A situation analysis of the food control systems in Arab Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries

Increased concerns over food safety have led to the adoption of international guidance on the key elements for national food control systems. This guidance had been used to conduct an initial assessment of the status of the food control systems in the countries belonging to the Gulf Cooperation Council. Our research has identified how the countries have been attempting to enhance their food control systems. Although the countries have different approaches to food control management, cooperation is leading to increased harmonization of legislation and food control practices. Progress is being made but there is evidence of some weakness where additional efforts may be needed. (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessment of the food control system in the State of Kuwait

National food control systems are a key element in the protection of consumers from unsafe foods and from other fraudulent practices. International guidance is available and provides a framework for enhancing national systems. However, it is recognized that before reaching decisions on the necessary improvements to a national system, an analysis is required of the current state of key elements in the present system. This paper provides such an analysis for the State of Kuwait. The fragmented nature of the food control system is described. Four key elements of the Kuwaiti system are analyzed: the legal framework, the administrative structures, the enforcement activity and the provision of education and training. It is noted that the country has a dependence on imported foods and that the present national food control system is largely based on an historic approach to food sampling at the point of import and is unsustainable. The paper recommends a more coordinated approach to food safety control in Kuwait with a significant increase in the use of risk analysis methods to target enforcement.

An introduction to the ‘new’ politics of agriculture and food

The agricultural policy agenda has been broadened with farm policy issues now interlinking with other policy domains (food safety, energy supplies, environmental protection, development aid, etc.). New actors promoting values which sometimes conflict, or which are not always easily reconcilable, with those previously guiding agricultural policy have entered the broader agricultural and food policy domain. The studies of various new policy issues inter-linking with the agricultural policy domain included in this special issue show that value conflicts are addressed in different ways and thus result in inter-institutional coordination and conflict unfolding differently. Studies of inter-institutional policy making in the agricultural policy sector have the potential to contribute to theoretical developments in public policy analysis in much the same way as agricultural policy studies did in the past.

Priority research questions for the UK food system

The rise of food security up international political, societal and academic agendas has led to increasing interest in novel means of improving primary food production and reducing waste. There are however, also many ‘post-farm gate’ activities that are critical to food security, including processing, packaging, distributing, retailing, cooking and consuming. These activities all affect a range of important food security elements, notably availability, affordability and other aspects of access, nutrition and safety. Addressing the challenge of universal food security, in the context of a number of other policy goals (e.g. social, economic and environmental sustainability), is of keen interest to a range of UK stakeholders but requires an up-to-date evidence base and continuous innovation. An exercise was therefore conducted, under the auspices of the UK Global Food Security Programme, to identify priority research questions with a focus on the UK food system (though the outcomes may be broadly applicable to other developed nations). Emphasis was placed on incorporating a wide range of perspectives (‘world views’) from different stakeholder groups: policy, private sector, non-governmental organisations, advocacy groups and academia. A total of 456 individuals submitted 820 questions from which 100 were selected by a process of online voting and a three-stage workshop voting exercise. These 100 final questions were sorted into 10 themes and the ‘top’ question for each theme identified by a further voting exercise. This step also allowed four different stakeholder groups to select the top 7–8 questions from their perspectives. Results of these voting exercises are presented. It is clear from the wide range of questions prioritised in this exercise that the different stakeholder groups identified specific research needs on a range of post-farm gate activities and food security outcomes. Evidence needs related to food affordability, nutrition and food safety (all key elements of food security) featured highly in the exercise. While there were some questions relating to climate impacts on production, other important topics for food security (e.g. trade, transport, preference and cultural needs) were not viewed as strongly by the participants.

