Presentation
The regulation is part of the Hygiene Package It lays down, for the attention of food business operators, general hygiene rules applicable to all foodstuffs. In force since January 1, 2006, it repeals the Council Directive of June 14, 1993 on the hygiene of foodstuffs, while retaining its main features.
The scope of this text covers all professionals in the food sector, including primary production operators.
The regulation introduces a new feature in relation to Directive 93/43 concerning the packaging and wrapping of foodstuffs (Annex II, Chapter X): packaging and wrapping must not be a source of contamination for foodstuffs; the contaminants concerned are of all kinds: chemical, microbiological and physical.
Emphasis is also placed on controlling the safety of packaging throughout the chain "from the farm to the final consumer". This includes packaging storage, food packaging operations and the cleaning/disinfecting of reusable packaging.
The regulation also encourages the industry to pursue the development of national or Community guides to good practice. Where such guides exist, they provide a benchmark for the effectiveness of the resources deployed by professionals to achieve the objectives set out in the regulations.
Guides to good hygiene practice may refer to the international hygiene standards of the Codex Alimentarius.