and
  sensorial) purpose in the manufacturing,
  packaging or preservation of foodstuffs, having a
  certain effect or an effect which is likely to
  produce (direct or indirect) convenient effects
  upon their properties. The term of additive
  does not include contaminants or substances added
  to foods for the preservation or improvement of
  the nutritive properties.
• Used since ancient times for the obtaining of
  foods, food additives have become more and more
  diversified with time, the European Union
  authorizing for use a number of 311 food
  additives.
• From the definition given by the Codex
  Alimentarius Commission within the Food and
  Agriculture Organisation and the World Health
  Organisation, it results that the use of
  additives is justified for the following
  purposes to preserve the nutritive value of a
  food product to improve the preservation and
  stability properties of a food product to
  favour the manufacturing, packaging, storage and
  transport of food products to improve the
  sensorial properties of food products.

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LEGAL REGULATIONS GUARANTEE THE SAFETY OF FOOD
ADDITIVES

• The use of food additives is neither justified
  nor permitted in the following cases the
  proposed dose for usage endangers human health
  results in a sensitive diminution of the
  nutritive value of food products it is
  intended to mask some deteriorations or
  degradations of food products or to hide some
  manufacturing or handling faults consumers are
  misled as to the quality of the food product.
• The conditions for the use of food additives
  imply the following innocuousness and absence
  of danger as a result of a potential accumulation
  of doses or effects, conditions which are proven
  experimentally on at least two animal species
  their use should be accepted as necessary and
  motivated by scientific and/or technical
  considerations the quantity added to the food
  product should be as low as possible, but also
  sufficient to obtain the effect for which the
  food product is indicated the introduction of
  a substance from the group of food additives
  should not result in the replacement of one of
  the normal components of the food product the
  purity of the food additive by the testing of its
  physical and chemical characteristics should be
  regulated by law the introduction of food
  additives should be preceded by the establishment
  of simple, sensitive methods, for qualitative
  identification and quantitative dosing the
  addition of food additives in foods shall be
  stated visibly on the package, in compliance with
  legal provisions.

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LEGAL REGULATIONS GUARANTEE THE SAFETY OF FOOD
ADDITIVES

• The regulations regarding the safety of food
  additives use are currently issued by the
  European Community. The analysis and evaluation
  of consumption safety are carried out by a group
  of independent experts meeting within the
  Scientific Committee on Food which reports to the
  European Commission. Food additives are
  authorized only after being analysed and
  evaluated in terms of consumption safety. The
  testing procedure is a rigorous one, and is aimed
  at obtaining information regarding potential
  effects on the short, medium and long term as a
  result of the prolonged consumption of products
  containing such additives. Most often than not,
  such researches can last for a few months or even
  a few years, depending on the additive subject to
  testing. The methods for research on food
  additives (Report of the Food and Agriculture
  Organisation and of the World Health
  Organisation, 53/593-1974) consist of acute
  toxicity studies short and long-term toxicity
  studies special studies containing
  investigations regarding reproduction,
  embryo-toxicity, teratogenicity, mutagenicity and
  finally observations on humans. The tests also
  answer some questions as the following Is this
  additive toxic?, Can it cause malformations in
  newborns?, Can it affect persons suffering from
  allergies?.

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LEGAL REGULATIONS GUARANTEE THE SAFETY OF FOOD
ADDITIVES

• Based on the results, the Accepted Daily Intake,
  is calculated, meaning the estimated quantity
  from a food additive, expressed taking into
  account the body weight, which can be consumed on
  a daily basis, throughout the entire life,
  without posing any risks to the health. The
  accepted daily intakes for humans depend on each
  particular additive, and these doses can be
  unconditionally accepted daily intakes and
  temporarily accepted daily intakes (the
  unconditionally or temporarily accepted daily
  intakes are expressed in mg/kg body). These doses
  must not be mistaken for the quantities
  introduced in foodstuffs.
• The Accepted Daily Intake is a concept used by
  regulatory bodies from the entire world, such as
  the World Health Organization, the Scientific
  Committee on Food of the European Commission, the
  US Food and Drug Administration, for the
  confirmation of the consumption safe limits of
  food additives. The Accepted Daily Intake applies
  to persons of all ages, children and adults.
• Once the Scientific Committee on Food establishes
  that an additive is safe for consumption, the
  European Commission can initiate the required
  legislation to regulate the use of the respective
  additive. Specifications will also be issued to
  ensure that the additive to be used will have the
  same composition and purity as the initially
  tested product.
• The specifications for use are agreed upon by
  technical experts from all EU member states,
  subordinated to the Commission. Further on, the
  Commission will submit its proposition to the
  Council of Ministers and to the European
  Parliament for approval. The proposition contains
  the conditions in which the additive can be used,
  specifying the types of foodstuffs and the
  maximal quantity in which it can be used. The
  final result is a directive of the European
  Commission, approved by the Council of Ministers
  and the European Parliament.
• It is at that very moment, after the safety of
  the additive was proven and after it was included
  on the list of accepted additives, that the
  additive is assigned an E code, followed by a
  group of figures and potentially letters.
• The provisions of the EU directive will be
  subsequently incorporated by all member states
  into their respective national legislations, each
  of them monitoring that the accepted maximal
  levels should not be exceeded.

