Good Agricultural Practices

1. Good Agricultural Practices Inge Neessen 16 May 2006

2. Program • Introduction GAP • Background food safety • Background HACCP • Market demands on food safety • Food safety in Netherlands – best practices • Examples Food safety Eastern Europe

3. Q-Point: mission and products • Q-Point is an independent advisory organisation, specialised in food safety, traceability, marketing and quality systems in agri-business • Customers: growers/farmers, suppliers, traders packers, processors, retailers, government, product boards, transporters • HACCP, ISO 9000, BRC, IFS, EUREPGAP, QS

4. Introduction GAP • GAP means Good Agricultural Practices • All efforts that producers (growers/farmers) perform to optimise production by good use of soil, fertilisers, manure, crop protection products, energy, water, hygiene etc and minimizing the effect on the environment and assure health and welfare and social circumstances. • Input => output: has to be transparant and measurable => Quality Assurance

5. Introduction GAP – example dairy

6. Introduction GAP • Techniques on production methods e.g. soil, water, fertilisers, climate, integrated crop protection, pest control, feed, health and welfare (animal and human) • Food safety and hygiene (guides to good practice, hygiene measures)

7. Background food safety

8. Forces for change • BSE / GMO • Consumer Environmental Awareness • Pressure / Lobby groups • Media • Environmental / Food Safety Legislation • New EU member states

9. History • International developments (WTO, Codex) • Lack of harmonisation • Crises (BSE, Dioxin) • Repair consumer trust • Guarantee high level of protection of consumer health • White Paper

10. Olive oil in Spain Glycol in Austrian wine Shrimps, Shigella-bacterie/Asia Growth stimulators Dioxin in milk Salmonella in chicken Nutricia baby food Hygiene in meat production BSE CCC pears dioxin in chicken CCC in carrots MPA in pigs Residues in F&V EU food scandals

11. Response • Public: Food safety high on political agenda of EU • Private: increase of private standards for food safety and quality (by retail) • Consumers: concerns after scandals; and increase in labelling and branding

12. EU food safety plan Goals: • Guarantee the protection of consumer health • Repair consumer trust in food safety • White Paper Food Safety (84 actions)

13. White Paper on Food Safety 84 enforcement actions: • General Food & Feed Law (No 178/2002) • Hygiene Package (No 852/2004, No 853/2004, No 854/2004) • Food & Feed control • Feed hygiene • Etc.

14. General Food & Feed Law • Directive 178/2002 – framework for harmonisation of food safety; general principles and requirements of food and feed law • Establishing EFSA: European Food Safety Authority • Traceability (active per 1 january 2005) • EU hygiene regulations (active per 1 january 2006)

15. General Food & Feed Law • GFL is applicable to all stages of production, processing and distribution of food and feed (also including primary production)

16. Tracking & Tracing Downstream Tracing Growers Trader Foodprocessor Distribution Centre Retailer Upstream Tracing

17. Structure hygiene-package From 16 directives to 3 regulations: 852/2004 General rules of hygiene for foodstuffs (H1) 853/2004 Specific rules of hygiene for foodstuffs of animal origin (H2) 854/2004 Organisation of official controls on product of animal origin intended for human consumption (H3) H4 Official controls performed to ensure the verification of compliance with feed and food law, animal health and animal welfare rules H5 Repealing old directives

18. 852/2004 … H1 “Regulation of the European Parliament and of the council on the hygiene of foodstuffs”

19. Article 1 Scope • Food business operator is responible for food safety • Whole chain (starting with primary production) • Maintain cold chain • General implementation of procedures based on HACCP • Guides to good practice: good instrument • Risk assessment as a base for microbiological and temperature control requirements • Imported goods: same or equivalent standard

20. Scope Not applicable to: • Primary production for private domestic use; • Domestic preparation, handling or storage of food for private domestic consumption; • Direct supply, by the producer, of small quantities of primary product to the final consumer or to local retail establishments directly supplying the final consumer.

21. Article 2: definitions Some important definitions: • Food hygiene • Competent authority • Equivalent: in respect of different systems, capable of meeting the same objectives • Potable water • Wrapping • Packaging • But also definitions of No 178/2002 apply

22. ‘Food hygiene’ • The measures and conditions necessary to control hazards and to ensure fitness for human consumption of a foodstuff taking into account its intended use

23. Article 3 en 4 • Art 3: General obligation • Art 4: General and specific hygiene requirements. • Primary production: Annex IA • Other (production, processing, distribution: Annex II • Microbiological and temperature requirements • Procedures • Cold chain • Sampling and analyses

24. Primary production (Annex 1) • Part A: General hygiene provisions - incl. transport, storage, handling of primary products - incl. record keeping • Part B: Recommendations for guides to good hygiene practice

