A tejhigiénia jogszabályi háttere és intézményrendszere Magyarországon

Abstract

SUMMARY In this study the authors present the legal background and institutional system of milk hygiene in Hungary. More than a hundred years of experience has led to the current Hungarian food-chain safety regulation on milk production, processing and distribution. In Hungary the legal framework of milk hygiene is based on the food safety regulations and directives of the European Union, which are supplemented with detailed national provisions. The relevant regulation can be divided into two main areas: (1) the set of food safety standards and guidelines for the milk producing, processing and distribution sector (including basic requirements for animal health status and livestock conditions, personal hygiene and qualification of workers, quality, packaging and labelling of products, and self-monitoring system) and (2) the tasks and responsibilities of the food-chain safety authorities. In Hungary the entire food chain control system is managed and supervised by the State Secretariat for Food Chain Control in the Ministry of Agriculture. The National Food Chain Safety Office which is a national governmental body, is responsible for coordinating and supervising the activities of the Hungarian food chain safety authorities on county and district level. During their day-to-day operations milk food companies are controlled by the food chain safety and animal health departments of the county and district government agencies. The state-owned Hungarian Dairy Research Institute officially checks the quality of raw milk at least two times a month at the milk producers and collectors. Furthermore, the performance of raw milk producers can also be tested once a month by the Livestock Performance Testing Ltd. that can support the dairy farms to produce more raw milk with better quality.