Consumers' attitudes, trust and willingness to pay for food information

Market failure can be corrected using different regulatory approaches ranging from high to low intervention. Recently, classic regulations have been criticized as costly and economically irrational and thus policy makers are giving more consideration to soft regulatory techniques such as information remedies. However, despite the plethora of food information conveyed by different media there appears to be a lack of studies exploring how consumers evaluate this information and how trust towards publishers influence their choices for food information. In order to fill such a gap, this study investigates questions related to topics which are more relevant to consumers, who should disseminate trustful food information, and how communication should be conveyed and segmented. Primary data were collected both through qualitative (in depth interviews and focus groups) and quantitative research (web and mail surveys). Attitudes, willingness to pay for food information and trust towards public and private sources conveying information through a new food magazine were assessed using both multivariate statistical methods and econometric analysis. The study shows that consumer attitudes towards food information topics can be summarized along three cognitive-affective dimensions: the agro-food system, enjoyment and wellness. Information related to health risks caused by nutritional disorders and food safety issues caused by bacteria and chemical substances is the most important for about 90% of respondents. Food information related to regulations and traditions is also considered important for more than two thirds of respondents, while information about food production and processing techniques, life style and food fads are considered less important by the majority of respondents. Trust towards food information disseminated by public bodies is higher than that observed for private bodies. This behavior directly affects willingness to pay (WTP) for food information provided by public and private publishers when markets are shocked by a food safety incident. WTP for consumer association (€ 1.80) and the European Food Safety Authority (€ 1.30) are higher than WTP for the independent and food industry publishers which cluster around zero euro. Furthermore, trust towards the type of publisher also plays a key role in food information market segmentation together with socio-demographic and economic variables such as gender, age, presence of children and income. These findings invite policy makers to reflect on the possibility of using information remedies conveyed using trusted sources of information to specific segments of consumers as an interesting soft alternative to the classic way of regulating modern food markets.

GM food purchase intentions: linking the theory of planned behaviour with consumer trust and stated choice

After the “European” experience of BSE and further food safety crises consumer trust is playing an increasingly important role in political and marketing decision making. This also relates to the area of consumer acceptance of GM food. This paper integrates consumer trust with the theory of planned behavior and a stated choice model to gain a more complete picture of consumer decision making. Preliminary results indicate that when GM products offer practical benefits to consumers acceptance may increase considerably. Furthermore, both trust and perceived benefits contribute significantly to explaining the level of acceptance.

Benefits from safer animal food products: preliminary results from a contingent valuation study of Italian households

The social cost of food scares has been the object of substantial applied research worldwide. In Italy, meat and dairy products are often the vectors of food-borne pathogens, and this is well known by the public. Most cases of food contamination and poisoning find their causes in the way food is handled after, rather than before purchase. However, a large fraction is still caused by mishandling at the industrial stage. With this in mind, we set out to estimate Italian households’ willingness to pay (WTP) for a reduction in the risk of meat and dairy food contamination using contingent valuation. The survey design incorporated features specifically conceived to overcome difficulties faced in previous survey research, especially with respect to individualized food expenditures and risk communication. In order to achieve this objective a CAPI (computer-assisted personal interview) survey was devised to tackle two major issues which emerged in previous contingent valuation studies. The first issue is connected to the way of communicating risk to consumers in order to allow them to make optimal choices and the second one to the results deriving from these studies. In fact, estimates from contingent valuation regarding food safety are given just for single products and so marketers may find it hard to extrapolate them to the aggregate. Our results show that in Italy there are segments of consumers who would benefit from higher standards of food safety for farm animal products.

Seafood safety and quality: an analysis of the supply chain in the Sultanate of Oman

