Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Fines for companies without HACCP system as of May

No concrete data on the number of domestic companies that have implemented the HACCP food safety system, a legal obligation since January, are available yet. It is being considered so far that about three, five or ten percent of the total number of registered capacities have met the obligation, even though experts deem the figures are inaccurate.

Inspection teams in the first four months were mainly tolerable towards food operators, giving advices without fining them. Rigid control and fines amounting between Euro 500 and 5.000 and even closure of production plants or stores will be introduced as of May.

All large industrial capacities involved in food and beverages production that place their products abroad have already implemented the HACCP system. The sales benefit is obvious not only abroad but also at home because its has boosted their competitiveness, the Food Directorate says.

FYRMacedonia's legislative defines that producers, salesmen, restaurant owners, hotel-keepers and artisans, who are in any way involved in the production, transportation and commerce chain of food and beverages, are bounded to observe and apply provisions stemming from the rulebook on hygiene-sanitary conditions of food safety and the law on food safety, based on the HACCP system.

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