European Summit on Food Traceability to take place in Barcelona

All food products in Europe will have to be traceable from 2005, to comply with the General Food Law of the European Union. FoodTrace and IDtrack have brought together a summit at the end of October in Barcelona, Spain, to debate the framework for applying the law.

Barcelona, Spain (Prweb) September 24, 2003--The European Commission project Foodtrace, with the support of the European association for sure & secure identification, IDtrack, is bringing together in Barcelona, Spain, on October 30/31, representatives of key players in the European food industry. The objective of the summit is to reach agreement on the recommendations which FoodTrace will present to the European Commission in June 2004 to support the effective application of the General Food Law.

The European Union General Food Law requires that by January 2005 all food products should be traceable, but the standards to implement traceability throughout the food chain have not yet been fully established. The FoodTrace project has the task of identifying a framework for supporting the standardisation process and the necessary guidelines for traceability.

A full agenda

The FoodTrace summit, supported by IDtrack, will bring together delegates from more than 15 countries, representing public authorities and companies in the industries of food, logistics and technology. The main sessions will take place in the Hotel Meliá Sitges, where participants will hear presentations from internationally-recognized experts in the field of food traceability and will debate and develop the draft recommendations which FoodTrace will present to the European Commission in June 2004.

The event will also include sessions to explain to delegates how they will be affected by the new European law, and how they can exploit the benefits of a harmonised traceability infrastructure. A technology exhibition by leading European companies will put on display the latest technology developments in food traceability.

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For more information, contact IDtrack:

Press information: Mariella del Riego,

Email: pr@idtrack.org Tel +34 93 534 41 79

Summit information: Mathieu Dubuquoy

Email: foodtrace@idtrack.org Tel +34 93 205 47 78

www.idtrack.org/foodtrace

www.eufoodtrace.org/

IDtrack is the European Association for Sure & Secure Identification, headquartered in Barcelona, Spain. Its mission is to communicate, guide and coordinate activities for the reliable and secure implementation of identification and traceability.

FoodTrace is a Project of the European Commission. Its mission is to propose a practical framework for the traceability of food, in order to guarantee a safe, diverse and high quality food supply in Europe.