Nordic co-operation on food control

Some 250 representatives of official agencies, organisations and universities from all of the Nordic countries, including the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland, attended the Nordic Supervisory Conference, the over-arching theme of which was proportionality and the need for standardised inspections. The questions above and many more were discussed in lectures by international and Nordic specialists and in workshops on topical subjects such as microbreweries, food waste and nutrition. A seminar for managers focused on the effectiveness of controls.

The Nordic Supervisory Conference is the only occasion on which the Nordic inspectors meet during the year, which makes it a unique platform for training, inspiration and networking.

 Platform for training and networking

“The rapid pace of change in the industry means that we have to develop new tools and knowledge all of the time. The Nordic Supervisory Conference is the only occasion on which the Nordic inspectors meet during the year, which makes it a unique platform for training, inspiration and networking,” says Ann-Christine Ekström of the National Food Agency, Sweden and the person responsible for the secretariat that services the Nordic Working Group for Food Safety & Consumer Information (NMF).

The host of this year’s conference, Hanne Larsen, Chief Food Safety Officer at the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration, put the size of the attendance down to the quality of the programme, which was full of interesting subjects, relevant training and sources of inspiration. She stressed the importance of a Nordic dimension in her opening speech.

“Nordic co-operation is important, especially when it comes to drawing up the principles on which to base legislation, arriving at joint positions and interpreting the rules for food control.”

 Nordic co-operation is important for drawing up principles for legislation, joint positions and interpreting rules.

Winning project: “Control with Internet trade of food”

Each of the Nordic countries nominated a control project and presented it to the conference. The winner deals with controls on online food sales and is run by the environment departments of the local councils in Uppsala and Stockholm.

The Nordic Supervisory Conference was arranged by the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration and the Nordic Council of Ministers. The objective is to strengthen the Nordic network in food control and provide an opportunity to exchange information about experiences and ideas on subjects of topical interest. The 2016 conference was the 14th in the series, which the Nordic countries take turns at hosting.