Lecture 10

Terminology

• Laws are established rules that maintain stability in a society, passed by a legislative body
• Acts are laws approved by an authorized body, like a parliament or senate
• Regulations are rules a society must follow, empowered by the government under an Act
• Standards are recognized models or obligations that establish uniform criteria, methods, processes, and practices, written by technical experts

Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)

• GMP involves sanitary practices essential for safe food production, based on the Codex General Principles of Food Hygiene and corresponding legislation
• The four prescribed requirements are: Personnel practices, Equipment and utensils, Building facilities, Production and process controls
• GMP programs include recommendations for: Infrastructure and facilities design, Equipment and sanitation maintenance, Operations control, Staff hygiene, Product information, Documentation and procedures

GMP Certification

• GMP certification involves a process with necessary steps: Pre-audit including a report, Audit preparation, Certification audit, Audit post processing (Non conformity correction), Certification issue

Hazard Analysis And Critical Control Points (HACCP) Certification

• HACCP is a management system for hazards/risks, involving identification, evaluation, and control of hazards related to food safety
• The seven HACCP principles are comprised of the ISO 22000 standard
• Three hazard types considered include physical, biological, and chemical
• The seven principles include: Identification of food hazards, Identification of critical control points, Determining critical limits, Establishing monitoring procedures, Establishing corrective actions, Establishing verification procedures, Establishing documentation

Food Safety Management System (ISO 22000)

• ISO 22000 is a safety framework for the food industry accommodating farm-to-fork steps
• It includes suppliers, storage, chemical & machinery producers, and plantations
• It applies to food industry as a whole
• The ISO 22000 standard is an ISO/PDTS 22003 accredited program
• The standard integrates ISO 9001 quality management principles while specifically addressing food safety and Codex HACCP

Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI)

• GFSI collaborates with food safety leaders and is formed by retailers, manufacturers and food service companies
• The GFSI objective in non-profit
• GFSI’s accepted certifications include SQF, BRC, IFC, FSSC, GLOBAL GAP, BAP, and Canada GAP
• Major traders like Tesco, Carrefour, ICA, Migros, Metro Ahold and Wal-Mart agree to certify food safety by GFSI schemes

Food Safety System Certification (FSSC) 22000

• FSSC 22000 is accepted as a standard by GFSI building on ISO 22000:2005
• It focuses on prerequisite programs beyond the ISO 22000 standard and enhances it with PAS 220 or ISO/TS 22002 technical guide
• PAS 223 specializes in food packaging materials
• The scope has been expanded to include these manufacturers, they use ISO 22000 plus PAS 223

British Retail Consortium (BRC)

• BRC is a trade association representing retailers, accounting for 80% of retail trade in the United Kingdom, formed in 1992
• It has been adopted globally in over 17,000 sites across 100 countries
• Major international retailers with BRC standards include: Carefour, Tesco, ICA, Metro, Migros, Ahold, Walmart and Delhaize

Safe Quality Food (SQF) Standard 1000/2000

• The SQF Platform launched in Australia in 1994
• Editions are accepted by GFSI
• It supports suppliers and customers in the food market
• Program is under SQF 1000 and 2000, designed for various industry sectors
• It is designed to decrease unsafe food products reaching customers, based on HACCP guidelines
• Levels include: Food Safety Fundamentals, Level 2 Certified HACCP Food Safety Plans, Level 3 Comprehensive Food Safety and Quality Management Systems

Global Good Agricultural Practice (GAP)

• Global GAP was created as the EUREPGAP for retailers in 1997
• It aims to be independently certified for consumer's product safety and safety on the environment
• EUREPGAP standards guide manufacturers for European wide industry for food protocols, sustainable production, worker's well being, water use, feed and material standards
• Farmers are also recognized by the GAP system

Canada GAP

• Canada GAP is a food safety program recognized by the Canadian Government to assist with food safety
• In 2000, the CHC started to develop the On-Farm Food Safety (OFFS) Guidelines
• The official certification launched in 2008
• Certification in 2010 led to the services being conducted with accredited companies
• Two Canada GAP manuals are available based on the operations occurring and type of company i.e greenhouse vs traditional farming organizations

International Food Standard (IFS)

• IFS was initiated as an International Food Standard in 2003
• IFS is accepted as a GFSI standard
• Auditors check based on topics such as management responsibility, system, resource/production responsibilities and more
• Food certification results in customer satisfaction and product motivation to further their competitive industry standing

Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)

• RSPO has multi-stakeholder enterprise focused on palm oil that began as a Swiss law
• The association head quarters are in Zurich, Switzerland along with a number of partner organizations
• The purpose of the RSPO is to improve on the supply chain for the members
• It’s goal is to connect these members with stakeholders
• The membership is continuously growing over 3,000 to date

Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP)

• BAP certification standards have grown by the Global Aquaculture Alliance
• The GAA is a non-profit company that formed in 1997
• All BAP standards and practices serve to specially target aquaculture farms
• The standard works to address animal welfare, food safety and traceability for facilities by defining responsible elements of aquaculture

Building of Food Law

• International agreements are in place to ensure consumer protection
• The WTO provides tools to facilitate international dialogue and resolve trade issues
• The World Trade Organization (WTO) manages claims such as the SPS Agreement and Technical Barriers to Trade
  • FAO/WHO and Codex Alimentarius use scientific backing to determine standards for agreed levels of food safety across a number of science and food based companies
  • These international standards benchmark trade agreements and establish baselines for negotiations

Food Act and Regulations

• Food law integrates into two areas Food Act & Regulations
• Regulations implement basic food law covering general standards, hygiene, food standards, preservatives, packaging requirements and advertising

Governing Food Safety

• World Health Organization (WHO) has headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland; founded in 1946 to improve healthy eating
• Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN (FAO) aims to avoid hunger in developing countries
• World Trade Organization (WTO) began in 1995 with 147 member countries to regulate the international trade located in Geneva, Switzerland
• Codex Alimentarius (FAO/WHO) was created in 1961 to guide agencies, globally-used standards, and provide safety regulation references
• The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) was established in 1947 in Geneva, Switzerland, with over 162 countries
• The National Committee for Microbiology provides regulation recommendations in federal agencies under the FDA guidelines
• The International Commission has worked since 1962 to guide safety, research, documentation, and other key elements for guiding WHO and international union groups

WTO Agreements

• The SPS Agreement establishes a framework to prevent safety threats by regulating plant and animal guidelines
• By encouraging the WTO trade members, food guidelines and overall evaluations take into accord by the Codex group
• The TBT Agreement works to ensure complication threats do not occur by ensuring technical and labeling regulation exists
• Whole products are now covered by the regulation with the WTO membership determining their own individual compliance requirements