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European Health and Food Security - Ensuring Quality and Safety for Patients and Consumers


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European Health and Food Security - Ensuring Quality and Safety for Patients and Consumers
[author:Public Advice International Foundation Public time:Jul 10, 2007]

Consumers and patients suffer from health problems or worse still, death; the environment suffers from pollution and other hazards; employees suffer from poor working environments; innovation suffers from piracy; industry suffers from distorted competition and the economy suffers from loss of revenue. During a high level round table conference in Brussels yesterday, former Norwegian Health Minister Dr. Werner Christie - currently Technology Counselor at the Norwegian Embassy in Beijing - proposed countermeasures that will assist Europe and China as well as other countries in achieving health and food security. Such measures will also ensure that trade and economic development in these vital industrial sectors is facilitated - which will be for the benefit of all: a real ‘win-win' situation.

According to Dr. Roger Skinner, co-rapporteur of the June 2007 SFDA/ADB/WHO report on food safety in China, up to 17 agencies are responsible for food safety issues. While referring to the lethal infant formula cases in China, he concluded that 'everyone and thus no one is responsible for food safety in China. It will take years before there is an effective food safety regime in place across the whole country-. While expressing his fears that 'it will take a catastrophe to bring about the necessary change-, a representative of the European Commission said that the Commission was ready to help. But Dr. Christie advised stronger inspection measures including in Chinese production facilities. While agreeing that first steps were taken, a grey area was identified: the Ireland based FVO (EU Food and Veterinary Office) is currently not mandated to inspect pharmaceutical, food and health ingredients production facilities. A European Commission representative indicated that it was for DG Enterprise and Industry to broaden this mandate and provide the required budget. Dr. Christie advised that FVO inspections in China could lead to an enforceable certification or licensing standard for export quality control.

Gijs de Vries, former EU Anti-Terrorism and Security Coordinator, demonstrated a link between counterfeiting and criminality. From there, the step to bio-terrorism is not far away. He criticized the lack of awareness of the EU leadership of these threats to health security. 'EU countries are forewarned but not forearmed-, he concluded. This was confirmed by Dr. Jorgo Chatzimarkakis, German Member of the European Parliament. Describing the rapidly growing vulnerability of European consumers and patients for counterfeited and contaminated products, he stated "That must stop". TNS NIPO Director Henk Foekema underlined that this is indeed the wish of around 80% of the public in six EU Member States. Polls in Germany, France, the UK, Poland, Finland and The Netherlands indicate that large majorities prefer medicines and health ingredients from Europe. Majorities are also against the outsourcing of innovation from Europe to China.

Otherinfo:David Webber Director of Studies Phone: +32 2 735 83 96 Email: dw@pa-international.org

Printed From:http://www.free-press-release.com/news/200707/1184059323.html
Source:Free Press Release