After our interesting talk with Doctor Sergio Pallanca, we continue to speak about food products of animal origin with Giovanni Rossi, the director of the Health Department at Spediporto.
What role do freight forwarders play in the importation of food products?
Freight forwarders deal with importations. They check beforehand that documents are in order and that the products are in fact allowed to be imported. They advise about documents that must accompany the goods and about the tags that must be attached to products and goods.
When the goods arrive at their destination terminal, they are reported to the health directors, who deal with identification and fiscal checks.
They follow the necessary procedures for releasing the nulla osta authorization papers. Once this happens, the goods are permitted to freely circulate the European territory in order to reach their final destination. This is where the job of the freight forwarders finishes.
What are the main areas of origin for food products?
Food products arrive mainly from Africa, South America and the Far East. They are largely meat, plants, and frozen fish products. These are the products you eventually find in supermarkets.
Are imported goods in Italy safe?
Italy is one of the countries that reports the most. On the alert system RASFF, a publicly consultable site, the Italian reports have numbered the highest for at least a decade. This means that many checks are in place to protect public health and the food market in general.