FOOD SAFETY AND FOOD HYGIENE

DATE: 18 NOVEMBER 2010VENUE: CEDARA-KZN

AGRIBUSINESS EXPORT AWARENESS WORKSHOP

PREPARED & PRESENTED BY FRANCE MAHLANGU, DIVISION: FOOD SAFETY & QUALITY PROMOTION,

DIRECTORATE FOOD SAFETY AND QUALITY ASSURANCE,

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY & FISHERIES

ABOUT THE PRESENTATION

• About the APS Act• Food safety & food hygiene standards• Scope of standards• Registration for FBO• Who should register for FBO?• Impact of food safety & food hygiene standards• Benefit of compliance• Evolution of marketing standards• Towards better implementation

ABOUT THE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCT STANDARD ACT, (ACT NO. 119 OF 1990)

Agricultural Product Standards Act, 1990 (Act no. 119 of 1990), promulgated in 1990 and came into force on the 1st September 1991.

Regulates the sale (local/import) and export of specific agricultural products by requiring that agricultural products--

Be graded or classed according to standardized, objective, measurable minimum quality standards

Be marked or labelled accordinglyPacked in a certain manner.Be inspected according to certain procedures

The Act was amended in 1998 in order to address:Constitutional changes (1996) e.g. Bill of rights (right to safety).International changes, e.g. SPS and Codex Alimentarius

Commission matters.Practical needs which arose at the time, e.g. management control

system (proposed Organic regulations, Food Safety standards)

FOOD SAFETY AND FOOD HYGIENE STANDARDS

Food Safety means “an assurance that a food product will not cause harm to the Consumer when it is prepared and eaten according to its

intended use”.Growing consumer demand for safe, quality & wholesome productsStandards regarding food hygiene and food safety of regulated

Agricultural Food Products was published in line with section 4(3)(a)(i) of the APS Act together with CAC Guidelines & R918, R723/ R1125 of the Department of Health.

Standards is only restricted to food safety and food suitability.Covers prescribed products destined for export.Covers safety and hygiene of food products at all stages – from farm to

export stage.HACCP principles have been used.Concerns itself with registration for export to specific marketRecord keeping and traceability.

SCOPE OF THE STANDARDS

These standards relate to --Food safety and food suitability, does not cover nutritional or

compositional value of the product.Food products of which the export is regulated in terms of the Act.Food products intended for export and not local sales or consumption.Harmonization of standards (only in respect of vegetables finalized)

These standards provide for --The requirements with regard to the hygiene of food products at all

stages from and including primary production up to and including the export thereof and where necessary, require the implementation of food safety system.

The rules for drafting of guides to good agricultural practices and the application of HACCP.

Scope of standards Continues ….

These standards provide for - -The registration for export to specific marketsRecord keeping and traceability and, where necessary, the

withdrawal of food products (product recall) unfit for human consumption.

General obligationFood business operators (FBO’s) shall ensure that at all stages

of handling for which they are responsible, from and including primary production up to and including the export of food products are carried out in hygienic way in accordance with the prescribed requirements of these standards.

REGISTRATION OF FOOD BUSINESSES FOR SPECIFIC DESTINATIONS

Food business operators who intend to export a specific product shall ensure that all establishments under their control and covered by these standards are registered with the Executive Officer

FBO shall outline the – nature of businessName and address of all premises where food business activities

are carried out including particulars of the responsible person.Products /commodities (produced, packed, processed, stored

and handled)Food safety and system certification received to date - for risk

assessment purposes

WHY IS FBO REGISTRATION IMPORTANT

• To comply and maintain our international market share in term of food safety and hygiene.

• It allows the identification of the origin of a product at any stage from the production unit to the final consumer.

• Tracking and tracing is made possible at any point in the supply chain.

Should national fresh produce market register for FBO?

All national fresh produce markets where regulated products are exported should be registered with the Executive Officer.

PPECB as an Assignee of the Department will conduct food safety and food hygiene auditing.

Agents who handle regulated products that are exported must also register.

WHO ELSE SHOULD REGISTER FOR FBO?

Agri Production Unit (Farm)Packhouse (on-farm)Packhouse (off-farm)Commercial cold storageContainer depotProcessing plantTransport operatorSea port terminalAirport terminal/forwardeExporterDry storage facilityDry facility

IMPLICATIONS OF FOOD SAFETY AND FOOD HYGIENE STANDARDS

Compliance fees with auditing for Food Safety and Food hygiene standards are at the expense of the exporter or producer.

Registration as a Food Business Operator ensures an exporter or producer is a reputable trader/ supplier.

Training costsNew investment in infrastructure (e.g. pesticides stores)Analytical test costs

Water testsMRL’s tests

Adherence and upkeep of recordsEstablishment of standard operating procedures for compliance

purposesEstablishment of traceability tools

BENEFITS OF COMPLYING WITH THE LEGISLATION

Achieve due diligence – pre-emptive actionFacilitate international trade - Market accessAutomate compliance with other legislations in the industry, e.g. Act

36 of 1947, Act 54 of 1972 and other related pieces of legislationEnsure consistent production of safe and quality products.Maintains consumer confidence in food safety and qualityPromote safe production practices for growersMinimise negative impact on the environmentFood security becomes totally meaningfulEncourages capacity-building for all involved along the value-chain

including farm workers

EVOLUTION OF MARKETING STANDARDS AND ASSOCIATED CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT SYSTEMS FOR

FRESH PRODUCE

Market requirements in the 60s

Quality was determined through:Visual characteristics and inspectionsConcern was given to outward appearance features such as colour,

size, texture, taste, etc.