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LABELLING AND PACKING FOOD PRODUCTS

• The purpose of labelling is to provide consumers
  with all necessary, sufficient, verifiable and
  easily comparable data they may need in order to
  choose the products that meet their requirements
  and financial possibilities, as well as to become
  aware of the potential risks they may be exposed
  to.
• It is compulsory to label all food products. The
  information indicated on the label must not
  mislead consumers as to the characteristics of
  the food product, and especially as to its
  nature, identity, properties, composition,
  quantity, durability, origin, as well as the
  manufacturing or production methods assignment
  of effects or properties that the foods do not
  have suggestion that the food has special
  characteristics when actually all similar
  products have the same characteristics.
• The labelling and the methods by which it is
  realized must not assign to foods properties for
  the prevention, treatment or healing of diseases
  or make reference to such properties. Exception
  to this rule are natural mineral waters as well
  as any foods with special nutritional
  destinations, authorized as such by the Ministry
  of Health and Family.

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LABELLING AND PACKING FOOD PRODUCTS

• The labels of foods products must include the
  following
• name under which the product is traded
• list of ingredients, containing all ingredients
  in the decreasing order of their quantity,
  determined at the moment of their introduction in
  the manufacturing process vitamins and minerals
  added to goods shall be listed among ingredients
  additives shall be mentioned among ingredients,
  with the specification of the category, followed
  by the specific name or by the EC digital code
• quantity of certain ingredients or categories of
  ingredients
• net quantity of pre-packed foods
• date of minimal durability expressed as "Best
  before ...", , if the day is included in the
  date, or "Best before ...", if the months and
  year or only year are indicated. In the case of
  foods which are highly perishable from a
  microbiological point of view, the consumption
  deadline shall be specified (validity term),
  expressed as "Expires on ...", indicating in the
  following order, the day, month and year, in an
  non-codified manner
• storage and use conditions, when they need
  special indications
• name or commercial name and producers, packers
  or distributors headquarters the case of
  imported products, the name and address of the
  importer registered in Romania
• the place of origin of the food, if its omission
  would create confusions among consumers
• instructions of use, their absence can determine
  an improper use of foods
• alcohol concentration for beverages where it
  exceeds 1.2 of the volume
• batch, whose indication is preceded by letter
  "L" - the indication of the batch is not
  compulsory when the date of the minimal
  durability and the or the consumption deadline
  are indicated by a clear and non-decoded mention
  of the day and month, at least.
• additional labeling indications, based of product
  groups.

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LABELLING AND PACKING FOOD PRODUCTS

• All indications on the label must be in Romanian,
  without excluding the possibility of their being
  displayed in other languages, too. The
  indications on the label shall be printed in a
  legible manner, easy to understand, shall be
  marked visibly, in a way which does not permit
  for their erasure and shall not be masked,
  hidden, placed in obscure places or in places
  interrupted by photos or texts.
• When the list of ingredients contained by a food
  product is not stated on the label, consumers can
  dial the Consumers Phone Number, if stated on
  the package, or can refer to the County Consumer
  Protection Office.
• Read the product label carefully before buying
  the product!
• The label - a means by which the consumer is
  informed of the ingredients of food products.
• The purpose of labeling is to provide consumers
  with all necessary, sufficient, verifiable and
  easily comparable data they may need, in order to
  choose the products that meet their requirements
  and financial possibilities, as well as to become
  aware of the potential risks they may be exposed
  to.
• The obligation to provide appropriate labeling
  for packaged foods is stipulated both in the
  Romanian and EU legislation.
• Conformity checks in respect of the information
  contained on product labels shall be conducted by
  the authorities in charge with performing the
  surveillance and control of foodstuffs, i.e.
  The authorities for consumers protection
  designated by the National Authority for
  Consumers Protection The health authorities
  designated by the Ministry of Health and Family
  The sanitary-veterinary, phyto-sanitary and
  technological control authorities designated by
  the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry.
• It is compulsory to have food additives marked on
  the product label.
• According to the effective legal provisions, food
  producers are bound to state the food additives
  contained by the food products, in a visible
  manner, on all the labels of the product packages
  (bottle, jar, box, pack etc.).

