Food safety control system in Taiwan––the example of food service sector

The World Trade Organization s Sanitary Phytosanitary Agreement facilitates the scrutiny of the benefits and costs of countrylevel regulatory programs and encourages regulatory rapprochement on food safety issues. In Taiwan, food safety control system (FSCS), which includes good hygienic practice (GHP) and hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP), has been developed to embody principles of safe food processing. From 1998 to 2001, the total number of factories that supply box meals and food service sectors that implemented HACCP was 139 and 46, respectively. Taiwan s FSCS is fully compatible with international codes adopted by CODEX alimentarius and will play an important role in maintaining the safety of foods not only in domestic market but also in international trade. This paper illustrates the development and implementation of FSCS system for the food service sector in Taiwan, which sets a good example for the country-level regulation on food-safety system, especially for those factories that export their agricultural products. 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.