Food Valley
The most recent developments in food production, an integral chain approach in Food-safety and Quality systems. A one week learning experience offered by Agrimaco / MDF.
Introduction
In the last decades the development of quality systems has triggered a large number of changes in the Agri and Food business in the Netherlands and a series of Food and Feed scandals has led to a complete new approach in inspection and supervision. The turning point was the acceptance of the new product liability law in the EU, making the producers responsible for the financial or physical damage any user of their products could suffer and claim. The role of the state has changed dramatically; it no longer performs the necessary inspection itself, but it has created the framework for private parties to set up quality systems. This has paved the way for initiatives within the private sector, assisted by their branch organisations and science institutes, which have led to one of the most advanced food production environments in the EU.
Trends in the last decades concerning food
What happened during the last decades that brought all actors in the food production chain, to the present situation: where the consumer (via the supermarket) demands safe food for an acceptable price, the private sector organised their own control and inspection systems and the authorities withdrew from physical inspection to supervision of the control systems in the production chains.
Food safety a minimum
In the last 15 years quality and food safety were the key words, reflected in legislation, HACCP systems, ISO and Environmental care systems. What made the philosophy change at major stakeholders in the Dutch food industry, from the FAO Codex Alimentarius to the total approach nowadays, involving the whole production chain towards integral total quality management?
Food safety as a marketing strategy
During the last decade the consumer awareness has also evolved, causing a pro-active approach of the retail organisations. Big supermarket chains have developed international norms for supplying the food industry as a private initiative. Norms like BRC, Eurepgap and QS will be discussed and compared.
Chain management
The above mentioned systems and co-operation of the stakeholders in the production chain were only able to payback their investments if the methodology could generate adequate management information to steer the processes to higher efficiency and thus lowering the cost prices and creating a sustainable international market position. In this last theme the trainee will be shown how different sectors in the food industry organised their production chain management and logistics.
More information
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