The European Heads of Food Safety Agencies group gathers the heads of the national agencies in Europe dealing with food safety, animal health and welfare, plant health and consumer protection. The group aims to:
- Exchange views and adopt best practices on ensuring safety during the production, distribution, import and export of food, animals, plants and consumer products through regular control, inspection, sampling and analysis
- Exchange views and adopt best practices on implementation and enforcement of European food safety legislation, as well as international and national rules by the business operators in the participating countries
- Promote collaboration and networking between the Competent Authorities of participating countries to verify compliance with food law and enforce legislation
- Exchange views on best practices for managing food safety agencies and improving the efficiency, effectiveness and harmonisation of enforcement within the EU.
The FSAI is represented at European Heads of Food Safety Agencies group meetings by the CEO, Greg Dempsey.
The FSAI contributes to the European Heads of Food Safety Agencies group through developing approaches for the implementation and enforcement of legislation at European level. It also participates in plenary meetings as well as working groups on food supplements, e-commerce, imports and certification, private assurance schemes, and sustainable food systems.
Further information can be found on the European Heads of Food Safety Agencies website.