On January 14, 2014, the European Parliament passed a resolution calling for tough measures to combat food fraud. The report, prepared by Esther De Lange of the Parliamentary Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, was approved by 659 yes, 24 no and 8 abstentions. A majority that reveals the urgency of affecting the ongoing debate in Europe on combating fraud, made urgent by a number of scandals, the most notorious of which is the undeclared presence of horse meat in meat foods discovered in February 2013.
The paradox is that food is safer than ever before, but consumers have lost confidence, EP reports. Which calls for unannounced inspections by the EU Food and Veterinary Office; the definition in EU law of the crime of fraud, which is now regulated by the 28 member states differently and broken down into different offenses (adulteration, substitution, tampering, counterfeiting).
The EP calls on national governments to promote targeted law enforcement operations against fraud and share them with Europol; establish penalties of at least double the amount of ill-gotten gains; and encourage businesses and their employees in reporting fraudulent behavior(whistle-blowing) safe from retaliation.
