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BFSA - BUSINESS PLAN 2015-2017 Belgian Food Safety Agency |
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| The BFSA as an organization |
Social, economic and administrative context | Stakeholders vision | Strategic and operational objectives 2015-2017 |
Inspection frequencies | State of affairs of the objectives |
Theme 3 : An agency accepted by FFBO's and recognized by society and the consumers in particular, both nationally and internationally Printable version |  Last update on
22.04.2016Vision The consumer remains at the centre of the BFSA’s policy. The control programmes are aimed at keeping the risks for consumers to a minimum in the stage that precedes the purchase. Once the consumer has taken possession of the food, he or she takes on a part of the responsibility. It is important that the consumer has been informed on and has been made aware of all aspects concerning food safety. As of 2015, in addition to regular information, the consumer will also have access to the results of the controls in application of the rules concerning official government. Societal evolutions can also have an effect on the policy pursued by the BFSA. The choice to reduce the waste of food has for example led the BFSA to introduce a number of relaxations for charity organizations. Future choices concerning the date of minimum durability and the use-by date may call for a new adjustment. The consumption of insects is another example. The BFSA closely monitors these evolutions and will continue to respond to them.. A well-devised consultation with all of the stakeholders is essential to develop a policy that is accepted by society. The Advisory Committee will continue to play its central role for all of its transversal subjects. Specific problems will be treated in the working groups of the Advisory Committee or in the sector-specific consultation. Companies and consumers will be equally involved in this consultation. The BFSA’s Scientific Committee is an independent organ that is responsible for carrying out the risk assessment to the benefit of the BFSA as well as other authorities. This independence has to guarantee an impartial risk assessment and prevent interference between risk management and risk assessment. This does not mean that there shouldn’t be room for a constructive dialogue between the Scientific Committee, the BFSA and the stakeholders. In a number of instances, this dialogue can be used to obtain a final advice, so that the Scientific Committee can get all the relevant information that is necessary to properly substantiate their advices. Openness and transparency are critical success factors for the policy to be accepted. In addition to detailed information on the website, the publication of the inspection results will undoubtedly contribute to creating awareness among FFBO’s as well as consumers. The point of contact for consumers will be maintained. FFBO’s also have to be given the opportunity to address their complaints to an independent mediation service. Such a service already exists at the BFSA, but if the mediation service were better known and more widely used by the FFBO’s, this would only benefit the acceptability of the BFSA. In addition to conducting controls, the elaboration of a policy aimed at prevention, creating awareness and information is the second most important cornerstone of the BFSA’s activities. The communication channels used to this end will be chosen based on the evolution of their use by citizens and businesses. If the current trend persists, the importance of printed documents will decrease in favour of social media communications and the use of smart phones/tablets. As a country that is active in export, it is important that the BFSA’s accomplishments and its reliability/ trustworthiness garner a sufficient amount of international attention/visibility. Not only has the elaboration of an international network, but also the visibility and the quality of the Belgian products have to remain a permanent point of attention. This not only goes for the countries that import our products, but also for development countries that use the Belgian model as an example. In the framework of the agreements between the BFSA and the BTC, the BFSA will also continue the collaboration concerning the sanitary and phytosanitary quality of the agricultural food products in third party countries. Strategic and operational objectives
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