q uality and safety

1. quality and safety Food traceability,

2. Learning objectives To review, recognise and apply research into consumer insight and confidence with food. To understand the drivers for consumers in relation to food production, processing and purchasing. To understand the importance of food traceability, safety and quality. To explore and understand the principles behind three different food assurance schemes for British milk production.

3. Welcome To explore this topic, click on the following icons. These are located at the bottom of each screen. Go back to the home screen Go to the previous Go to the next page

4. Main menu (home) Click on the section you wish to explore. Questions are also available for each section. Section 1: Consumer insight and confidence with food Questions Section 2: Traceability, safety and quality Questions Questions Section 3: Case studies – food assurance schemes End

5. Section 1: Consumer insight and confidence with food Click on the section you wish to explore. Consumer concerns about food issues Introduction Confidence in our food? Factors influence product choice Top priority: food safety Top 5 factors Consumer confidence Food provenance Helping the consumer

6. Section 1: Consumer insight and confidence with food The way in which our food is produced and processed, as well as how this is communicated and perceived, ultimately determines consumer’s confidence, trust and understanding of farming practices and/or specific food groups and ingredients. Food safety, contamination or animal disease can drastically affect consumer confidence and ultimately the foods they purchase immediately and in the longer term. Not only could this have an impact on farmers, processors and retailers, it could lead to some consumers having less varied and unbalanced diets. It is therefore of paramount importance that food is grown, reared, caught and processed to the highest standards and that this is communicated effectively to consumers. This helps to build trust.

7. Confidence in our food? Recent research from Mintel (2013) looking at attitudes towards trust in food showed: 49% trust the food industry to provide safe food to eat, with 37% undecided; 42% believed that the food industry is able to react to food scares; 23% agree that the different elements of the food chain work effectively together; 36% feel that food manufactures are aware of where their ingredients originate (34% disagree); 37% disagree that supermarkets are aware of where their ingredients originate.

8. Trust the label? The findings also illustrate how labelling concerns echo consumer confidence: 40% of adults trust supermarkets and food manufacturers to provide accurate labelling on food packaging; 45% of men are considerably more likely than women (36%) to be positive about the accuracy of on-pack information. This is in line with men being the more likely to agree that the food industry provides food that is safe (men 53% vs women 46%) and also that supermarkets are aware of the origin of their ingredients (men 35% vs women 29%).

9. Top priority: food safety Of all the aspects of the food chain people think the government should be accountable for, food safety takes top spot. Nearly two fifths (38%) of adults consider it the government’s responsibility to ensure that food is safe to eat, which is higher than responsibilities regarding sustainability (29%), health (10%) and promoting sourcing of food from the UK (14%). In terms of food safety, the British public consider the government (38%) and food manufacturers (39%) to have around the same level of responsibility in providing food that is safe to eat.

10. Top five factors The research found that the top five factors which would encourage consumer trust in food were: British ingredients - 48% Manufacturing details on food labelling (where and when made) - 47% Animal welfare certificate - 45% Product origin on the pack - 43% No artificial ingredients - 43%. Source: http://www.mintel.com/press-centre/food-and-drink/food-safety-after-horse-meat-scandal

11. Shoppers want more provenance information Supporting the theme of greater consumer confidence in food, the IGD Shopper tracker survey shows that shoppers want to know more about where their food originates. The survey showed: 82% of shoppers regard how, and 73% where, groceries are produced as important; 41% of shoppers want to know more about the provenance of their groceries; 78% are interested in knowing more about fresh foods such as meat, poultry, fruit, vegetables, dairy, eggs and fish; 41% of shoppers want provenance information available on-shelf, and 39% want it on-pack; 31% of those wanting more provenance information would like website links on product packaging.

12. Percentage of people concerned about certain food issues (2011-2012) This chart shows public attitudes to different food concerns. The price of food is the highest, followed by concerns over the amount of salt in food, food waste, fat and saturated fat. Issues relating to food production and safety are generally lower than nutritional considerations. However, the issue of where food is from, how it is processed and packaged are still of major interest and determinants of acceptability and purchase.