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LABELLING AND PACKING FOOD PRODUCTS

• Under the slogan "Inform Yourself!", the Ministry
  of Health and Family (MSF) and the National
  Authority for Consumer Protection (ANPC) are
  launching the consumer information programme,
  "Food Safety" (SPA). The programme is aimed at
  providing Romanian consumers with all the
  instruments required for a complete information
  in the area, so that they should be informed and
  demanding when purchasing a food product.
• Consumers now have two sources of information
  the website www.siguranta-alimentara.ro and the
  "Food Safety" Guide. The informative materials
  are the result of the collaboration between the
  specialists of the Ministry of Health and Family
  and of the National Authority for Consumer
  Protection and, in addition to that, they are
  based on a series of research activities in the
  area, carried out internationally.
• The informative SPA guide contains fundamental
  information about food safety, food additives and
  the daily accepted consumption, the labelling of
  food products, consumers' rights, the categories
  of additives accepted by the Romanian
  legislation, the effective legislation from
  Romania and the European Union, as well as
  practical advice for consumers.
• Printed out in 40.000 copies, the informative SPA
  guide is distributed free of charge to the
  territorial structures of the authorities having
  attributions in the regulation, authorization and
  control of the manufacturing and trade of food
  products, as well as to the medical associations
  from Romania, thus ensuring the basic information
  for the education of the public at large as
  regards food safety. Thus, 10.000 copies are
  being distributed through the National Authority
  for Consumer Protection to the county offices for
  consumer protection, while 10.000 others are
  being distributed through the Ministry of Health
  and Family to the county public health
  directorates.

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LABELLING AND PACKING FOOD PRODUCTS

• The informative SPA guide is being distributed
  simultaneously to the mass media from all over
  the country. Moreover, 100.000 posters with the
  internet site address are being distributed
  throughout the country, in the large store chains
  and other food retail outlets.
• The internet page www.siguranta-alimentara.ro
  contains information about consumer rights, food
  additives, the history of their use, the
  categories of food additives accepted for use in
  Romania and their role in food products, their
  authorization procedure, the accepted daily
  consumption, the effective legislation in the
  area, useful information regarding the
  institutions consumers can refer to.
• www.siguranta-alimentara.ro also contains
  information regarding natural and artificial
  additives, allergies and adverse reactions,
  acidifiers, leavening agents, antioxidants,
  flavourings, colourings, preservatives,
  emulsifiers, labeling and packaging, fats,
  sweeteners, advice for cooking food products.
• For a complete information, consumers can access
  the links to the Internet sites existing in the
  European Union and the USA, such as the European
  Food Safety Authority - www.efsa.eu.int, the
  European Food Information Council - www.eufic.org
  and the US Food and Drug Administration -
  www.fda.gov. Consumers have direct access to the
  internet websites of the Ministry of Health and
  Family - www.ms.ro and to the National Authority
  for Consumer Protection - www.anpc.ro.
• By the information disseminated under SPA
  program, consumers will be better informed and
  aware, in order to evaluate the way in which
  producers and traders understand to observe the
  Romanian effective legislation and their degree
  of responsibility towards consumers.
• The Ministry of Health and Family and the
  National Authority for Consumer Protection are
  planning to continue the "Food Safety" program
  next year as well.

