European Sprouted Seeds Association
Budget
€38,000
EP Access
0
accredited persons
Staff
1
0.25 FTE
EU Grants
None
Mission & Goals
ESSA members work together to support the sector and its functioning through sharing information on food safety and best production practices. ESSA connects actors from the sprouts seeds sector (sprouts, cresses and shoots) and coordinates a common voice towards European and international decision makers as well as other relevant stakeholders. ESSA’s mission is to put this vision into reality by focusing on the following aspects: Maintaining relations with the European Commission on key matters concerning the sprouted seeds sector: microbiological requirements, trade of seeds, traceability, approval of production establishments, etc. Internal sharing of information on all policy developments directly affecting the sprouted seeds sector. Internal and external communication as a preparedness action in case of a pan-European crisis.
EU Legislative Interests
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 208/2013 on traceability requirements for sprouts and seeds intended for the production of sprouts. Commission Regulation (EU) No 209/2013 amending Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 as regards microbiological criteria for sprouts. Commission Regulation (EU) No 210/2013 on the approval of establishments producing sprouts pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 852/2004. Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/2235 laying down rules for the application of Regulations (EU) 2016/429 and (EU) 2017/625 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards model animal health certificates, model official certificates and model animal health/official certificates, for the entry into the Union and movements within the Union of consignments of certain categories of animals and goods, official certification regarding such certificates.
Communication Activities
To help producers across Europe and to give a useful tool to competent authorities, ESSA has developed a hygiene guideline for the production of sprouts and seeds for sprouting. On 13 December 2016, the Biological Section of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed of DG Santé (Directorate General for Health and Food Safety, European Commission) endorsed the final version of the European Hygiene Guideline for the Production of sprouts and seeds for sprouting issued by ESSA. The guideline was translated into all official European Union languages (except Irish) and published in the Official Journal of the European Union. The publications in different languages can be found here: Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Greek, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish. ESSA’s work on this hygiene guideline complements the rules for sprout producers that the European Commission has put in place in Regulations 208/2013, 209/2013, 210/2013 and 211/2013 (amended by Commission Regulation (EU) No 704/2014). It also gives a more detailed interpretation to the general hygiene requirements contained in regulation (EU) 852/2004 and in particular Annex I of that regulation. The ESSA Hygiene Guideline should be used by the producers of sprouts in order to improve the hygiene practices. Competent authorities in different EU member states can also use this document as reference to food business operators involved in production of sprouts and production of seeds for sprouting. After much work invested to make sprout production safe, the hygiene guideline is an additional component to make official controls easier and clearer for operators and authorities across Europe.
Interests Represented
Does not represent commercial interests
Member Of
-
Organisation Members
https://sproutedseeds.eu/list-of-members/
Commissioner Meetings
No recorded meetings with EU commissioners.