Market requirements in the 70s and early 80s

Over and above earlier requirements market requirements were based on:Quality grades, varieties (cultivar) preferences based on use and

purposes.Consistency in quality and quantities

EVOLUTION OF MARKETING STANDARDS AND ASSOCIATED CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT SYSTEMS FOR

FRESH PRODUCE

Market requirements in the late 80s and early 90s

Food safetyMaximum residue limitsMicrobiological contaminationMycotoxin (Aflatoxin) tolerances

Stricter individual Country’s official import border inspection (for example the European Union).

Inspection and controls by official authorities (Assignee: PPECB, PROKON in collaboration with DAFF).

Requirements of the 60s, 70s and early 80s are also applicable.

EVOLUTION OF MARKETING STANDARDS AND ASSOCIATED CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT SYSTEMS FOR

FRESH PRODUCE

Market requirements in the early 2000s:Traceability requirements:

CAC/GL 60-2006: Principles for traceability/Product tracing as a tool within a Food Inspection and Certification system

Regulation EC/178/2002 – emphasized safety, hygiene & suitabilityStrengthening of import border inspections (EU).Foreign audit inspections

Food and Veterinary Organization (FVO) of the EU.Codex:

• Guidelines on the judgment of Equivalence of Sanitary measures associated with Food Inspection and Certification

• Principles and Guidelines for the Exchange of information in Food Safety Emergency situation, etc.

EVOLUTION OF MARKETING STANDARDS AND ASSOCIATED CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT SYSTEMS FOR

FRESH PRODUCEMarket requirements in the most recent years and going into the

future:

Emphasis on GAP implementation in the field Correct use of agrochemicals and storage thereof Proper recordkeeping Personnel hygiene Traceability system, etc.

HACCP in processing plantsThird party certification (GLOBALGAP, BRC and ISO 22000) also

known as voluntary or private standardsNew, sophisticated method of sampling procedures in food business

operators in order to monitor safety and quality.Modern methods of traceability (e.g. e-trace) on cards

COMPARISON OF RSA STANDARDS TO THE CODEX AND EC STANDARDS

Codex and EC on food safety and quality standards;EC marketing standards, UNECE and Codex commodity standards on quality.EC 178/2002, Codex principles and guidelines on food hygiene, traceability and food safetyEC 1525/1998 – Contaminants in foodstuffEC MRL’s Regulation 396/2005 – 2008, Codex JMPRGood Agricultural Practices

RSA Standards on food safety and quality standardsExport standard and requirements, local/import regulations on grading, packing and marking requirementsHACCP R908, Food safety R707, Basic Hygiene R918, metal in foodstuffs R1518 – published by DoHR 1145 tolerance for fungus-produced toxins in foodstuffsExport standards and requirements and the Regulations relating to maximum levels of chemical residues (Foodstuff, Cosmetics and disinfectants Act No. 54 of 1972).Act 36 of 1947

TOWARDS BETTER IMPLEMENTATION

“The focus is to have a completely different emphasis than we have had in the past. We are going to make our new priority preventing (contamination) from happening in the first place” (Joe Biden, 2009)

Food safety Working Group which is co-chaired by Biden and Health and Human Service Secretary, Kathleen Sebelius.

With 90 days the Working Group:New safeguards designed to cut salmonella in raw eggs, E. Coli in

ground beef and other leafy greens, melons and tomatoes.A better tracking system to pinpoint the origins of outbreaks.Better communications between agencies that regulate food safety.New positions at the Food and Drug Administration and the US

Department of Agriculture.

TOWARDS BETTER IMPLEMENTATION

The Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in her budget speech 2010: highlighted the following:

The DAFF will manage communicable diseasesImprove on production quality to ensure enhanced food safetyFinalize the strategy for food control system within 2013, (IPAP, I, II &

III), which also ensures a food recall system is in place Provision of nutritional and safe food for consumers.Eradicate hunger and povertyCreate job opportunitiesOverall to ensure food security in RSA, SADC and Africa to realize

the ideal of better country and better world!!

CONCLUSION

Food safety v/s Food security?Food safety v/s Food security?

The life expectancy in developing countries, where food security is often seen as more important than food safety due to the high level of under-nourishment in the population, is low (WHO, 2007).

IT IS POSSIBLE WE CAN HAVE BOTH?

CONTACTS

DIRECTORATE FOOD SAFETY & QUALITY ASSURANCE

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY & FISHERIES

PRIVATE BAG X343

PRETORIA

0001

TEL: 012 319 7894

FAX: 012 319 7893

CELL: 082 391 7416

EMAIL: FranceM@daff.gov.za

WEB: www.daff.gov.za