Food safety requirements add value, says meat association

By Ahmed ElAmin/www.foodproductiondaily.com

04/07/2007 - International food safety requirements can help make processors more efficient, according to a report by the UK's Red Meat Industry Forum (RMIF).
The RMIF and Meat Training Council (MTC) recently joined together to run a programme demonstrating to 100 small and medium sized meat businesses that EU-wide hygiene rules, known as Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP), can be used to improve operational efficiency.
The programme reviewed the current status of HACCP plans and how effectively they were being implemented.
HACCP is a systematic preventative approach to food safety aiming to spot physical, chemical and biological hazards at the during the manufacturing process, rather than at final product inspection.
Across the 100 businesses, 70 per cent were deemed to have adequate plans. Of the other 30 per cent, the RMIF found that the plans did not reflect the business.
In terms of the way the plan was implemented about 75 per cent were deemed to be "good". Of the others, whilst procedures were in place, they were not exactly right for the business, or not well enough monitored for effective decision-making, said Martin Grantley-Smith, RMIF's chief executive.
He said the programme also demonstrated that additional food safety laws should not only be seen as a cost by industry.
"Additional legal requirements in the red meat industry are often seen as increasing cost, without the opportunity to recover the cost from the market through added value," he said. " HACCP is a case in point. Consumers take good hygiene practice as a given and do not expect to pay more for it."
Grantley-Smith said the commercial benefits were twofold. Firstly, by implementing efficient procedures, the time of management and staff was saved in monitoring, recording and reporting what was going on and taking corrective action, he said.
Secondly, by adopting such an approach, the overall management of the business was improved and waste eliminated, he said.
A number of plant managers also commented that customers were continually looking for improvements in their suppliers' hygiene standards and the work on HACCP provided them with confidence.
"Evidence of continuing professional development not only reassures existing customers, but is also a great selling point for attracting new business," he said.
The joint education programme looked at the status and operations of HACCP in 100 businesses, and involved 997 plant staff and managers in mentoring, coaching and training sessions.
Over a quarter of those involved attained certification in HACCP practice, adding to the professional status of the business and improving staff morale, he reported.
The initial review of HACCP and feed back to the plant mangers was highly valued by all but 6 per cent of those taking part, with 99 per cent saying that having someone on site to go through it was very helpful.
Participants thought that HACCP programmes needed simplification, better documentation and monitoring through the more efficient use of recording systems.