A parliamentary investigation into the contamination of infant formula made by French dairy processor Lactalis has recommended tighter government control funded by a new levy on the industry.
A rare strain of salmonella found in Lactalis milk powders made 41 babies ill last year. It exposed a series of failures in the identification of the problem by the manufacturer and in the recall of contaminated products by wholesalers, retailers, hospitals and creches, according to French MPs.
Government agencies tasked with managing this type of crisis "work efficiently, but each in its own corner, which leads to significant inefficiency of the system as a whole".
The parliamentary commission recommends to merge all services involved in alerting the public on food safety crises into one agency under the Department of Agriculture. This authority should run a single website, mobile app and phone number to alert consumers on food product recalls and receive tip-offs from the public.
Processor levy
Up to 900 additional inspectors should be recruited to perform more frequent checks at food factories. This would be funded through a levy on food processors recently authorised by European legislation. This would cost €72m working out at an average of €190 per food processing site annually, which MPs said would have a "very limited impact" on consumer prices.
"The report rejects all proposals to outsource checks to independent certified bodies," insisting on the need for government agencies to retain control of the entire process. Further mistrust in the industry's self-regulation shows in the recommendation to 'stress-test' product recall procedures.
"It is not acceptable that a scandal had to erupt for failures in the implementation of product recalls by retailers to be exposed," MPs wrote.
All checkouts should be equipped with software blocking the sale of recalled products and emergency procedures should allow the authorities to use bank card details to trace consumers who have bought contaminated food, they added.
Read more
Lactalis forced to publish partial accounts
Lactalis contamination went on for 12 years
83 countries affected by major Lactalis infant formula recall
Responsibility of industry leaders
A parliamentary investigation into the contamination of infant formula made by French dairy processor Lactalis has recommended tighter government control funded by a new levy on the industry.
A rare strain of salmonella found in Lactalis milk powders made 41 babies ill last year. It exposed a series of failures in the identification of the problem by the manufacturer and in the recall of contaminated products by wholesalers, retailers, hospitals and creches, according to French MPs.
Government agencies tasked with managing this type of crisis "work efficiently, but each in its own corner, which leads to significant inefficiency of the system as a whole".
The parliamentary commission recommends to merge all services involved in alerting the public on food safety crises into one agency under the Department of Agriculture. This authority should run a single website, mobile app and phone number to alert consumers on food product recalls and receive tip-offs from the public.
Processor levy
Up to 900 additional inspectors should be recruited to perform more frequent checks at food factories. This would be funded through a levy on food processors recently authorised by European legislation. This would cost €72m working out at an average of €190 per food processing site annually, which MPs said would have a "very limited impact" on consumer prices.
"The report rejects all proposals to outsource checks to independent certified bodies," insisting on the need for government agencies to retain control of the entire process. Further mistrust in the industry's self-regulation shows in the recommendation to 'stress-test' product recall procedures.
"It is not acceptable that a scandal had to erupt for failures in the implementation of product recalls by retailers to be exposed," MPs wrote.
All checkouts should be equipped with software blocking the sale of recalled products and emergency procedures should allow the authorities to use bank card details to trace consumers who have bought contaminated food, they added.
Read more
Lactalis forced to publish partial accounts
Lactalis contamination went on for 12 years
83 countries affected by major Lactalis infant formula recall
Responsibility of industry leaders
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