Weaknesses in the implementation of rapid alert system for food and feed (RASFF) at the level of Gulf cooperation council countries (GCC)

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

LITERATURE REVIEW1

Overview of RASFF2

RASFF Notifications5

Early Warning Activities in the USA7

Southern common market (MERCOSUR)8

WHO Early Warning Activities9

METHODOLOGY11

Research question11

Research Design11

Sampling11

Sample of Participants12

Instrument12

Data Analysis13

REFERENCES14

SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE20

INTERVIEW QUESTIONNAIRE26

LITERATURE REVIEW

Effective of food safety is imperative for detection of accidental or even deliberate contamination of food supply. There are presently many forms of alert systems in the world. The several alert systems can track and predict emerging food safety threats via gathering integration, analysis and interpretation of information then transmission of this information in reports, and notifications. Food safety may involve diverse elements of food safety. For instance, RASFF can record the occurrence of diseases or intoxication caused by toxics in foods. There are scenarios where the real hazard has taken place prior to the filing of the report. Some systems are risk-based, assessing the incidences of pathogens, toxics or other harmful agents in food and feed. In addition, this entails the occurrence of disease in animals that may be potentially spread to human via use of animal products or through livestock to human exposure. Whereas many nations have food monitoring networks in place, for instance the Dutch ISIS and EDCDC epidemic, since they are specifically focus on food-associated diseases or they use several devices such the internet.

The huge numbers of food safety issues encountered in the last ten years in Europe and other parts of the world has initiated the susceptibility of contemporary food production structures. Trust in regulatory establishment accountable for control of food protection has declined as a result public distrust in the way such threats have been addressed and controlled (Siegrist and Cvetkovich, 2000), in component recognized to the great degrees of media disclosure towards these issues. The European Commission reacted to these issues by providing the General Food law which clearly demonstrates food protection agenda in EU as well as the roles of various parties involved. It is projected that the new regulation will guarantee perfection in food safety and lead to restoration of public confidence. The procedure of decision making on food protection threats is known as risk examination and entails of risk administration, risk evaluation and risk communication. In this case, risk is described as the possibility that, under certain circumstances of contact an inherent threat will represent a hazard to human health. Thus, risk is a role of hazard. Risk assessment is a procedure of evaluation, including the detection of attendant doubt of the possibility and seriousness of adverse impact to human and the ecology after the exposure under given situation to a source of threat. Risk assessment entails detection of risk, risk characterisation contact evaluation and hazard characterisation. on the other hand, risk control is the procedure of weighing policy options with respect to outcome of risk assessment and other important evaluation if necessary and implementing suitable control alternative (such as where suitable, monitoring activities).

Overview of RASFF

It is evident that food safety threats ...