歐盟食品安全制度對臺灣改革的啟示

EU Food Safety Institutions:Lessons for Taiwan’s Food Safety Reform

1990年代以來歐洲與臺灣陸續爆發一些重大食品醜聞事件，使食品安全形成一項重要問題。健全的制度乃食品管制的一項必要條件，以確保食品安全，並保障消費者權益、公共健康及其他公共利益。歐盟於178/2002規則通過之後，已建構一個較為完備的食品法律與制度，涵蓋從農場到餐桌整條食品鏈；歐盟並採取風險評估與風險管理權責分開原則，以提高食安治理的客觀性及公信力，為歐盟公民消費權及健康權提供高標準的保障。除了負責風險管理的歐盟執委會之外，歐盟食品安全制度的重要機構包括：由一個獨立性歐盟食品安全局負責科學性風險評估，以強化食安決策的合理性；歐盟食安實驗室負責系統性食品檢驗，以提升食品品質；會員國食安警察負責對食品業者的現場稽核，以打擊非法食品活動等。歐盟上述食安建制皆有助於提高食安治理的效率，落實食品法律的執行，促進會員國風險管制的歐盟化，並對會員國食品安全及消費者權益提供多層級的制度保障。本文將以歐盟食品管制的法理、食品風險評估、實驗室以及食安警察等相關制度，作為研究重點，比較臺灣相關建制，並研擬具體建議，做為我國法律改革的參考，以完善臺灣食安體系，並促進全民福祉。

Food safety emerged as a key health and safety issue following a series of food scandals in Europe and Taiwan which began in the 1990s. Proper institutional control has been recognized as an essential element in protecting the health and interests of consumers with respect to food, and so, following the adoption of Regulation 178/2002, the EU acted to establish an effective food control system convering all the food chain from farm to table. The EU applied a seperation principle for risk assessement and risk management in food safety. In line with the European Commission responsible for risk management, the major institutions of the EU food safety include: an independent European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in charge of scientific risk assessment to promote rationality of food policy decision; the European Union Reference Laboratories (EU-RLs) in assistance with regular and systematic food inspection to raise food quality; and the food safety police in Member States in auditing food products and cracking down illegal activities. As a whole, the EU institutional system would　enhance the EU’s food safety governance and promote the implementation of EU food law. This food control system also facilitates the Europeanisation of risk assessment and food inspection at the European level and provides a multilevel institutional protection for food safety and consumer interest in the EU Member States. This paper examines EU food control jurisprudence and the associated institutional frameworks on risk assessment, reference laboratories, and food safety police, and compares these with corresponding institutions in Taiwan. It also offers some critical proposals for reforming Taiwan’s laws to enhance the food safety system and consumer welfare in general.