This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
Retailers adamant about food safety


Conference attendees told that adhering to regulations is amust for producers.


By Judie Steeves C


onsumers want it, so retailers want it — and if retailers want it, wholesalers and


growers/producers must provide it. Food safety is the number-one priority, according to big retail, so growers have no choice but to ensure their operations comply with all food safety regulations on the farm and in packing, sorting and production facilities.


At November’s provincial agrifood conference in Kelowna, key management staff from Loblaw (Superstore, Shop Easy, Super Valu, Extra Foods and Independent), Sobey’s (Safeway, Foodland, Thrifty Foods, Co- op) and Sysco each told delegates their producers need to be food safe; that food safety is the the most important quality they look for.


Jeff Nadon of Sobey’s said they support local B.C. products with shelf tags that declare “We Pick B.C. First” and they put names and faces to their producers so consumers can relate to their products.


“We want your product to be successful,” he said, but first, producers need to be certified food safe. Carlos Machado of Loblaw echoed that requirement, saying Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) food safety standards must be met by producers. As the largest purchaser of locally-


6 British Columbia FRUIT GROWER • Winter 2016-17 JUDIE STEEVES


B.C. Fruit Growers’ Association general manager Glen Lucas is concerned that safety-related requirements are becoming too numerous and burdensome for the agriculture industry.


grown food in B.C., with 290 stores, he said they buy Canadian first, but food safety is the most important quality they look for, followed by availability and then value.


Robert Cunningham of Sysco, which distributes food products to restaurants and institutions, said they also adopted the GFSI standard and they track products from farm to fork.


“We need to all be on the same page,” he added.


Glen Lucas, manager of the B.C. Fruit Growers’ Association, says he was involved at the beginning with federal efforts to come up with national food safety standards, which resulted in the Canada GAP program, but admits today he’s concerned about the proliferation of food safety requirements by different


wholesalers and even importers. For instance, membership warehouse club, Costco, this year required that growers permit them to do on-farm irrigation water testing twice a year, with more testing on potable water on- farm. As well, no water bottles were permitted to be taken into the ‘field’ by pickers or others.


Retailers in other countries where B.C. producers export also have their own standards. In addition to food safety standards, there are fair trade standards, and sometimes requirements that products be non-GMO. However, there is an effort to standardize food safety requirements by the Canadian Horticulture Council. Lucas believes what’s happening is inappropriate: by branding food safety


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24