JON RATCLIFFFood and Agriculture Consultancy Services Ltd, Stratford-upon-Avon, UKjon@facs.uk.com

EU FOOD SAFETY SYSTEMS EU FOOD SAFETY SYSTEMS

Food Quality v Food Safety

Food Safety – a global problem

Globalisation of Trade“The World on your Plate”

Consumer drivers shaping demand

Food Safety Non-Negotiable

European Legislation has been driven by Food Safety

issues

EU Food Safety alerts according to country of origin

EU Food notifications since 2000

WHY CREATION OF EFSA?

• Succession of food scares, e.g. BSE, Dioxins

• Loss of consumer confidence in safety of food chain and public authorities

• Creation of agencies to handle food issues at national levels

• Need to strengthen EU food safety system and policy

EU Response - EFSA

EFSA Risk Assessment Tasks

• Providing scientific opinionsProviding scientific opinions

• Developing risk assessment methodologiesDeveloping risk assessment methodologies

• Identifying and characterising emerging risksIdentifying and characterising emerging risks

• Providing support in food safety crisesProviding support in food safety crises

• Collection, collation and analysis of scientific Collection, collation and analysis of scientific datadata

EFSA Independent of Political Process

•EFSA not part of EFSA not part of European Commission or European Commission or answerable to itanswerable to it

EC Regulation 183/2005

This measure intended to strengthen the controls on • Feed and food safety • Feed and food traceability• operating standards of feed and food

businesses throughout the feed chain, including importers, traders, storage and transport

• from primary production to the placing of feed on the market and the feeding of food-producing animals.

EC Regulation 183/2005

All SUPPLIERS have to comply with specified standards in respect of their facilities, storage, personnel and record-keeping

Minimum requirement for HACCP and GMP

Farmers feeding animals producing food for human consumption have to follow a code of good practice - GAP

In Reality EU Food Safety is driven by Retail and Global

food companies

RETAIL TRENDS – Private Label

•50% of supermarket sales comprise private label products

Customer Expectations..

• Food Safety

– Microbiological • free from harmful pathogens and viruses

– Chemical• free from chemical residues such as pesticides,

antibiotics, heavy metals

– Physical• free from “foreign bodies” such as hair, stone, pieces of

polythene, etc.

THESE ARE MINIMUM EXPECTATIONS – NOT “NICE TO HAVES”!!

The Need for Risk Assessment

• How can we control Food Safety if we do not know what or where are the risks?

• Lack of a systematic Risk Assessment process led to development of HACCP throughout the food chain

FOOD SAFETY PYRAMID

Pre-requisite programme

GMP / GAP

Pre-requisite programme

GMP / GAP

HACCP principles (Codex Alimentarius)

HACCP principles (Codex Alimentarius)

Management Management System elementsSystem elements

TQM, ISO 22000TQM, ISO 22000

Management Management System elementsSystem elements

TQM, ISO 22000TQM, ISO 22000

Food safety system

Food safety management system

Basis

Retail Brand Protection

• Global Audit Standards• Retail Codes of Practice AND AUDITS• National Assurance Schemes• Product testing and surveillance• Supplier Group Benchmarking

Global Audit Standards

• British Retail Consortium BRC

• International Food Standard IFS

• ISO. 22000

Retail/Private Codes of Practice

• Detailed documents covering:

• Health Plans• Medication programmes• Feed & Water• Biosecurity and Waste Management• Welfare• Sick / injured animals• Stocking density• Housing• Lighting programmes / ventilation / Temperature• Stockman training and competence• Catching / Transport / Lairage / Markets (Pigs)• Slaughter

National Assurance Schemes

National schemes introduced tobrand/identify product(s) to an

auditedstandard

Provide confidence from Farm to fork

Examples in all meat and produce sectors…

UK ASSURED FOOD STANDARDS

          

                                                                                                                

                                                                                   

                                                                                     

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Consumer Confidence

Thank You

British Lion Code

Supplier Approval and Traceability

Approval process needs to consider :the productthe production process

Requires risk assessment based upon HACCPand GMP audit and inspection or recognised certification

Approved supplier lists based on risk assessment

Concept

Tracking: The ability to trace the destination of a product in a food chain

Tracing: The ability to recreate the history of a product in the food chain

Traceability Example from Poultry ChainP

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QualitySmart ProductionSmart FreightSmart

FarmSmart FreightSmart

FreightSmartProductionSmartQualitySmart

FreightSmart

QualitySmart ProductionSmart FreightSmart

Material Receipts Incoming Inspection

Results Supplier Quality

Profiles

Material UsageInformation

CCP Check PointRecords

Daily Feed Production

Feed Shipments - Customer, Date,

Item, Batch, Qty,etc.

Farm Site Details Flock Information Feed Deliveries Medicines/Vaccines Salmonella tests

Egg Shipments - Customer, Date,

Egg, Flock/BatchNo., Qty, etc.

Egg Receipts: Farmof Origin, Flock,Date of Lay, etc.

Farm Quality Profile

Hatchery Records - Date of collection - Qty, F/Batch, etc. CCP Records Salmonella tests

Chick Shipments - Farm, Date, Chick,

Hatchery No, Qty,etc.

Finished ProductShipments

- Customer, Date,Item, Batch, Qty,etc.

Processing Records CCP Records Cut-ups / Finished

Good Receipts

Broiler Receipts Incoming Inspection

Results Farm Quality

Profiles

Broiler Shipments - Slaughter House,

Date, Broiler, Origin,Age, etc.

Contract Farm Mgt Farm Site Details Feed Deliveries Mortality and Cull

records

FarmSmart

ProductionSmart Egg Deliveries Info - Date delivered, Qty - Origin of flock - Etc. CCP Records

TraceItSmart Product ID EAN Code Supplier Shipment No. Batch No.

Traceability

•The ability to identify the source and destination of a product is a critical component of good agricultural and management practices.

Traceability

•It is intended to minimize liability and prevent the occurrence of food safety problems

•Traceability does not make the food safe

Why Traceability?

Conclusion

Food safety cannot be achieved through legislation alone – EU experience

Food safety is a function of risk assessment and risk management and communication

Conclusion

Auditing is an integral part of the assurance process

One of the biggest risks to human health is

posed by the animal feed supply chain

Supplier approval process must be robust

Conclusion

Once satisfactory food safety controls are in place, traceability is the other pre-requisite

Traceability one step back and one step forward for complete chain