A high level of consumer protection is a key element of the European Union. EUROMALT is committed to providing the safest malt, fully adhering to the principles and goals set by the General Food Law, Regulation (EC) No 178/2002.

 

Food and feed safety are indeed of utmost importance to EUROMALT. Challenges coming from the legislative reduction of pesticides MRLS or arising from new mycotoxins to be checked for compliance, on which there is a deeper toxicological understanding now - are just two examples. At the same time, global consumers' demand is more and more paying attention to quality attributes which deserve a proper representation and require an entire-food chain approach.

 

EUROMALT members take very seriously their primary responsibility of ensuring that goods they place on the EU market are safe and in compliance with the EU law. EUROMALT is committed to supporting sectorial evolution and to being ahead of challenges, via constant dialogue with its members, both at the technical and policy-making level.

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As part of this commitment, the Association closely follows food and feed safety issues. Through its members and the active role of its Technical Committee, the Association is in constant liaison with research and analysis centers that provide the Association with scientific reviews and briefings on different contaminants.

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EUROMALT carries out a contaminant survey on malting barley and malt on annual basis. Since 2002, the Association has been collecting a database which today represents a solid base of discussion.

 

The EU food and feed hygiene regulations entails the implementation of safety management systems based on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP). EUROMALT laid out the minimum standards that could be applied by all the companies in the supply of raw materials to malting companies in the EU. This has definite advantages for all parties in the supply chain, as well as legislators. More precisely, in 2006, EUROMALT developed a guide for Good Hygiene Practices for the Malting Companies in Europe, showing EUROMALT Maltsters' commitment in the need to establishment minimum safety standards in the food chain.

 

Regarding feed safety, as co-products from the malting process are used in animal feed, maltings must also comply with the requirements of the European Parliament and Council Regulation 183/2005 of 12th January 2005 on feed hygiene. EUROMALT developed, in cooperation with EFISC-GTP, a Reference document on the manufacturing of safe feed ingredients from malt production. The sector document, accredited by the Dutch accreditation Body, RVA, provides the generic risk assessments by-product and process to be used by the feed business operator as a guidance for his own risk assessment. It gives an evaluation of the various hazards involved, their classification and the possible control measure.

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Moreover, EUROMALT is a member of the EU FCTF (EU Feed Chain Task Force on the Catalogue of Feed Materials), a gathering of 41 EU organizations of the different sectors of the feed chain (feed material producers, traders, compound feed manufacturers and farmers) whose mission is to maintain and upgrade the EU Catalogue of Feed Materials.