News
28.02.2025 - Foods
Regulation (EC) No 853/2004: Adjustment of the identification mark
On April 19, 2024, the Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1141 was published in the Official Journal of the EU, which entails numerous amendments to Annexes II and III of the Hygiene Regulation (EC) No. 853/2004.
The new regulations provide, among other things, that the abbreviation used in the identification mark "EC" (for European Community) should be replaced by the abbreviation "EU" (for European Union) no later than December 31, 2028.
Due to numerous questions about how the transition should be practically implemented, the Working Group on Meat and Poultry Meat Hygiene and Specific Questions of Foods of Animal Origin (AFFL) passed a resolution under agenda item 7.4 during the 44th session on December 3 and 4, 2024.
The question arose, for example, which version of the identification mark ("EC" or "EU") can be used for labeling prepackaged foods of animal origin until the end of the transition period. There was also the question of whether the transition can be carried out independently by the respective companies or whether it requires approval from the authorities and possibly an adjustment of the approval certificate.
The resolution includes, among other things, the following: The amendment of Regulation (EC) No. 853/2004 is fundamentally directed at food business operators. Therefore, both versions of the identification mark can be used until the end of the transition period.
Regarding the second question, the AFFL states that the approval authorities fundamentally only issue the approval number for the respective firms. This approval number is part of the identification mark to be specified. Accordingly, the identification mark can also fundamentally be changed independently by the companies.
For further details, please refer to the resolution mentioned above. Our customer support representatives are at your disposal for any questions.
Source:
www.cibus-recht.de
www.eur-lex.europa.eu
/www.lebensmittelverband.de