What is the EC seal?

Foods of animal origin, are the ones by far that need attention, a greater commitment to food safety, to protect the health of consumers. As they are the most dangerous ones, and can lead to food-borne diseases.

The EC Stamp is an approval that is issued to establishments producing food of animal origin, and to organizations involved in breeding, slaughtering, transportation, storage and sometimes marketing that meet and follow the requirements defined by the following regulation:

• REGULATION (EC) No. 852/2004 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND COUNCIL of April 29, 2004, laying down general rules on the hygiene of foodstuffs for food business operators.

This is a fundamental and effective identification, including in cases of health alerts and for recalls and recalls. A real nameplate of the establishment, or production laboratory. Which follows food throughout the supply chain, and which is carried on labels, commercial transport documents and sometimes in the materials themselves.

What products are involved?

The regulations apply to processed and unprocessed animal products in particular two macro categories are distinguished:

Unprocessed raw materials:

• Fresh, minced meat, including mechanically separated meat;
• Unprocessed offal such as, stomach, bladder and intestines;
• Unprocessed meat preparation;
• Blood and fluids;
• Fresh fishery products;
• Live bivalve molluscs, echinoderms, tunicates, and gastropods;
• Raw milk;
• Whole and liquid eggs;
• Frog meat;
• Snails;
• Honey and the like;

Finished products:

• Processed meat products, such as hams, salmon and atriums;
• Processed fishery products by smoking, salting, marinating and atriums;
• Heat-treated products of the dairy chain;
• Ovo-products;
• Rendered animal fat, greaves, gelatines, collagen;
• Untreated innards such as, stomach, bladder and intestines.

For whom is the CE stamp mandatory?

The CE Stamp is mandatory for all Food Business Operators (FBOs) when they produce, process, handle and market food of animal origin and resell it mainly to third parties in geographic areas outside the Province where the Enterprise is based and neighboring Provinces. Recognition with the CE Stamp allows enterprises to wholesale food of animal origin, including to other European Union countries or Third Parties.

How to obtain the EC seal?

The generic steps for obtaining the CE Stamp are as follows (possible variations from region to region):

1. Preliminary application for authorization. which must contain:
   • Application, paper or digital, to the relevant veterinary departments, which may differ by offices of food hygiene of animal origin dealing with dairy products, livestock farms, charcuterie, etc;
   • Floor plan of the plant with identification of the premises, personnel flows, raw materials, finished products, packaging material, waste, air, water and drainage points;
   • Technical report where the plant, work processes performed, waste disposal, and wastewater and air emission management are described;
   • Payment of stamps and veterinary service.
2. Carrying out the preliminary inspection by the competent veterinary service;
3. Implementation of activities required by the official veterinary service;
4. Final inspection of the establishment and documentation including the HACCP manual.
5. Discussion by the committee to issue the EC health stamp.

It is essential to point out that: an establishment that will have obtained approval for food of animal origin will be supported by the veterinary inspection service, with the appointment of an official veterinarian who will visit the establishment approximately quarterly.

General obligations of food business operators

• Operators must use only potable water (or “clean water” in some circumstances) to eliminate surface contamination, unless the use of alternative options is approved by the European Commission.
• Products must be prepared and handled in establishments with at least registration, but often recognized.
• Products must bear a health stamp or other approved identification mark.
• Products from third countries must meet at least EU requirements, substantiated by the list of approved countries and establishments. Products must also be accompanied by certificates.
• Special rules apply to Finland and Sweden in relation to salmonella in certain meat, poultry and eggs.

Who and how recognizes the establishment’s activities as suitable?

Except for some special exceptions, EU regulations stipulate that companies can market food of animal origin produced in the European territory only if it is prepared and handled in establishments that meet regulatory requirements and are recognized as suitable by the competent authority. In Italy, the authorities in charge of the approval and control of these establishments are the Public Veterinary Services, which belong to the Prevention Departments of the Local Health Authorities (ASLs).

Approval is obtained following the examination of business documents and inspections by the veterinary services of the competent ASL in order to verify the suitability of the establishments and the fulfillment of the requirements necessary to carry out the activity. Upon completion of the inspections, the farm is assigned an identification number and an identification mark; only then can the farm begin its production activities.

The competent authorities verify the sanitary requirements with periodic official inspections, imposing corrective measures if necessary. If the farm loses the requirements, the ASL may temporarily suspend or revoke the approval, resulting in temporary or permanent closure of the farm.

Who is excluded from the CE Stamp?

The categories of businesses that do not need to apply for the CE Stamp are as follows:

• Operators engaged in retail trade of food of animal origin, butcheries, fishmongers, restaurants, from one retail business to another the same at the local level in the province where the establishment is located and neighboring ones provided that this activity is not primary, EC Reg 853 art 1;
• Operators producing ice cream except those using raw milk;
• Operators producing honey;
• Operators supplying small quantities of poultry and lagomorphs slaughtered directly from the producer supplied directly to the final consumer, or to attached commercial workshops such meat as fresh meat, EC Reg 853 art 1;
• Operators hunters supplying small quantities of game directly to the final consumer or to commercial laboratories locally supplying the final consumer, EC Reg 853 art 1;
• Operators agritourism farms with laboratories that process their productions, meat, milk, for direct sale to the consumer.

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