Food Safety Products in China to 2013

Demand to increase 15% annually through 2013

Demand for food safety products in China is forecast to increase 15 percent per annum through 2013 to ¥13.0 billion. Growth will be driven by the continuing expansion of food and beverage output, mainly in the processed food, beverage and dairy product segments that are more intensive users of these products. A greater focus on food safety and supply chain security by larger food processing frms in China will also boost gains. This will be partly in response to enhanced government regulation, in particular the Food Safety Law introduced in 2009. Consumer concerns in both domestic and export food markets following a series of food safety scares involving Chinese food will also prompt spending on food safety products by food industry participants. Enhancing responsibility and food safety awareness in China will be crucial for ensuring the sustainability of future gains in the food safety products industry. However, there remain doubts as to the effectiveness of the local implementation of the new Food Safety Law. ( http://www.bharatbook.com/Market-Research-Reports/Food-Safety-Products-in-China.html )

Tracking products to exhibit strongest growth

Disinfection products will remain the largest food safety product category. Gains will be driven by a greater use of disinfectants and sanitizers in food processing plants, as well as by fast growing demand for pasteurization equipment by dairy and beverage frms in China. Strong advances in sales of diagnostic testing products will be driven by the increasing numbers of food processor and government agency tests for pathogenic and non-pathogenic contaminants. The strongest gains will be in the tracking product segment, with demand for RFID and other smart labels and tags, as well as tracking software systems, benefting from concerns over supply chain security. Increases in the preservatives segment will lag overall gains to some extent, largely due to the more mature nature of this product segment. However, annual demand growth of almost 13 percent will be fueled by increases in processed food and beverage output, as well as by price gains for preservatives.

Food processing plants to remain largest market

Food processing plants are the largest market for food safety products in China, accounting for 85 percent of sales in 2008. Such dominance is due to relatively strong government oversight of these fa-cilities and the high profle of these frms among consumers. The next largest cate-gory is government purchases, as tens of thousands of inspections are carried out around the country each year by local government agencies. The demand level for food safety products by foodservice establishments, wholesale and distribution operations, retail and agricultural units is limited by low food safety awareness, low income levels and a lack of incentives to boost spending.

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Food Safety certification is vital for food retail and international trade. Without food safety certification producers and suppliers cannot hope to sell their produce within the food chain. There is significant reputational and business risk attached to the degree, type and source of certification and it is therefore advisable to get certified by reputable third-party bodies to an internationally recognized standard.

In most countries food safety issues are monitored by a government-affiliated authority which in turn make recommendations on legislation and food safety management which forms the basis of national legislation and standards. Examples of such national authorities are the Food Standards Authority in the UK, the US Food and Drug Administration, and the State Food and Drug Administration of China. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) also conducts risk assessment on food and feed safety in collaboration with national authorities to provide independent scientific advice and communication on emerging or existing risks.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization publishes the HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) guidelines which are an integral part of the top food safety standard, ISO22000. The HACCP guidelines include seven principles which state, among other things, that food producers have to conduct a pre-production hazard analysis to identify chemical, biological or physical issues that make food unsafe for consumption by humans; establish safety or ‘control points’ monitoring systems; and implement comprehensive record-keeping processes.

The application of these principles is mandatory in the US for food products including meat, juice and seafood. The HACCP principles form the basis for third-party food safety certification in many other countries too.

The ISO 22000 is a globally-recognized standard developed from the International Organization for Standardization which draws on the HACCP principles. This standard outlines the food safety management systems that should be applicable to any organization, regardless of its size, which is involved in any aspect of the food chain. To meet this standard an organization must show its ability to control food safety hazards o ensure that food is completely safe at the time of human consumption.

The British Retail Consortium Global Standard for Food Safety, also known as the BRC Global Standard, is trusted by global retailers to deliver supply chain management as well as legal compliance. It was the very first standard in the world approved by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GSFI) benchmarking committee.

GlobalGAP is a membership organisation which sets voluntary standards for the certification of ‘pre-farm-gate’ Good Agricultural Practices and agricultural products. GlobalGAP’s standards are awarded by third party certification bodies in 80 countries globally.

Other leading standards include the Food Alliance Certification which is bestowed on North American sustainable food products. This certification includes elements such as the humane treatment of animals, the exclusion of hormones, non-therapeutic antibiotics, certain pesticides, and GM crops or livestock, as well as protection of soil and water.

SQF (Safe Quality Food) Certification assures that a supplier’s food safety and quality management system comply with domestic and international regulations and has been awarded to companies operating in Asia-Pacific, Europe, Middle East and North and South America.

Food safety is not just about how you prepare a young child’s food, but also the way you serve your child their food. Our food safety article  includes tips on the preparation, serving, and supervision of a young child.

Here are some more tips for preparing foods correctly.

1. Food should be cut into easy to swallow, small pieces. Especially foods such as carrots, hot dogs, bananas, and grapes. These can all create a choking hazard.

2. Limit the types of food given to the child. Some foods just do not need to be given to a child under the age of four. Some examples include: popcorn, pretzels, peanuts, chips and marshmallows.

Food safety is equally as important for school aged children. Think about the things that you give your child to take to school in their lunch bag. Make sure that these are items that can remain in the lunch bag for several hours without becoming contaminated. Also, make sure that you prepare the items safely.

Here are some tips for school-aged children’s foods:

1. Use an insulated lunch bag. This type of bag will keep the food cooler longer, ensuring that your child’s food does not become contaminated. You can even include an ice pack to keep items extra cool.