13. Factors influencing consumers product choice

14. Factors influencing consumers product choice The chart on the previous page shows: price is increasingly important in driving product choice, with 41% of shoppers naming it as the most important factor and 90% listing it within their top five influences; promotions are highly influential with 70% listing it in the top 5 factors; less importance is placed on healthy options, with only 8% of shoppers naming it as the most important influence and only 47% listing it within the top five; more shoppers placed familiarity and taste/smell within their top five factors than healthy options; brand names still have a sway in many purchase decisions, with 33% of shoppers naming in their top 5 influences and 2% as the most important; ethically produced products were considered least important with 16% of shoppers naming it in their top 5 influences. http://www.defra.gov.uk/statistics/foodfarm/food/pocketstats

15. Consumer confidence Recent research by Which?, highlighted that consumers believed there was a need for clearer information about the types of food choices they should be making. Six in 10 people (61%) wanted more information on the quality of ingredients used, a similar percentage (58%) on food safety standards and more than half (53%) on where the food was produced. Two-thirds of people (65%) said food prices have become more important in the current economic climate, followed by quality (35%) and taste (32%). Previous Which? research found that  with household budgets under increasing pressure, people are changing their shopping habits, eating out less and looking for special offers. Source: Future of food report, 2013 Which?

16. The Which? survey also found that there are several areas where people feel that they need more information. Areas where people think they need more information: The quality of ingredients used - 61% Food safety standards - 58% Where the food is produced - 53% Nutritional content - 51% The method used to produce the food - 50% Animal welfare standards - 50% The environmental impact of food - 38% Further reading http://press.which.co.uk/whichpressreleases/call-for-more-action-to-restore-confidence-in-food/ April 2013 The report: http://press.which.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Future-of-Food-Report-2013_Final.pdf

17. Helping the consumer To help inform consumers more about their food, a number of food assurance, environmental and ethical labelling schemes are now in operation. Some are industry wide, while some my operate by specific retailers. Source: Future of food report, 2013 Which?

18. Section 2: Traceability, safety and quality Click on the section you wish to explore. Traceability Food safety Food assurance Extension: Food safety and consumer protection

19. What is traceability? Traceability is about understanding where a food has been produced and processed through its food chain. For example, this could be where a piece of fruit originates or the location of the dairy farm for a carton of milk. Traceability is about knowing the stages of production and being able to trace back through the chain. The consumer is the final link of the food chain, which started at the farm or producer.

20. When traceability is fully available, this helps to build trust between the retailer and the consumer. However, this trust can be difficult to build due to the complex and industrialised nature of our food system. Consumers need to build trust in the procedures and processes behind the traceability, linking together the production of food safety and quality. In addition, there may be other criteria in which the consumer has an interest, such as ensuring the food is organic, vegetarian, specific allergen free, Kosher or Halal. Food traceability standards are employed here to ensure that consumers can have confidence in the food they purchase.

21. Food safety The Food Standards Agency is responsible for improving food safety right through the food chain in the UK. This includes improving hygiene on the farm and ensuring that human health is not put at undue risk through what is fed to animals. Source: http://www.food.gov.uk/business-industry/farmingfood/#.UgTPis0dqeY

22. The production, processing, distribution, retail, packaging and labelling of food is governed by a number of laws, regulations, codes of practice and guidance. These include: The Food Safety Act 1990 (as amended) - the framework for all food legislation in Great Britain; The General Food Law Regulation (EC) 178/2002 - EC legislation on general food safety. The General Food Regulations 2004 (as amended) provides for the enforcement of certain provisions of Regulation (EC) 178/2002 (including imposing penalties) and amends the Food Safety Act 1990 to bring it in line with Regulation (EC) 178/2002. Similar legislation applies in Northern Ireland. For more information on general food law, click here. http://www.food.gov.uk/enforcement/regulation/foodlaw/#.UgTQXM0dqeY

23. Food assurance Food law does not necessarily cover all aspects of the food chain from farm to fork. Therefore food assurance schemes have been developed to give retailers assurance at the farm level and in other ancillary parts of the supply chain. This development has been given official encouragement because it has the potential to complement regulatory activities.

