Purpose and Scope of the Code
The Food Safety, Veterinary and Plant Protection Code of Georgia is the foundation of Georgian food law. Its purpose is the protection of human life and health, of consumer interests, of animal health and welfare and of plant health, together with the definition of unified principles of state regulation and the formation of an effective system of state control in these fields (Article 1, part 1). The Code applies to the production, processing and distribution of food and animal feed, of animals, plants and animal and plant products on the territory of Georgia, to primary production, and to veterinary preparations, pesticides and agrochemicals (part 2).
Food safety control, veterinary control and phytosanitary control connected with the movement of goods across the customs border of Georgia — import, re-export, export and transit — are regulated by this Code, by the Customs Code of Georgia and by other corresponding normative acts (part 3). The Code further establishes the basic principles and requirements of food safety, the types of state control, the general traceability requirements across production, processing and distribution, the competences of the authorized bodies, the obligations of business operators, the rules of animal and plant quarantine, export and import requirements, and liability for violations (part 4).
Key Terms and Actors
Under the Code's definitions, food is any processed, semi-processed or unprocessed product intended for human consumption; it includes all types of drinks (including drinking water), chewing gum and any substance used in the composition of food. Food does not include animal feed, medicinal and homeopathic products, tobacco and tobacco products, cosmetics, or certain other categories listed by the Code (Article 2). A business operator is a person whose activity relates to the production, primary production, processing or distribution of the regulated products and who is responsible for the compliance of that activity with the requirements defined by Georgian legislation.
The Code also defines primary production, processing, traceability, batch, label, hazard and risk, organic production and related concepts. Among them, particular practical importance attaches to the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) system, which through the identification of hazards and their control makes the production of safe food possible, and to the traceability requirements, which track the entire chain movement of a product from production to delivery. Together these instruments define how an operator proves that its product is safe.