The Dutch fruit and vegetable sector is capable of processing large volumes of products at high speed. This calls for legislation that is geared to getting fresh products to the consumer as soon as possible and to ensuring that the logistics process, including inspections and controls, runs smoothly. Fresh Produce Centre has to deal not only with Dutch legislation but also, increasingly, with European legislation determined in Brussels.
Fresh Produce Centre is a key discussion partner for government and must ensure that non-members are addressed as well. Within the Dutch government, a working group headed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality has been created to streamline the Netherlands’ contribution to European legislation. Fresh Produce Centre is pressing for greater involvement in implementation. New legislation offers an opportunity to improve and optimise processes.
Public supervision is regulated by European and national legislation and is primarily enforced by the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA). Fresh Produce Centre consults regularly with the NVWA on a wide range of developments and incidents.
To influence European legislation, Fresh Produce Centre has joined Copa-Cogeca, which represents the interests of producer organisations in Europe, and Freshfel, the umbrella organisation for businesses trading in fruit and vegetables.