24. Extension information Main food safety and consumer protection offences created by the Food Safety Act 1990 Section 7: rendering food injurious to health by: adding an article or substance to the food using an article or substance as an ingredient in the preparation of the food abstracting any constituent from the food subjecting the food to any process or treatment with the intention that it shall be sold for human consumption. Section 14: selling to the purchaser’s prejudice any food which is not of the nature or substance or quality demanded by the purchaser. Section 15: falsely describing or presenting food.

25. Under section 20, if the commission of an offence is due to the act or default of another person, the other person is guilty of the offence. Under section 21 in proceedings for an offence under the provisions of Part 2 of the Act (which includes the offences listed above), it is a defence for a food business operator to prove that he took all reasonable precautions and exercised due diligence to avoid the commission of the offence. Main provisions of the General Food Law Regulation (EC) 178/2002 that apply to food business operators

26. Imports: Article 11 states that food imported into the European Union (EU) for placing on the market shall comply with the requirements of food law recognised by the EU, or if there is a specific agreement between the EU and the exporting country, those requirements. Safety: Article 14 states that food shall not be placed on the market if it is unsafe. Food is deemed to be unsafe if it is considered to be: injurious to health unfit for human consumption. The article also indicates what factors need to be taken into account when determining whether food is injurious to health or unfit.

27. Presentation: Article 16 states that labelling, advertising and presentation, including the setting in which the food is displayed, of food shall not mislead consumers. Traceability: Article 18 requires food business operators to keep records of food, food substances and food-producing animals supplied to their business, and also other businesses to which their products have been supplied. In each case, the information shall be made available to competent authorities on demand.

28. Withdrawal, recall and notification: Article 19 requires food business operators to withdraw food which is not in compliance with food safety requirements, if it has left their control and to recall the food if has reached the consumer. Withdrawal is when a food is removed from the market up to and including when it is sold to the consumer, recall is when customers are asked to return or destroy the product. Food businesses must also notify the competent authorities (their local authority and the Food Standards Agency). Retailers and distributors must help with the withdrawal of unsafe food and pass on information necessary to trace it.

29. Section 3: Case studies Food assurance schemes are run as product certification schemes. These schemes use regular independent inspections to check that members are meeting specific standards. They often use logos on consumer products to indicate they have fulfilled all the requirements. The leading food assurance schemes aim to define the standards that most producers in the sector should meet.Over time, these schemes intend to raise standards to improve the overall standard of the entire sector. Case study 1: Red Tractor Case study 2: The LEAF Marque Case study 3: Independent scheme

30. Case study 1: Red Tractor Assured Food Standards (AFS) was established in 2000 and was set up to help harmonise the approach to standard setting and inspection throughout the supply chain and to give the public a mark of quality, safe, affordable food that they could recognise and trust. Red Tractor is the public facing mark of the scheme. The scheme promotes recognition of professionally produced assured food and boosts the reputation of food production in the UK. This is achieved through establishing the benchmark for production standards and then carrying out regular inspections to ensure that producers, processors and other operators continually meet those standards. These include food safety, animal welfare, the environment and traceability.

31. The Red Tractor can only be used on food that has been produced, packed, stored and transported to Red Tractor standards. The standards in all farming sectors (such as chicken, dairy or vegetables) have been agreed by a panel of experts to ensure that the food is safe and that the animals are well treated. All of the Red Tractor assurance schemes operate to the international standard ISO Guide 65, which is the European Standard EN45011. This guarantees that the independent inspectors are properly trained and sufficiently experienced. In all there are over 450 inspectors working on the Red Tractor scheme and they conduct over 60,000 inspections a year.

32. The Red Tractor logo covers many food groups, which have all been grown, processed and packed in Britain. This is shown by the Union Jack flag. The Red Tractor logo tells the consumer that the food has been checked every step of the way - from farm to pack - and can be traced back to the farm source.

