The food and drink industry in Europe is the largest in terms of people employed and contributes significantly to exports made to the rest of the World (European Commission, 2016).
The recent history of food scares across Europe, including Salmonella in eggs, BSE in beef and dioxins in animal feed, has negatively impacted consumer confidence in the food supply chain and regulatory agencies. The impact on the brand and management reputation and earnings of individual companies and EU country economies as well as national and EU Food Safety organizations is significant.