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LABELLING AND PACKING FOOD PRODUCTS

• The food safety is a common responsibility for
  all participants on the products chain farmer,
  processor, transporter, distributor, retailer,
  consumer and regulation and control authorities
  in the field.
• Many checking procedures and practices are
  implemented throughout the food chain to guaranty
  the safety of the food products on the consumers
  table, to minimize the risks of contamination so
  that the people will benefit by the advantages of
  safety food products.
• The legislation and the EU food industry
  standards strictly regulates each and every stage
  of food chain from the farm to the table
  concerning the quality of the raw materials and
  the ingredients used, the quality and the
  security of the processing stages, the
  transportation and storage in safety conditions,
  packaging and labeling.
• The food tranceability from the farm to the
  fork/from stable to table- is an important
  common principle used in the field of food safety
  in EU member states and the accession countries,
  including Romania. It is a system that helps
  consumers to follow up all the stages of the food
  products before buying its. The system is
  offering detailed information on the origin of
  the goods from the farm gate and on the
  production steps/stages. It allows to monitor and
  to control the whole chain food.

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LABELLING AND PACKING FOOD PRODUCTS

• The quality standards are the guaranty of the
  safety food product.
• The food producers have the entire responsibility
  to produce safety food that will be equal to
  consumers requirements and expectations as for
  their safety and appropriate law enforcement. The
  producers, who assumed this responsibility, are
  relying on modern management quality systems
  which assure the quality and safety of the
  products. The most used systems are Good
  Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Hazard Analysis
  Critical Control Points (HACCP) and Quality
  Standards ISO 9000.
• Packaging has an important role to protect the
  food and consumers. It maintains the accurate
  quality of the products as well as the integrity
  of the products during the transport,
  distribution, and storage in the warehouse and
  storehouse. The packing contribute to increase
  the lifetime of the food and the label offers a
  wide range of information about the products.
• The frigorific chain is a primer condition. Food
  safety is subject also on the respect of suitable
  temperature and other specific rules of the
  transporters and distributors which must protect
  the products against the action of nocive factors
  and must hinder degradation of the products. The
  EU legislation, ISO norms and Codex Alimentarius
  set-up adequate norms in order to implement
  quality standards during the food transport and
  storage of the goods.

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LABELLING AND PACKING FOOD PRODUCTS

• The consumers responsibility is food hygiene.
• The consumers responsibility to assure their own
  food safety has the same importance like the
  responsibility of food industry producers. The
  consumer must respect some rules regarding the
  food hygiene when they buy, carry out, keep and
  cook the food. The risks of the consumers in the
  domestic environment are especial the microbes
  which may contaminate the food products especial
  when they are cooked and consumed.
• The more safety way to protect the consumers
  against the risks is to inform them on a
  permanent basis about the food safety. For this
  purpose, from 2004 the department stores from all
  over the country have the FS information points
  when you can found all the time the most
  important advices for the consumers safety. Also
  it will be distributed 400,000 of ABC of food
  safety (FS) brochures by these points. The
  Internet web page www.siguranta-alimentara.ro
  will be permanently at the consumers disposal to
  facilitate the access to the FS information as
  well as to the legislative acts in this field.
• The seminars and workshops has begun in 2003 and
  the process is continuing also in 2005 and will
  get together the producers, traders, authorities
  and civil society to debate on the responsibility
  of the food safety from the producer to the final
  consumer.
• The FS program has begun in 2002 and his task is,
  inter alia, to correctly inform the consumers to
  be well-advised and to ask for supplementary
  information when they are buying foodstuffs. The
  FS program is in line with the common efforts of
  the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and
  Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
  (FAO), the specialized committees of the European
  Commission specialized services and other
  international organizations that work for
  protecting the consumers and to guaranty the
  health by offering safety products.
• In order to adequately inform and advise the
  consumers about the food products, The National
  Authority for Consumers Protection has included
  in its program to assist the non-governmental
  organizations of the consumers. In 2005 the
  authority has also financed a network of
  consumers consultation and information centers
  in Romania having the managerial center in
  Bucharest.

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LABELLING AND PACKING FOOD PRODUCTS

• Government Decree no.671 from 19 July 2001
  published in the First Part of the Official
  Journal no.437/6 August 2001 regarding the
  setting up, the organizing and the functioning of
  the Inter-ministerial Committee for Supervision
  of the Products Market, Services and Consumers
  Protection.
• Government Decree no.671 from 19 July 2001
  regarding setting up, organizing and the
  functioning of the Inter-ministerial Committee
  for Supervision of the Products Market, Services
  and Consumers Protection was amended and
  completed by the Government Decree no.144 from 12
  February 2004 modifying the Annex.
• We have the opinion that it is necessary to
  develop in Romania the self-control activity by
  setting up by the employers organization
  detailed and similar to the EU practice the Good
  Practice Cods for the specific activity sectors.

23

• Thank you.