33. Key aspects Assurance: no weak links in the chain, scheme covers animal feeds, farms, livestock transportation, slaughter process, production methods, compositional standards for items like sausages, burgers. Food safety: Everyone involved – from farmer to caterer – are experts in their field, trained to handle food safely and responsibly. Animal welfare: Ensures animals have everything they need for a good quality of life and are treated with compassion by farmers who know what they are doing.

34. Key aspects Environment: Makes sure farmers protect the countryside by preventing pollution of watercourses, soil, air and wildlife habitats. Traceability: Every part of the food supply chain is inspected to ensure food carrying the logo is accounted for and can be traced back to UK farms. Farmers keep traceability records. Farmers do not spread manure on their fields close to rivers or on land used for grazing to prevent spread of disease.

35. Key aspects Animal welfare: The standards require that animals are: handled with care and compassion and checked regularly; they are given medicine promptly after advice from a vet; are fed on safe assured feeds and transported in assured trailers to minimise stress and risk of hurting the animals; are kept in clean and safe housing with animals of a similar size/age and have access to fresh, clean water at all times Country of origin: By law, most food must be labeled with its country of origin on the label although this is not always easy to find. The Red Tractor logo includes a statement of origin in the flag device and when you see the Union Jack you can be sure the food has come from UK farms.

36. Red Tractor Milk The Red Tractor Farm Assurance Dairy scheme sets out to maintain, develop and promote Assurance standards within the dairy industry. The aim is to provide consumers and retailers with confidence about product quality attributes of the milk leaving the farm premises, including food safety, animal welfare and environmental protection. Red Tractor Farm Assured British milk is produced on farms that are managed by well-qualified and caring stockmen. Certification to Red Tractor Farm Assurance Dairy standards allows producers to demonstrate that their standards of husbandry and welfare meet nationally agreed levels of best agricultural practice.

37. Assurance in the dairy sector is achieved with a comprehensive set of standards to ensure that on assured dairy farms, the milk is produced and stored in a safe and hygienic manner, the cattle’s welfare needs are not compromised, the animals are identifiable and traceable and the environment is not adversely impacted upon by dairy farming activities. For further information, click here. http://assurance.redtractor.org.uk/rtassurance/schemes/resources/Records/dairy.eb

38. Case study 2: The LEAF Marque LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) was set up in 1991 as a result of concern for the future of farming. LEAF promotes environmentally responsible farming, supporting farmers to produce good food, with care and to high environmental standards. LEAF is an independent charity dedicated to raising the integrity of British food and it advises farmers and growers on how they can meet the strict standards enabling them to display the LEAF marque on their products.

39. The LEAF marque on foods is a guarantee to consumers that the producer operates their business and production techniques in an environmentally responsible way. LEAF Marque is a globally recognised, independently certified standard system, developed by LEAF. It is based on LEAF’s Integrated Farm Management principles of sustainable farming. LEAF’s Integrated Farm Management (IFM) approach combines aspects of traditional farming methods with modern technology, allowing farmers to manage their farms in an informed, professional and caring way. IFM encourages farmers to maintain the highest standards of food production with the minimum environmental impact.

40. Products carrying the LEAF Marque have been produced by farmers who are committed to continually improving agriculture and the environment for the mutual benefit of farmers, consumers, wildlife and the countryside. In the UK, there are currently 487 growers farming 223,141 hectares certified to the LEAF Marque standard. Farmers undergo an inspection of the whole farm against the LEAF Marque Standard to confirm that products have been produced in an environmentally responsible way.

