Food Safety Supplement - Tightening the Safety Belt

Building a sustainable global food trade, with special attention to food safety, should be the key focus for all stakeholders.

AFJ: What challenges does the food industry face today?

Kok: The first challenge is the quality issues that are associated with bringing millions of farmers, suppliers, vendors and manufacturers onto the global supply chain. The second challenge is that the governments worldwide adopt different approaches and lay different emphasis on food safety. Countries that have less strict laws on food safety would give more opportunities for unscrupulous practices.

AFJ: Where are the weak links in the industry?

Kok: It is difficult to identify specific weak links as there are various stakeholders such as the government, manufacturers, farmers, intermediaries and vendors in the industry. There is often more than one factor that comes into play. It may be the lack of enforcement by the government and administration, coupled with existing irresponsible business practices.

Efforts in enforcing food safety could be hindered with farmers and retailers who pressure vendors to lower their costs. This, in turn, may pressurize vendors to cut corners. As a result, what you get is poor quality. Everyone therefore plays a role in ensuring food safety.

AFJ: How knowledgeable are Asian vendors and suppliers about food safety norms?

Kok: More are aware of food safety norms. Thailand for example exports food worldwide and the local government has been proactively promoting food safety for many years. While awareness on food safety norms seems high in countries such as China and India, more needs to be done on the execution of such norms. Ideally, buyers should educate their vendors on food safety, and the vendors educate the primary producers or farmers on the best practices that ensure food safety.

AFJ: How are traceability tools important in ensuring food safety?

Kok: Traceability tools help manufacturers trace the source of raw materials. In the event of an incident such as food contamination, these tools would trace the batch of products to its origins. They help in investigations and enable product recall.

In case of contaminated fruit that is used to manufacture jam for example, a traceability tool such as a barcode that stores information will help the manufacturer identify the farm from which the fruit was procured. Similarly, if a batch of processed fish is contaminated, the tool will be able to trace the fish to the catchment area from where they have been caught.

Traceability is not dependent on high-end technologies alone and paper documentation could do the job. The cost of implementation and the availability of technologies should not be seen as a stumbling block for smaller companies to adopt food safety practices.

Appropriate quality control measures such as product testing and quality audits by buyers or third party auditors form a small part of the total food production cost. It should not be a burden on the food producers and manufacturers. In fact, good practices tend to build confidence between buyers and sellers, as well as among consumers of the global supply chain. In the long run, sound food safety practices can help to build a sustainable food trade.

Traceability tools help manufacturers trace the source of raw materials.

AFJ: With increased global food trade, how are internationally accepted guidelines on food safety important in the food supply chain?

Kok: The World Health Organization (WHO) has established the Codex Alimentarius, or the food code, which has emerged as the de facto world standard for food safety. Many countries are members of the code and they have incorporated the requirements into their national food laws.

It has become the global reference point for consumers, food producers and processors, national food control agencies and international food trade. Many international buyers and sellers are already using it as a reference point. Specifi c industry or national food standards are also being referenced to the food code.

There are also other food production system requirements that are based on the principles of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP), which is established by Codex. It focuses on the implementation of food safety systems for the production and transportation of food. There are other well-accepted programs based on HACCP principles such as the British Retail Consortium (BRC), International Food Standard (IFS), Safe Quality Food (SQF) and International Standardization Organization (ISO) 22000.

With such tools and standards in place, the global food industry will witness new initiatives that would further enhance global trade. Building a sustainable global food trade, with special attention to food safety, should be the key focus for all stakeholders. Consumers will then be the biggest benefi ciaries of this change.

Good food safety practices tend to build confidence among buyers, sellers and consumers. In the long run, good food safety practices can help to build a sustainable food trade.