Jerusalem, Jan 2 (IANS): The Israeli Health Ministry has announced the entry into force of a national food reform for facilitating imports, and reducing food prices while protecting public health.

The reform is based on a uniform European regulation, aiming to remove import barriers for sensitive food to Israel, said a statement issued by the Ministry on Sunday.

The move will allow a trader who meets the supervised standard of a "proper importer" to go through a quick process of releasing goods from the port, and increase control and enforcement in the marketing channels, it added.

The reform includes the cancellation of many food standards, the replacement of a mandatory import permit for each shipment with a declaration form, a new digital inspection system to track the route of the imported food, and more.

High-risk foods are excluded from the reform, including baby food, hospital food, nutritional supplements, and meat.

At a later phase of the reform, a self-monitoring system of a "proper manufacturer" will be implemented, while reducing external supervision.