Control methods and organization of food control in Poland Lucjan Szponar, Iwona Traczyk, Halina Turlejska National Food and Nutrition Institute, Warsaw

The main Official Food Control bodies in Poland : State Sanitary Inspection – Ministry of Health Veterinary Inspection Inspection of Plant and Seed Protection Agricultural and Food Product Commercial Quality Inspection - Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development -Trade Inspection -The Office for Competition and Consumer Protection -They are an integral part of the Food Safety Assurance System

The compatencies of main official food control bodies The State Sanitary Inspection is headed by the Chief Sanitary Inspector as a central body of government administration. The Chief Sanitary Inspector is appointed and recalled by the Prime Minister at the recommendation of the competent minister for health matters. The Chief Sanitary Inspector carries out his tasks with the assistance of the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate. Supervision over the Chief Sanitary Inspector is exercised by the competent minister for health matters. The State Sanitary Inspection

The tasks, the scope of operation, the organization and rights of State Sanitary Inspection bodies are set out in the Act on Sanitary Inspection of 14 March 1985 (integrated text: Journal of Laws 1998, No. 90, Item 575, as amended) and the Minister of Health Regulation on Conferring By-Laws on the General Sanitary Inspectorate of 30 December 1999 (Journal of Laws No. 111, Item 1315).

The State Sanitary Inspection The State Sanitary Inspection is established in order to carry out public health tasks, in particular through supervision over health quality of food, nourishment and articles of daily use, and to exercise on-going and preventive sanitary supervision.

The State Sanitary Inspection Within its on-going sanitary supervision the State Sanitary Inspection controls compliance with the provisions imposing hygienic and health requirements, in particular the conditions of production, transportation, storage and sale of food and the conditions of mass catering.

Veterinary Inspection The Veterinary Inspection is headed by the Chief Veterinary Officer as a central body of government administration. The Chief Veterinary Officer is appointed and recalled by the Prime Minister at the recommendation of the competent minister for agriculture. The Chief Veterinary Officer carries out his tasks with the assistance of the General Veterinary Inspectorate.

The Veterinary Inspection operates under the Act on Fighting Infectious Animal Diseases, Examination of Slaughter Animals and Meat and on the Veterinary Inspection of 24 April 1997 (Journal of Laws No. 60, Item 369, as amended). Veterinary Inspection

According to the “Veterinary Act”, the operations of the Veterinary Inspection include prevention of and fighting animal infectious diseases and supervision over health quality of foodstuffs of animal origin Veterinary Inspection

PRIME MINISTER Minister of Health Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development President of the Office for Competition and Consumer Protection Border Veterinary Officer Sate Customs Inspection – regional Customs Inspectors Inspector for Plant Protection and Seed Production Inspector for Commercial Quality of Agri-Foods Products Border Sanitary Inspector Chief Veterinary Officer 1 Officer 1 Minister of Finance Chief Inspector for Plant Protection and Seed Production 2) Provincial Inspector for Plant Protection and Seed Production Provincial Veterinary Officer County Veternary Officer Provincial Inspector for Commercial Quality of Agri- Food Products Chief Inspector for Commercial Quality of Agri- Food Products 3) Chief Sanitary Inspector 4 Provincial Sanitary Inspector Provincial Inspector of the Trade Inspection Chief Inspector of the Trade Inspection General Customs Inspector Food Safety Co-ordination Team * President of General Customs Inspectorate The Team composition of Food Safety comprise: 1) Team Leader– Chief Sanitary Inspector, 2) Deputy Team Leader – a representative designated by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, 3) team members – representatives of: Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development – 4 persons, Minister of Health – 4 persons, Chairman of the Competition and Consumers Protection Office– 2 persons, Minister of Environment, Minister of Finance, Secretary of the European Integration Committee, Chairman of Scientific Research Committee, 4) Secretary – appointed by the Team Leader a representative of the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate.. 1) The Chief Veterinarian Officer works with Sanitary and Epizootic Board and the State Veterinary Institute 2) The Chief Inspector of Pland Protection and Seed Production will work with the Board for Monitoring the Quality of Soil, Plants, Agricultural and Food Products and the Institute for Plant Protection 3) Chief Inspector for Commercial Quality of Agri-Food Products will work with industrial institutes 4) The Chief Sanitary Inspector works with the Sanitary and Epidemiological Board, the Institute of Food and Nutrition, and the National Institute of Hygiene The Minister of Health coordinates the Food Safety Structurals and legals subordination Cooperation County Sanitary Inspector The organizational structure of the Inspections is illustrated by diagram (Figure 1)

Coordination system on food safety Intersectorial system of essential food safety coordination was set up on the base of appropriate legal regulations contained in the : Act on Sections of Government Administration of 4 September 1997, Ordinance of Prime Minister of 28 June 2002 Ordinance of the Minister of Health of 9th September 2002 on setting up the Food Safety Co-ordination Team.

The document „Food Safety Strategy for Poland : was prepared in February 2002 and was sent to European Commission was accepted by the Commission.

Ensuring supplies of safe food to the population is as one of the priorities and a constitutional responsibility of the government. The Food Safety Strategy in Poland fulfils that obligation. It proposes a more comprehensive assessment of risks to the entire population than ever and establishes the Minister of Health as a coordinator of the many cross-sectional efforts related to ensuring food safety.

Activities for improving of efectivenes of food control Ensuring good skills of the personnel of the official food inspections and efficient on-the- job training systems. Providing food inspections with laboratory equipment and allocation of resources corresponding to actual requirements.

Activities for improving of efectivenes of food control Restructuring of some laboratories to reduce the number of small/under equipped sites and establish larger, full-scale research entities capable of supporting the objectives of the Food Safety Strategy. Equipping laboratories for detecting dioxins and for testing genetically modified foods. continuation

Activities for improving of efectivenes of food control Implementation of uniform laboratory testing, sampling, supervision, and official food inspection and monitoring methodologies in food inspections. Finalizing the process of certification of the food and nutrition laboratories of all Regional Sanitary and Epidemiological Stations with the support from PHARE 2001 “Food Safety System” project. continuation

Activities for improving of efectivenes of food control Establishing reference food-testing laboratories in Sanitary and Epidemiological Stations, National Food and Nutrition Institute and the National Institute of Hygiene. Establishing a nation-wide system of food safety supervision. Automation of a substantial share of the offices of the official food inspections and establishing Local Area Network and a national Wide Area Network. continuation

Activities for improving of efectivenes of food control Improving the architecture and functionality of the central database of cases of food poisonings and contagious diseases communicable via foodstuffs. Establishing an early warning system to identify dangerous food products offered for sale. Practical implementation of quality assurance systems, including HACCP, in all food processing and catering operations. continuation

In Poland the first State Sampling Plan for official food control and monitoring was established last year.

Main Conclusion Through authorization by the Polish Prime Minister, of the Minister of Health, a leader of the system of health protection in every well- organized and well-functioning country, to the essential coordination of the Food Safety Strategy, it was expressed that Poland support ideas declared by EU Commissioner for Public Health and that the protection of consumers’ health is in fact the main target of the activity connected with the improvement of the food safety

Over 97 % of food legislation on health conditions of food and nutrition by amendments to the Act on Health Conditions of Food and Nutrition and publishing almost all among 30 ordinances to that Act was harmonized.