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�Safety in the food supply chain�� Dr. Prof. Raymond Place � Dr. Julia Motuzka��Bern University of Applied Sciences, School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences HAFL

Safety in the food supply chain� � Prof. Dr. Raymond Place� Dr. Julia Motuzka��Bern University of Applied Sciences HAFL �

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Food safety - assurance that food will not cause harm to the

consumer when it is prepared and/or eaten according to its intended use.

Codex Alimentarius - General Principles of Food Hygiene (CXC 1-1969, Revised 2020)

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Food safety - the absence of unacceptable levels of contaminants in food, which means the food will not cause harm to consumers when it is prepared and/or consumed according to its intended use.

ISO 22000:2018 - Food safety management systems. Requirements for any organization in the food chain

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Food safety: challenges of war

Chemical and physical pollution

Radiation pollution

Physical changes

Water pollution

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Report: “Is food safety in Switzerland affected by the war in Ukraine?”

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  • Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO), Switzerland�https://www.blv.admin.ch

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  • The primary task of workshop: create a framework for guaranteeing a high level of food safety and consumer protection against deception.

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UNEP report "The Environmental Impact of the Conflict in Ukraine“, published on 14 October 2022

www.unep.org/resources/report/environm

Experts: government, military, universities and industry

workshop, 2023

Report: “Is food safety in Switzerland affected by the war in Ukraine?”

Früherkennung für die Sicherheit der Lebensmittel (admin.ch)

Früherkennung für die Sicherheit der Lebensmittel (admin.ch)

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Figure 1: Analysing the impact on food safety along the food chain

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Infrastructure

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Challenge

  • The destruction of the Kakhovka dam in Kherson region; destruction of infrastructure.
  • Close proximity of heavy industry to important agricultural areas (eg wheat, barley, sunflower).
  • Loss of agricultural land (eg wheat, barley, soya and rapeseed).
  • The relocation of farms to other regions.

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Potential hazard

  • Environmental pollution (soil, water, air) by inorganic and organic substances.
  • Chemical and microbiological contamination of the drinking water and utility water system, interruptions to the cold chain and improper storage.

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Expertise

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Challenge

  • Outflow/migration of specialists.
  • Destruction of infrastructure (administrative buildings, laboratory infrastructure).
  • Lack of financial resources.

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Potential hazard

  • Disruption of enterprise-level control.
  • Disruption of the state control system.
  • Delays in the implementation of safety management systems.

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Suppliers

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Challenge

  • Use of pesticide (Ukraine imports 90% of its pesticides).
  • Lack of herbicides.
  • Lack of fungicides.
  • Lack of rodenticides, insecticides.

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Potential hazard

  • Pesticide residues (eg Chlorpyrifos not allowed in the EU).
  • Risk of contamination (eg pyrrolizidine alkaloids from weeds).
  • Increased growth of mould (eg mycotoxins formed by mould in cereals).
  • Rodent and pest infestation of stocks.

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Primary plant production

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Potential hazard

  • Chemical contamination (eg rocket and vehicle fuels and other organic chemicals, unexploded ordnance and landmines, explosives, pesticides).
  • Microbiological contaminations (eg Salmonella spp.).
  • Radionuclides (Cesium-137, Strontium-90, Plutonium-239�Depleted uranium).

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Primary animal production

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Challenge

  • Contaminated water in primary production of animal feed.
  • Chemical and microbiological contamination of feed and products.
  • Inadequate hygienic conditions.

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Potential hazard

  • Microorganisms, perchlorates, heavy metals.
  • Organic and inorganic residues in meat and fish.
  • Residues of veterinary drugs.
  • Mycotoxins (from animal feed).

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Processing of animal and plant products

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Challenge

  • Improper food safety system (microbiological contamination).
  • Use of contaminated water during food processing or equipment cleaning.
  • Improper control at enterprises
  • Power outages – interruptions in the cold chain
  • New supply chains (may lead to fraud, such as organic production compared to conventional).
  • Residues of pesticides, mycotoxins, and environmental contaminants.

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Storage and transport / Export

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Potential hazard

  • Contamination from the environment (residue from shells, drones, debris from factories and industrial buildings).
  • Infestation of grain by pests due to suboptimal storage
  • Residues of rodenticides, insecticides, fungicides due to improper use/possibility of use.
  • Limited refrigerated storage and transportation (microbiological contamination).
  • Improper transportation (contamination, cross-contamination with allergens unrelated to the product).

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Food fraud

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Potential hazard

  • Threat to food safety due to lack of traceability.
  • Mixing and/or adding hazardous ingredients to the product
  • Substitution of value-defining ingredients with other ingredients that reduce value (eg adding sugar to honey, organic vs non-organic).
  • Intentional contamination of products with non-food items (eg mineral oils in cooking oils).

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● Existing challenges regarding food safety and export

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● Are ukrainian products competitive on the international market?

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Ukraine supplies about 150 million people with food products worldwide.

