This Law establishes the legal framework governing food placed on the market, food handling activities, and materials and articles intended to come into contact with food. It sets out the requirements applicable to food safety, quality and hygiene, defines the principal concepts used in food legislation, and regulates the obligations and liability of food business operators and manufacturers and suppliers of food-contact materials. The Law lays down general requirements relating to the production, processing, handling, storage, transport, packaging, labelling and marketing of food and food-contact materials. It provides for consumer information requirements, risk control measures applicable to food businesses, and procedures for the registration and approval of food business operators and the notification of activities involving food-contact materials. The Law also regulates measures concerning unsafe and adulterated food, including withdrawal and recall from the market. The Law contains provisions concerning nutrition, food additives, contaminants, foods intended for specific population groups, novel food, genetically modified food, and food-contact materials. It further regulates the transfer of food for charitable purposes, establishes measures relating to the reduction of food waste and provides conditions for the sale of certain food products after expiry of the minimum durability date. The Law defines the responsibilities of competent authorities in the field of food safety and nutrition and establishes the system of official food control. It provides for inspections, sampling, laboratory testing, market restriction measures, and administrative sanctions applicable to violations of food legislation, including the marketing of unsafe or adulterated food and non-compliant food-contact materials.
Lituanie · 2000-04-04