On the heels of a horse meat scandal, the European Commission has proposed measures to strengthen and simplify health and safety standards for the entire food chain.
The Commission expressed the view that the package will curtail administrative burdens for food operators and simplify the regulatory environment.
Current European Union legislation covering the food chain covers nearly 70 pieces of legislation. The Commission said its proposals would consolidate the laws into just five pieces of legislation, cutting red tape for businesses in the supply chain from farmers to distributors and processors.
Although Health and Consumer Commissioner Tonio Borg characterized Europe's food-safety standards as the "highest" on the planet, he acknowledged the horse meat scandal demonstrates "there is room for improvement, even if no health risk emerged."
