Moldova will simplify the procedure for small producers to place food products on the market.
According to the Cabinet of Ministers, in particular, the process of issuing authorization documents in the field of food safety will be simplified, including for small and artisanal producers, as well as tourist resorts. At the same time, the protection of consumers' health will be ensured by placing safe and quality food products on the market. The government made a corresponding decision by approving the draft amendments to the current legislation. One of the measures approved by the Cabinet of Ministers provides for the exclusion of the mandatory sanitary and veterinary authorization of facilities that provide catering services, agricultural markets that sell products of vegetable origin, as well as small producers of food products of animal origin that sell products on the domestic market. Thus, they will no longer be obliged to conclude an agreement with a veterinarian, which significantly simplifies the authorization process as well as the activity of an economic agent. The amendments also regulate registration in the area of food safety. The procedure implies the issuance of a food safety registration certificate - an authorization document issued by the National Agency for Food Safety, which certifies the activity of production, processing and storage, import and export of food products of non-animal origin, activity in the field of public catering and in the field of trade in food products that comply with the rules in the food sector. The government decided to simplify the registration procedure for producers of small quantities of food products, including artisanal/traditional ones, by establishing hygiene requirements based on good industrial hygiene practices, reducing the frequency of sampling adapted to the nature and size of the enterprise, provided that food safety is not jeopardized. A food safety registration certificate and a list of activities subject to registration are introduced. The approved bill also provides for a number of exemptions, in particular for small food producers, retailers and caterers who do not process food, without prejudice to food safety standards. Thus, in tourist and agritourism guesthouses with cooking and serving services, wine will be produced from their own raw materials and served or sold directly to consumers. As a result, they will no longer have to implement the whole costly HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) system, instead they will implement good hygiene practice guidelines, which, however, do not affect food safety. The government-approved amendments provide clearer rules on non-compliant food. The document clearly sets out the obligations of operators as well as the conditions for withdrawing non-compliant products from the market, ensuring a high level of consumer protection. //27.09.2023 - InfoMarket.