2. Make sure to boil hot foods. Before putting hot foods, such as soup, to a boil before pouring it into a vacuum-sealed container to keep hot in their lunch bag this ensures that the food is safe to eat.

3. Give your child instructions. Encourage your child to place their lunch bag out of direct sunlight so that it does not get too hot. Also, have them keep their foods sealed off so that they stay fresh.

Using these tips should improve the safety of all children’s food from birth through elementary age.

Children can learn about food safety and will know what is safe to eat and what is not. So, teach your children as you go along as well. It is too important of a topic to just skip over in your life. Encourage them not to take food from others which is not prepared correctly or if they are unsure about it. Saying, “No thank you” is a simple polite way to refuse food they are unsure about eating. This will ensure that you know your child is safe when it comes to the foods that they consume.

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The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) today highlighted three private sector initiatives that will improve the safety and security of the nation’s food supply.  “The food industry is ultimately responsible for the safety of its products,” said Pamela G. Bailey, GMA president and CEO.  “We take that responsibility very seriously and want our consumers and policymakers to know that we are vigilant when it comes to product safety and consumer protection.  We are stepping up to the plate, taking responsibility and developing innovative reforms to improve the safety of our products.

“We are pleased by the commitment of Congress and the Obama Administration to enact food safety reforms and strengthen FDA’s food safety capabilities.  Combined with quick enactment of the necessary legislative and regulatory reforms, these initiatives should significantly reduce the number and type of food recalls we have seen in recent years and strengthen our overall food safety system.”
The initiatives are outlined in Prevention, Partnership and Planning: Supply Chain Initiatives to Improve Food Safety.  They include:

1.    Product Recall Modernization:  The Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and GS1US, with the support of GMA, have developed and launched an electronic, Web-based product recall portal that facilitates the rapid and accurate flow of information between manufacturers and retailers during product recalls.

2.    Accredited Third Party Food Safety Audit Certification: Third party audits are an important part of America’s food safety net.  To ensure rigor and integrity in third party certification, policymakers and industry leaders should encourage the engagement of auditors employed by certification bodies accredited to international standards by recognized organizations such as the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)..

3.    Modernization and Implementation of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) for Food: FDA is in the process of updating and issuing its Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) regulations for food, which are a critical component of our nation’s food safety system

“In addition, we are developing enhanced food safety education and training for member and non-member companies, assessing and enhancing our crisis management capability and expanding our ability to communicate directly with consumers during product recalls to ensure industry is doing its part to protect consumers.  We are working with stakeholders from the entire supply chain to develop comprehensive and meaningful food safety solutions that will improve food safety and consumer confidence,” concluded Ms. Bailey.

Prevention, Partnership and Planning is the third in a series of food industry proposals and initiatives designed to improve the safety and security of the food supply by preventing problems before they arise and utilizing private sector know-how to respond effectively to future incidents. In the fall of 2007, the food industry unveiled its Commitment to Consumers: The Four Pillars of Imported Food Safety, designed to improve the safety of imported food and food ingredients.  In January 2009, the industry announced its food safety legislative reforms for the Obama Administration and the 111th Congress.

For those working in the food industry the acronym “HACCP” has become well known, if not widely understood. HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points and dates from the development of manned space flight in the 1960’s.

NASA was concerned about the risk of food poisoning to astronauts travelling to the Moon, and developed the HACCP Food Safety system in conjunction with the food manufacturing giant Pilsbury.

Before the introduction of the HACCP Food Safety system, post-production sampling ensured the quality and safety of manufactured food. A certain (small) percentage of the food produced was submitted for microbiological examination, if this proved satisfactory the batch was then released for sale. By definition sampling could not guarantee the safety of the whole batch, only the portion that had been sampled.
The use of HACCP Food Safety procedures was intended to ensure that all the food produced was safe to eat. HACCP Food Safety achieves this by identifying the stages in food production that are critical for food safety. The critical points are those where, if something goes wrong in the process, consumers may become ill if they eat the food produced.

An example of a “Critical Point” might be the baking stage in the production of meat pies. The raw meat may contain food poisoning bacteria, which will only be destroyed if a sufficiently high temperature is reached. In a HACCP Food Safety system the temperature of the pies would be routinely monitored and if it fell below that required to kill dangerous bacteria further baking would then take place. The monitoring of the temperatures would be recorded in writing.

It was quickly realised that HACCP Food Safety was a far better way of ensuring the production of safe food than the old system of post-production food sampling. So its use spread rapidly to large food manufacturers, firstly in the USA and then across the world.

In recent years there have been attempts to introduce HACCP Food Safety procedures into smaller businesses such as caterers and retail outlets. Such food business often lack the staff experienced in the introduction of formalised food safety procedures and the initials HACCP has sometimes been thought to stand for “Have a Cup of Coffee and Panic.”

Despite the reluctance of many small businesses to embrace HACCP Food Safety it has now become a requirement in most food businesses across the European Union. To aid smaller businesses to meet their legal obligations simplified HACCP Food Safety systems such as “Assured Safe Catering”, “Safer Food Better Business” and in Scotland “Cook Safe” and “Retail Safe” have been developed.

There can be little doubt that one of the unexpected results of man landing on the Moon, HACCP Food Safety systems, has made a major contribution to food safety and will need to become embedded in the way all food businesses are run, if food poisoning cases are to be reduced.

Incoming search terms:

• HACCP & Assured Safe Catering
• haccp/culinary