The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) was strongly criticized for the food safety crises of the 1990s which included Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), dioxin, foot and mouth disease and swine fever to name a few. Even though the first rules on food safety date from the very early days of the EU, a need was recognized to replace a number of these rules accumulated through the years, whose implementation was difficult to monitor, with a simpler and more comprehensive approach. The result was the General Food Law (REGULATION (EC) No 178/2002). A core concept introduced was traceability, namely “the ability to trace and follow food, feed, and ingredients through all stages of production, processing and distribution”. Furthermore after the General... |