FOOD SAFETY SUPPLEMENT: MANAGEMENT APPROACHES


of the legislations around the world, including the glossary. However, the scope, application, implementation and methodology are tailor made, with the support of additional standards, guidelines and references. It is wrong to assume that applying any certification system or standard is a guarantee itself to produce or ensure safe products. Of course, they help. However, we need many other factors, such as


“ Improved epidemiological data and detailed statistics are helping to better understand the trends,


results and actions in order to set the priorities ”


awareness, personal behaviour, adequate training, coaching and well established prerequisites to achieve our food safety goal. Incidents and outbreaks of different nature


and at different places cannot be neglected. Probably some of them are still in the memories of the people (in particular, the affected ones) and were the source of specific action plans to reduce their likelihood or even eliminate them: ● A previously mentioned issue of BSE18


(Mad


Cow Disease) was tackled and followed by different organisations and health auth - orities, showing a positive trend on its reduction. Different countries have already reported that the outbreak is closed. See OIE information19


in the food industry and retailers. At the beginning, the industries and services companies were adopting the ISO 900010


series


as a framework. Later on, more specific standards such as the ISO 2200011 22012


and PAS 22313 the FSSC 2200014 series, PAS


from BSI and more recently (Food Safety


System


Certification) provided more details and examples to be followed. Nowadays, the Global Food Safety Initiative ) is combining all these efforts. For more


(GFSI15


details, please refer to their mission, vision and objectives detailed of this non-profit foundation on their website. In a nutshell, the GFSI16


is


benchmarking several food safety management systems and existing standards on food safety with the aim of making safer products, reducing the number of audits, most efficient supply chain and finally, use of a system or a standard that can be globally accepted and recognised. All the sectors (public, private and NGOs) are


recognising that the HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) is the best system for


newfood Volume 15 | Issue 1 | 2012


the prevention and elimination of hazards in the food chain. The principles of HACCP system described in the Codex Document (Annex to CAC/RCP 1 1969)17


are globally accepted by most ● Dioxins20 issues were reported in different


occasions and also related to different foods and feed. It is closely followed in the EU21 through well-defined programs


FIGURE 1 Relative rates of laboratory-confirmed infections with Campylobacter, E. coli O157, Listeria, Salmonella and Vibrio, compared with 1996 – 1998 rates, by year Copyright: Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network, United States


16


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