25. Article 5: Hazard analyses and critical control points • Implementing HACCP principles by food business operators • Only for stages of production, processing and distribution of food after primary production and those associated operations listed in Annex 1. • Record keeping for an appropriate period

26. Article 6: Registration and approval • Cooperate and registration with competent authorities • Approval by the competent authority Article 7: Guides to good practice • Development and dissimination

27. Article 8: National guides In consultantion with relevant parties • Codex Alimentarius • Primary production: follow recommendations Annex 1B Existing guides shall continue to apply Article 9: Community guides • No community guides untill now • Initiative has to come from EC

28. Article 10 en 11:imports and exports • Relevant requirements of food law referred to in Article 11 and 12 in No 178/2002 shall include the requirements laid down in Article 3,4,5 and 6 Article 12: • Implementing and transitional arrangement in accordance with committee procedure

29. Article 13 • Amendment and adaptions of Annexes I and II • Need to revise recommendations in Annex 1 B • Experience from HACCP-implementation • Technological developments • Scientific advice • Microbiological and temperature criteria • Exceptions on Annex II • Traditional methods of production • Geografical constriants

30. Article 14 • Committee procedure Article 15 • Consultation EFSA Article 16 • Report to EC and EP

31. Article 17: • Repealing directive 93/43/EEC • Art 3/3 and art 10 of 93/43 stay in force • Nationale microbiological requirements based on 93/43 stay in force untill new requirements are developed Article 18: • Applies no earlier than 1 January 2006

32. Annex II • General hygiene requirements for all food business operators (except when annex 1 applies) • Layout and design to premises and risks: 1. General requirements for food premises (other than those in Chapter III) 2. Specific requirements in rooms where foodstuffs are prepared 3. Movable and/or temporary premises 4. Transport 5. Equipment 6. Food waste 7. Water supply 8. Personal hygiene 9. Provisions applicable to foodstuffs 10. Wrapping and packaging 11. Heat treatment 12. Training

33. Background HACCP

34. Why (now) HACCP Consumer: sensitive/ emancipated/ healthy/easy food • More critical (informationtechnology); • Changed way of life/eating; “convenience food” (faster, fresh, healty, no additionals etc.) • Immunity/allergies); • Emotions (by affaires, loss of confidence); • Ageing

35. What is HACCP ? Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points A system to guarantee safe food (in other words: what do you have to do to prevent that a consumer gets ill)

36. HACCP seven principles • Conduct a hazard analysis • Determine the Critical Control Points (CCPs) • Establish critical limit(s) • Establish a system to monitor control of the CCP

37. HACCP seven principles • Establish the corrective action to be taken when monitoring indicates that a particular CCP is not under control • Establish procedures for verification to confirm that the HACCP system is working effectively • Establish documentation concerning all procedures and record appropriate to these principles and their application

40. Hazards in food A danger in food is described as a microbiological, physical or chemical property that can make food unsafe for consumption. Diseases caused by consumption of food: • food infection (by micro-organism) • food poisoning (by toxic matters) • but also injuries

41. Food infection: Depending on how many micro-organism you get down Growth of the micro-organism in your body Symptom of disease/illnes Food poisoning: Taking of a toxic matter/material (like toxine) present by nature in food produced by micro-organism inside the human body Microbiological hazards

42. Examples of causes of diseases • Parasites (tapeworm; scabies) • Moulds (producing toxic matter) • Bacteria (boil) • Virus (jaundice) • Prions (BSE = mad cow disease)

43. Direct contamination of human to human • Talk, sneeze, cough • Shake hands • Dust

44. Indirect contamination • Dust particles • Contaminated cleaning cloths/rags (toilets) • Contaminated food • Polluted water • Excrements (faeces) and urine Cross contamination and recontamination is often a problem without noticing this!!

45. From contamination to risk • Contamination source plus opportunity • Most pathogens (agents of disease) react to: • food • temperature • moisture • time • Sometimes is a living host necessary (parasites, virus and prions)

46. Contamination cycle Salmonella

47. Prevention microbiological hazards • Wash hands (after use of toilet, eating, blow one’s nose etc.) • Disposables towels/roller-towel • Separated cleaning rags and regular refreshing of cleaning rags • Clean clothing and daily showering • No loose hanging long hair (tied) • Cover up wounds • No pets/animals • No sneezing/coughing above the products • Wear no jewelry • Contaminating disease have to be reported

48. Jewelry Watches Bandage or plasters cigarette or –end Knives or other sharp material Pieces of glass Wood and splinters Examples of physical hazards

49. Prevention physical hazards • No jewelry (except a plain wedding ring) • No smoking or eating • Use of plasters with striking colour (blue) • Control on used tools • Make appointments with regard to control on glass breakage, boxes (for products), etc.

50. Examples of chemical hazards • Residues of crop protection products (pesticides) • Cleaning agents • Other chemical residues (acids, cooling fluid, lubricants)