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Food industry accounts up to ~ 20% of total Ukrainian GDP

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Food safety: international practices

• Codex Alimentarius - International Food standards.

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Codex Alimentarius includes provisions in respect of food hygiene, food additives,

residues of pesticides and veterinary drugs, contaminants, labelling and presentation,

methods of analysis and sampling and import and export inspection and certification.

https://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/about-codex/en

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• ISO 22 000 Food safety management systems. Requirements for

any organization in food chain

https://www.iso.org/home.html

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Food Safety in EU

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European Union (EU) food safety policy is mainly governed by Articles 168 (public health) and 169 (consumer protection) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

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EU legislation covers the entire food chain — ‘from farm to fork’ — in an integrated way and applying a ‘one health’ approach.

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European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)

https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en

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Food safety pyramid

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BEST AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES

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Standards GLOBALG.AP-recognition Global initiatives with safety food products(GFSI).

Safety food productsinsolutions GLOBAL G.AP:

● Identification and minimization chemical, biological and physical dangers

● Monitoring remnants for proper using means protection plants

● Traceability by procedures processing, segregation and identification products

● Reduction pollution food products by effective management waste

● Control overusing,storage and quality irrigation water

● Rules collection harvest and post-harvest processing, packaging and storage products

● Purchasing,storage and processing materials for fodder for animals

● Documented plan opposition food fraud for detection risks in chain supply.

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Ukraine is a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) (2008)

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2 key agreements:

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▶ Agreement on SPZ: Application of sanitary and phytosanitary measures SPS: https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/sps_e/sps_e.htm

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▶ TBT Agreement: Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade

https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/tbt_e/tbt_e.htmUkraine is a member of the World Trade

Organization(WTO)(2008)

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Ukraine-WTO

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Ukraine-EU Association Agreement (2017)

Chapter IV (Sanitary and phytosanitary measures)"

Title IV "Trade and trade-related matters“

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Article 64:

Ukraine shall approximate its legislation on sanitary and phytosanitary measures to EU legislation

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Correspondence of the basic food legislation of Ukraine to the EU requirements

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Comparison of permissible levels of toxic elements in Ukraine and the EU

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Crops cultures

Name element

the maximum permissible element content, mg/kg

DSTU 3768:2004�DSTU 3769:1998�DSTU 4525:2006

Standards Commission" Codex Alimentarius

EEC Regulation 1881/2006

Wheat,barley,corn

Lead

0.5 (for food and technical needs, export)�5.0 (for feed needs)

0.2

0.2

Wheat

Cadmium

0.1 (for food and technical needs, export)�0.3 (for feed needs)

0.2

0.2

Barley,�corn

0.1 (for food and technical needs, export)�0.3 (for feed needs)

0.1

0.1

Wheat,barley,corn

Arsenic

0.2 (forfood and technicalneeds,export)�0.5 (forfodderneeds)

not regulated

not regulated

Wheat,barley,corn

Mercury

0.03 (forfood and technicalneeds,export)�0.1 (forfodderneeds)

not regulated

not regulated

Wheat,barley,corn

Copper

10.0 (forfood and technicalneeds,export)�30.0 (forfodderneeds)

not regulated

not regulated

Wheat,barley,corn

Zinc

50.0 (forfood and technicalneeds,export)�50.0 (forfodderneeds)

not regulated

not regulated

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MARKET OPERATORS

CONSUMERS

● Closer cooperation with retail chains through better fulfillment of their requirements to suppliers

● Optimization of technological and auxiliary processes

● Expansion of sales markets by meeting the requirements of Ukrainian and European food legislation

● Reducing costs from the production of unsafe and non-compliant food products by identifying inconsistencies at the early stages of production

● Increasing the number of potential customers by better meeting the requirements of voluntary international standards for safety and quality

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● Safe products thanks to responsible producers and the best safety control system

● Compliance with safety throughout the food chain from field to table

● A wide range of products through the best terms of trade

● Proper informing of consumers about the composition of the product

● Reduction of risk for consumer groups that are sensitive to certain hazards through proper risk assessment by the market operator

Advantages of harmonized legislation in the field of food safety and quality

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Ukraine

Organizations in the field of food safety

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● CABINET OF MINISTERS OF UKRAINE

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● MINISTRY OF ECONOMY OF UKRAINE

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● MINISTRY OF AGRARIAN POLICY AND FOOD OF UKRAINE

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● MINISTRY OF HEALTH OF UKRAINE

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● STATE SERVICE OF UKRAINE ON FOOD SAFETY AND CONSUMER PROTECTION

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Questions which need to be resolved

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√ Increase food safety

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√ Increase traceability of food products

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√ Harmonization of safety indicators with international (EU) requirements

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√ Implementation of the best agricultural practices (GAP)

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FOOD SAFETY STARTS WITH SAFE FARM PRACTICES!!

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Thank you for your attention!

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Contact: raymond.place@bfh.ch

iuliia.motuzka@bfh.ch