Following concerns raised by stakeholders, the Ombudsman launched an own-initiative inquiry into how the European Commission ensures the protection of consumers from food-related hazards through the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF).

As a first step, the Ombudsman has asked the Commission a series of questions to get a detailed overview of the current functioning of the system.

In parallel, the Ombudsman invited European Network of Ombudsmen (ENO) members to inquire into this issue with their national authorities and indicated that she will share their input with the Commission so that it can use it to assess the overall efficiency of the RASFF.