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Certification involves comprehensive evaluations through tests
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Friday, 05 January, 2024, 13 : 00 PM [IST]
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Rahul Saxena and Rahul Agarwal
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In today's complex and globalised food industry, ensuring the safety and quality of food products is paramount. With evolving consumer demands and stringent regulatory frameworks, food safety certifications play a pivotal role in establishing and maintaining high standards across the food supply chain. This article delves into the multifaceted aspects and significance of food safety certifications based on insights from various industry sources.
Understanding Food Safety Certification:
Food safety certification serves as third-party verification that products, processes, or systems within the food supply chain adhere to recognised food safety standards. Unlike other forms of conformity proof, such as supplier declarations or laboratory reports, certification involves comprehensive evaluations through tests, inspections, and audits conducted by competent and independent third-parties.
Certification can take various forms, including product certification, attesting to a food product's compliance with safety and quality standards, and organisational certification, which demonstrates a manufacturer's adherence to management system standards.
Importance of Food Safety Certification for Businesses:
Businesses seek food safety certification for several reasons. Firstly, it instills confidence among consumers, stakeholders, and employees by showcasing adherence to national or international best practices. In an era marked by heightened awareness due to food recalls, certification serves as a powerful tool to gain a competitive edge and establish credibility in the marketplace.
Benefits of Certified Food Safety Management Systems:
Certified food safety management systems offer several advantages, including consistency in producing safe and high-quality food, demonstrating due diligence in meeting legal responsibilities, fostering employee involvement, ensuring liability coverage, and driving cost efficiencies by averting contamination risks and minimising waste through efficient processes.
Industry-Specific Certifications and Need for Multiple Certifications:
Various sectors within the food industry, including growers, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers, must adhere to industry-specific standards tailored to their operations. The global landscape often demands adherence to multiple standards due to varying regulatory requirements across different countries or at the behest of specific retailers or manufacturers.
Global vs. National and Industry-Specific Certifications:
Choosing between global, national, or industry-specific certifications depends on the nature of business operations and the standards expected or mandated. Global certifications can streamline processes, reduce duplicate audits, and offer cost-saving benefits, while local or industry-specific certifications cater to specific regional or sectoral requirements.
Certification Process:
The journey toward food safety certification involves understanding relevant standards, conducting gap analyses, establishing robust food safety management systems, developing HACCP plans (if applicable), documenting procedures, employee training, internal audits, pre-certification reviews, engaging accredited certification bodies for formal audits, implementing corrective actions, and ultimately obtaining certification.
Key Certification Standards:
Various certification standards, such as ISO 22000, HACCP, FSSC 22000, and BRC Global Standard for Food Safety, each have distinct frameworks and benefits. They emphasise hazard analysis, control measures, quality management, and adherence to legal obligations, bolstering consumer confidence and global market access.
Conclusion:
Certification to food safety standards isn't just a compliance requirement; it's a strategic investment for businesses seeking to prioritise consumer safety, ensure product quality, and enhance market competitiveness. By adhering to rigorous standards and obtaining certifications, food industry players not only meet regulatory demands but also foster trust and credibility in an increasingly discerning consumer landscape.
(The authors, Saxena and Agarwal, are associate professors, Jaipur National University. They can be reached at rahulagarwal@jnujaipur.ac.in)
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