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Greater assurance on food safety for consumers
Consumers tend to take it for granted that the food they pack into their shopping trolleys is safe - it appears to be hygienically packed, it has date stamps and it is brightly on display in supermarkets. But is it? As Michael Broughton of the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa (CGCSA) points out: "Globalisation, changing weather patterns and the lack of information on food safety in South Africa are among the reasons why the CGCSA has launched an important new initiative to monitor food standards of the food supply chain to the benefit of consumers, the food industry and all stakeholders."
This food safety initiative is being established as a division of the CGCSA to assist the industry on all relevant safety matters. It will focus on three key areas: the food safety standards, a central knowledge database and a food alert system. "Although South Africa has always prided itself on excellent safety standards," continued Broughton, "risk is always an element which we simply cannot afford to ignore. Thus there will be a special focus on risk assessment, risk management and risk communication, so that we are confident that we have a thorough understanding of risks at each stage of the food supply - from farm to fork. Highlighting risks will also be beneficial to consumers, since it will enable them to make informed decisions at the point of purchase."
The initiative will benefit from the extensive experience of newly appointed Manager, Lucia Anelich who holds a Ph.D in microbiology and has been Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Biotechnology and Food Technology at the Technikon in Pretoria (now the Tshwane University of Technology) since 1981. A prolific writer of scientific and research papers related to different aspects of the food industry, she also has numerous business courses under her belt. She was selected as one of only two representatives from South Africa to attend an international course on Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) offered by Food Agriculture Organisation (FAO). Anelich is ideally placed to provide the expertise and skills required by the food safety initiative to achieve its objectives.
Interested parties have been involved in extensive discussions on the formation of the food safety initiative since 2004. This initiative is led by Kees Kruythoff, Chairman of Unilever SA Foods and the initial sponsorship was provided by the CGCSA board member companies.
"Activities planned through the food safety initiative will help us identify and characterise potential and current problems within the food supply chain," commented Broughton. "As a result, we will have the necessary data to develop suitable standards and strategies to counter threats and eliminate misconceptions. The food safety initiative will constitute a source of reliable information on issues impacting food safety.It will serve as an information resource which we believe will act in support of any food controlling authority the Government plans to institute."
Updated information on the food safety initiative can be found on the CGCSA website: www.cgcsa.co.za.
