Food safety, where will it end? The good news is, it won't

Consumers are becoming more educated and aware of food safety through media reporting of issues like avian flu, BSE (mad cow), Ecoli, hepatitis outbreaks, and extensive food product recalls. The public is demanding assurance that the food products they purchase are safe and that the producers and suppliers of the food have adequate controls in place to ensure that protection, from “field to fork."

The Canadian food and beverage industries are responding in a world class manner. And companies in these industries are not stopping their food safety activities at their loading dock. They are requiring their suppliers to get on board as well.

These industries are evaluating each and every ingredient, additive, supplement, processing aid, preservative, etc. that they combine into their respective products. They want to ensure that only the safest and uncontaminated materials are used.  This also includes scrutiny of such factors as how the products arrive at and are shipped from their locations, the condition of the input materials and the maintenance of “cold chain” integrity.

This is evidenced by the growing number of food safety and HACCP-based (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) programs that are currently in place or under development in the food and beverage industry. Producers of seafood, meat and poultry, dairy, soft drink, bottled water, and a host of others, are all raising the bar for food and beverage quality and safety. Companies in these industries lead the field in developing and implementing food safety programs into their processes to ensure the integrity of products entering and leaving their care.

Producers are not stopping their food safety activities at their loading dock. They are requiring their suppliers to get on board as well. Food safety programs are now being developed in transportation, packaging, warehousing and logistics companies, all the way through to the final retailers and food service providers. Not only are the post-processing suppliers getting on the food safety bandwagon, so are the primary suppliers. Farmers, through on-farm food safety programs, agricultural chemical suppliers, seed suppliers, fertilizer suppliers, pesticide suppliers, and animal feed suppliers are all actively implementing programs. There are also a number of food product traceability projects under development or being piloted.

Soon the entire “field to fork” continuum will have integrated food safety and traceability programs. Food safety will be as intrinsic in all links of the food supply chain as are the food products themselves.  Where will it end? The good news is, IT WON’T. New processes and procedures will be developed, new equipment will be invented, testing methods will be improved, new products will be introduced, and efficiencies in production and manufacturing will be discovered, all of which will benefit the final consumer. 

Where is “your company” in the food supply chain, and how effective are your food safety controls? Can you show documented due diligence when your customer asks?

If you have an industry recognized food safety program in place, you already have a leg up on your competition. You have learned about the current legislative requirements and industry led programs for the various classes of food. You know there are food safety programs that achieve your goals in a practical and results oriented manner. If you haven’t taken any formal steps to improve your food safety but understand the importance of doing so, there are solutions available to suit your needs.