EWFC stands for “European Working Community for Food-Inspection and Consumer Protection” and is an organisation that brings together professional associations and organisations that work for the official Foodsafety-Inspection in the Member-States of the EU.
EWFC was founded in 1991 by Germany and France, and registered as a association in the chamber of commerce in Metz (F)
EWFC stands for promoting uniform and high quality Foodsafety-Inspection in the EU and looking after the professional interests of its nearly 6.500 Members.
At first the aims of the association were the exchange of information and experience to help with the construction of structures of food inspection, (cross-border)training of food-inspectors and future co-operation in the EU. So the main task was to make a European organization for staff and professionals working with food-monitoring and consumer protection.
The EWFC made it a rule to try to contact professional organizations working within the field of food surveillance in all Member-States of the EU: both food (both veterinary and non-veterinary), meat inspectors, official veterinarians, lab staff, food-technicians, food-chemists, doctors and academics in foodsafety in the broadest perspective.
The Community`s Aims and Objectives are to promote the professional interests of its members, exchange and share experience and continues training, learning and co-operation with EWFC members and other expert organisations at EU Level.
EWFC organises meetings and discussions with DG Health and Food Safety of the European Commission officials to exchange views. Furthermore, EWFC has strong contacts with members of the European Parliament Environment- and Food and Health committee. This enables the organisation to express its views to those politicians and make them aware of current problems and forward suggestions and solutions for those problems.
The EWFC intends to continue in its role of contributor to the development of legislation through its contact with the European Commission and Parliament.
What has the EWFC achieved up to now?
- "Guidelines for good control practice" and "Guidelines for official sampling"
In 1999/2000 EWFC constructed and presented to the EU Commission the above guidelines for official food control. These guidelines made an authoritative contribution to the harmonisation of official food control and official sampling in EU member states and beyond. They were more or less the forerunners for the package of four regulations that were introduced in later years, concerning foodsafety and hygiene. Furthermore these guidelines were considered to improve quality management systems for official food control in a number of member states.
These guidelines offered good information and assistance in the construction of structures of official food surveillance and controls in the new member states, which joined the EU in the beginning of the years after 2000. We also noted that lots of the downloads of the guidelines were from other parts of the world, like South-America and Asia.
- Twinning projects
EWFC itself, but also individuals from the EWFC members were multiple times involved in EU projects (like TAIEX) to "aid development" for strengtening the new member-countries work and control structures to comply with the EU rules. We organised seminars, delivered lectures and teaching programs and did physical inspections with the colleagues on the spot. Furthermore members of EWFC were involved in intergovernmental framework agreements and programs.
- Exchange programs
EWFC received financial subsidies from the EU to cooperated, support and organise exchange programmes for food inspectors in European member states.
- Congresses and seminars
EWFC organises regular European Congresses for technical and professional education.
- EWFC-Network
We continue to build a Europe-wide network, directly or through bi-lateral contact from our members, that can be of use by the associations and colleagues for inter European exchange of information.
Get together is a beginning.
Hold together is a progress.
Work together is a success.
(Henry Ford)
