Article 8 Training, exercises and state-of-the-art tools

The Commission shall offer advanced training modules on foodborne crisis preparedness, foodborne outbreak investigation and other incident management within the framework of the Commission's ‘Better Training for Safer Food (BTSF)’ programme^f1 encouraging a ‘One Health’ approach.

The Commission shall regularly organise simulation exercises of food and feed related incidents with Member States, including their communication aspects and focussing on preparedness and management of incidents. Relevant Union agencies shall participate and the Commission shall join similar exercises organised by the agencies within their competence. The occurrence of a major real incident may replace such simulation exercise. After each exercise, the Commission will present specific conclusions at the following meeting of crisis coordinators referred to in Article 5

The Commission shall provide a follow-up of proper preparedness in Member States through the maintenance and auditing of national food and feed contingency plans.

The Commission shall promote the use of state-of-the-art tools at the Union level, such as tracing tools, molecular typing analyses (including Whole Genome Sequencing) and the sharing of such results in the EFSA-ECDC database on molecular typing of pathogenic agents detected in humans, animals, food, feed and food/feed environment.