After seven years of drafting and refining, the European Commission for Health and Consumer Protection DG (SANCO) has announced that the World Union of Wholesale Markets’ (WUWM) good practice guide (GPG) is now formally approved as the European Community Guide to Good Hygiene Practices Specific to Wholesale Market Management.

The title and references of this Community Guide prepared by WUWM will be published in the C series of the Official Journal of the European Union. The guide will soon be translated into all EU languages and uploaded to the DG SANCO website for general consumption by the sector.

This formal adoption of the GPG is something of a Eureka moment for the WUWM, and one long anticipated. It is also a welcome recognition of WUWM’s long-term collaboration with the European Commission on matters affecting the sector.

For those who may not be aware, within European legislation, wholesale market management is considered a food business, which means that companies managing wholesale markets have to comply with all EC regulations, including those relative to the hygiene of foodstuffs. This WUWM guide provides advice on that subject, especially where foods of animal origin are sold on site.

The general objective of the guide is to provide guidance on food safety and hygiene and the implementation of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP)-based procedures, although only in relation to the aspects directly concerning them. It takes into account the recommended International Code of Practice, General Principles of Food Hygiene and the Codex Alimentarius, as well as existing national guides and a number of EU regulations.

As you can imagine, with all that legislation impacting the management of a wholesale market, it is more than helpful to have a guide that provides support to understanding legislation - a one-stop reference point if you like.

There were seven authors in three countries that contributed their time and resources to helping with the preparation and drafting of this guide and I take this opportunity to publicly extend thanks and acknowledgement to them all, as well as to their wholesale market authorities and associations. They are Rolf Brauer from Berlin Market (until June 2005) and Andreas Foidl, who took the baton from him, Michel Escoffier of the French Federation of Wholesale Markets, Michel Ganneau of Rungis Market, Wolf Rohde and Matthias Wegner, both from Hamburg Market, and Graham Wallace from City Markets (Glasgow) LLP.

I would like to take the opportunity to wish all FPJ readers, staff and contributors a very merry Christmas and a most happy and prosperous 2010!