The government has launched eFood, a single digital platform for the State Service for Food and Consumer Protection. It is intended to collect profile registers into a single system, digitize some permitting procedures, and prepare these services to operate in accordance with EU rules.
The government has launched eFood, a single digital platform for the State Service for Food and Consumer Protection. It is intended to collect profile registers into a single system, digitize some permitting procedures, and prepare these services to operate in accordance with EU rules.
According to the Ministry of Digital Affairs, eFood will be integrated with the European IMSOC and TRACES NT systems, which are used to control and monitor food products. The department believes that this should simplify the export of Ukrainian goods to the EU market and remove some of the barriers associated with paper procedures. Separately, the platform should unite all registers of the State Service for Food Safety and Consumer Protection and transfer licensing services to an online format.
In the first stage, nine of the most popular services are planned to be digitized through eFood. These include registration of facilities for the production and circulation of food products, feed and by-products of animal origin, registration of livestock facilities, as well as issuance of operating permits for the production, storage and processing of products of animal origin. This package also includes the submission of declarations of conformity of feed.
For businesses, the main change is that some documents can be issued through the State Service for Food, Drug and Consumer Protection of Ukraine (Diya) or the unified portal of services of the State Service for Food, Drug and Consumer Protection of Ukraine (SSCDF). The Ministry of Digital Affairs states that the terms for receiving such services should be reduced to 1-5 days instead of 15. At the same time, digitalization will affect control itself: inspectors are promised a mobile application, tablets and body cameras, and in general, the system should automate 53 services and reduce corruption risks. According to the department, this can save the budget up to UAH 110 million annually.
For consumers, eFood means another level of product traceability — according to the European principle of «from farm to fork.» The system should also include a rapid notification mechanism for unsafe food and feed.
The Ministry of Digital Affairs published a notice about eFood on March 19 in the «Government Resolutions» section. The department presents the platform as part of the transition to European standards of control, digital public services, and preparation of the Ukrainian market for working with the EU.
