Fairfield, NJ -- (SBWire) -- 05/21/2012 --More perishable foods are now routinely shipped around the world than at any point in history. These include fresh fruits, vegetables, seafood and processed foods. For example, according to the US Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service (ERS), US food imports grew from $41 billion in 1998 to $71 billion in 2007.
Increasing outbreaks of diseases
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that foodborne disease outbreaks markedly increased in 2009 and 2010 due to imported food. This was the result of findings from a CDC review of outbreaks recorded for implicated foods that were imported into the United States in its Foodborne Disease Outbreak Surveillance System over the period 2005-2010. During these five years there were 39 outbreaks and 2,348 illnesses linked to food imports from 15 countries. Nearly half of the outbreaks recorded occurred in 2009 and 2010. The most common cause of disease outbreaks from implicated imported food came from fish, followed by spices and nearly 45 percent of the foods causing outbreaks originated from Asia.
Preventive measures
To verify and monitor the food safety standards in use abroad, and particularly in developing countries, is naturally a difficult task. Nonetheless, commerce and consumers demand confidence that imported food meets sufficient levels of safety so that incidents of foodborne illness are reduced or even prevented altogether.
For this reason the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) was established as a nonprofit organization under Belgian law in May 2000. The GFSI is managed by The Consumer Goods Forum and measures the actual food standards in use against food safety criteria, develops consumer awareness, fosters exchange of information in supply chains and reviews good retail practices. The most recent version of the “GFSI Guidance Document” (http://www.mygfsi.com/gfsi-benchmarking-general/guidance-document.html) was published in January 2011. This sets out processes, such as how to implement the specific requirements that enable commercial food safety programs to gain GFSI recognition.
Eight major US and international food retailers signed up to GFSI benchmark food safety programs in June 2007. Each retailer is aligned with a common criteria defined by food safety experts, the objective of which is to make the production of food as safe as possible. The original retailers, Carrefour, Tesco, ICA, Metro, Migros, Ahold, Walmart and Delhaize agreed a common acceptance of GFSI benchmarked schemes to minimize duplications in the supply chain. Several other food service, retail and manufacturing companies have since joined them in this approach.
Small business solutions
To implement GFSI requirements and obtain certification may require a considerable investment – a cost food producers in developing countries are often unable to afford – so in 2011 the GFSI announced its Global Markets Capacity Building Program (http://www.mygfsi.com/structure-and-governance/gfsi-technical-committee/gfsi-global-markets-working-group/gfsi-gm.html). This phased program commenced in 2008, when the GSFI identified a lack of technical assistance and support in the development of food safety management systems for smaller and less advanced businesses.
At METRO Jinjiang Cash & Carry, China the former chairman of the Technical Working Group and present Head of Quality Assurance Jan Kranghand said in a prepared statement that the goal is “to ensure that through the adoption of this program, businesses can progress over time in a harmonized and systematic way towards obtaining certification under one of the schemes recognized by GFSI.”
The GFSI has also launched a Global Markets Program for Primary Production. Numerous pilot programs have been conducted globally by the GFSI Primary Production Technical Working Group since it was formed in 2010. Covering crops, fruit and vegetables, the program offers the options of basic and intermediate levels in guiding primary producers to full certification under one of the schemes recognized by the GFSI.
The efforts of GFSI are having an impact on the food industry. A study conducted by the University of Arkansas (http://www.uark.edu/home/) and commissioned by Walmart (http://www.walmart.com/) shows that when food manufacturers achieve certification under one of the internationally recognized GFSI benchmarked schemes, their food safety programs are strengthened and safer products result.
The study revealed that suppliers who had implemented a scheme benchmarked by GFSI maintained a well-documented management system for food safety. Suppliers also felt that the safety of their products had improved and their employees were better trained.
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Benchmarking Developing Countries Food Safety Improvements
Concerns surrounding food safety continue, despite many improvements in food production and handling. Foodborne diseases constantly evolve and new infections are often discovered. In addition, new challenges to food safety arise from the global nature of the modern marketplace for food.