This report concerns the functioning of the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) for the
year 2002. The RASFF was established under Article 8 of Directive 92/59/EEC which provides for
a procedure to inform the Member States (EU + EFTA/EEA) when a product presents a serious risk
for the health and safety of consumers and has received a new legal base since 21 February 2002 -
(Regulation (EC) N° 178/2002). This new legal base extends the Rapid Alert System for Food and
Feed, to include all food and feed products finally destined for human consumption.
This report is intended to provide detailed information on the number of notifications, the sources of
contamination, the origin of the notifications, the products and the countries involved.