41. The LEAF initiative encourages farmers to do more to protect and enhance the countryside by adhering to a series of integrated farm management principles including: efficient soil management and appropriate cultivation techniques; the use of crop rotation; careful choice of seed varieties; a commitment to animal welfare and wildlife habitats; recycling on-farm waste and conserving energy; improving water efficiency and quality;  using pesticides and fertilisers only when absolutely necessary; maintenance of the landscape and rural communities. To find out more about the LEAF Marque, follow this link: http://www.leafuk.org/leaf/farmers/LEAFmarquecertification/standard.eb

42. Aims of the LEAF Marque The aims of the LEAF Marque are to: develop and promote Integrated Farm Management (IFM) to farmers as a system of farming that is realistic and achievable, and has a positive effect on farming and the environment. IFM is a cropping and livestock production strategy in which the farmer seeks to conserve and enhance the environment while economically producing safe, wholesome food. Its long term aim is to optimise the needs of consumers, society, the environment and the farmer; promote the benefits of IFM to consumers and raise awareness of the way many farmers are responding to current concerns about the environment; encourage the production of wholesome, affordable food, grown with care for the environment by farmers who value their role as custodians of the countryside.

43. LEAF Marque is a standards system that delivers sustainable food and farming through the adoption of LEAF’s Integrated Farm Management and enables the consumer to buy sustainable food by choosing the LEAF Marque label.  Produce identified with a LEAF Marque logo indicates it has been through an assurance scheme that means it has been produced by farmers while caring for the environment.   The LEAF Marque Standard is an industry recognised global standard that is currently available in 4 languages: Spanish, French, Italian and English. It is a higher level environmental standard and it is a requirement that the producer is a certified full member of an appropriate assurance scheme for each enterprise on the farm.

44. LEAF Marque - Cheese Following the standards set our through the integrated farm management system, there are many dairy farmers have obtained the LEAF Marque. Several display this on the cheese they manufacture from the milk they produce. Some dairy farmers believe that the Marque gives their product a unique selling point, providing consumers reassurance the provenance, as well as environmental care. The scheme ensures that the produce from LEAF Marque farmers has been farmed with care for the future of our environment, wildlife, countryside, food and animals.

45. Quote from farmer: One of the spin offs of doing the LEAF Audit was that it reinforced our policy of buying feed locally – we buy field beans and wheat from neighbours. By using field beans and vastly reducing our reliance on imported soya, we have helped the local economy, reduced our carbon footprint and maintained efficiency. We also believe that we produce better cheese from milk produced from cows fed on field beans. LEAF Tracks adds a number to the LEAF Marque logo that enables consumers to find out who produced their LEAF Marque certified products, and whether the farm can be visited.

46. Case study 3: Independent Some retailers operate their own assurance schemes. For example, research conducted by Sainsbury’s on its own customers suggested that they believed that too many logos were confusing so has phased out the use of the Red Tractor logo on pack. However, Red Tractor standards are being used as part of their wider sourcing standards.

47. The supermarket has its own Dairy Development Group, which was first introduced in 2007. The aim is to set a fair price for the milk, including a bonus for high animal welfare levels and improving their carbon footprint. The Group comprises 315 dairy farms throughout England, Scotland and Wales. Their milk supply chain allows them to know every farm and farmer they source from, meet their environmental commitments, and continuously improve animal welfare while maintaining a commercially viable, high quality product. All milk carries their A taste of Britain logo, indicating that it is sourced from Britain.

48. Dairy Development Group The work of the Dairy Development Group includes environmental considerations, such as carbon footprint measurements. The carbon footprint project involved an independent environmental consultant auditing each dairy farm. The audits looked at every aspect of the farm and measured inputs such as electricity, feedstuffs, machinery and fuel use. From each audit a carbon footprint report was produced for individual farms, along with an environmental scorecard. The scorecard identifies areas for improvement and a detailed greenhouse gas emissions reduction programme. Each farmer is then given guidance on how to implement these.

49. Some of the reductions in energy and emissions have come from simple measures, such as harvesting rainwater for re-use. Other farmers achieved higher yields per cow by using feed more efficiently, or managing their fertiliser and manure applications differently. The project found that some of the highest yielding farms are not the most carbon intensive. Through the scheme they have demonstrated how more efficient farms can be better for the environment as well as being more successful businesses.

50. Section 1 Questions: Consumer insight and confidence with food Start