The globalization of trade in fish has created many challenges for the developing world specifically with regard to food safety and quality. International organisations have established a good basis for standards in international trade. Whilst these requirements are frequently embraced by the major importers (such as Japan, the EU and the USA), they often impose additional safety requirements and regularly identify batches which fail to meet their strict standards. Creating an effective national seafood control system which meets both the internal national needs as well the requirements for the export market can be challenging. Many countries adopt a dual system where seafood products for the major export markets are subject to tight control whilst the majority of the products (whether for the local market or for more regional trade) are less tightly controlled. With regional liberalization also occurring, deciding on appropriate controls is complex. In the Sultanate of Oman, fisheries production is one of the countries' chief sources of economic revenue after oil production and is a major source of the national food supply. In this paper the structure of the fish supply chain has been analysed and highlighted the different routes operating for the different markets. Although much of the fish are consumed within Oman, there is a major export trade to the local regional markets. Much smaller quantities meet the more stringent standards imposed by the major importing countries and exports to these are limited. The paper has considered the development of the Omani fish control system including the key legislative documents and the administrative structures that have been developed. Establishing modern controls which satisfy the demands of the major importers is possible but places additional costs on businesses. Enhanced controls such as HACCP and other management standards are required but can be difficult to justify when alternative markets do not specify these. These enhanced controls do however provide additional consumer protection and can bring benefits to local consumers. The Omani government is attempting to upgrade the system of controls and has made tremendous progress toward the implementation of HACCP and introducing enhanced management systems into its industrial sector. The existence of strengthened legislative and government support, including subsidies, has encouraged some businesses to implement HACCP. The current control systems have been reviewed and a SWOT analysis approach used to identify key factors for their future development. The study shows that seafood products in the supply chain are often exposed to lengthy handling and distribution process before reaching the consumers, a typical issue faced by many developing countries. As seafood products are often perishable, they safety is compromised if not adequately controlled. The enforcement of current food safety laws in the Sultanate of Oman is shared across various government agencies. Consequently, there is a need to harmonize all regulatory requirements, enhancing the domestic food protection and to continue to work towards a fully risk-based approach in order to compete successfully in the global market.

Assessment of the food control systems in the Sultanate of Oman

National food control systems are vital tools in governing the safety and quality of food intended for human consumption. This study of the Omani system was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the current food controls in place for protecting, in particular, the public health from emerging biological and chemical hazards. In response to this situation, a survey was undertaken within the different food safety authorities in Oman to examine the different elements of the national food control systems in terms of their existing food control management, food legislation, food inspection, food analysis laboratories and information, education and communications. Officials from the different authorities were interviewed and results were captured in prepared questionnaires. Overall examinations of the challenges, strength and weakness of the existing system have been highlighted. The findings of the study indicate significant progress is being made and the creation by the government of a national Centre for Food Safety and Quality is a significant positive step.

Influence of package, type of apple juice and temperature on the production of patulin by Byssochlamys nivea and Byssochlamys fulva

Although the production of patulin in apple fruits is mainly by Penicillium expansum, there is no information on the ability of heat resistant moulds that may survive pasteurization to produce this mycotoxin in juice packages during storage and distribution. In this study, the production of patulin by Byssochlamys spp (Byssochlamys nivea FRR 4421, B. nivea ATCC 24008 and Byssochlamys fulva IOC 4518) in cloudy and clarified apple juices packaged in laminated paperboard packages or in polyethylene terephthalate bottles (PET) and stored at both 21 degrees C and 30 degrees C, was investigated. The three Byssochlamys strains were able to produce patulin in both cloudy and clarified apple juices. Overall, the lower the storage temperature, the lower the patulin levels and mycelium dry weight in the apple juices (p<0.05). The greatest variations in pH and degrees Brix were observed in the juices from which the greatest mycelium dry weights were recovered. The maximum levels of patulin recovered from the juices were ca. 150 mu g/kg at 21 degrees C and 220 mu g/kg at 30 degrees C. HPLC-UV, HPCL-DAD and mass spectrometry analyses confirmed the ability of B. fulva IOC 4518 to produce patulin. Due to the heat resistance of B. nivea and B. fulva and their ability to produce patulin either in PET bottles or in laminated paperboard packages, the control of contamination and the incidence of these fungi should be a matter of concern for food safety. Control measures taken by juice industries must also focus on controlling the ascospores of heat resistant moulds. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A new generation of standards: implications for the Caribbean and Latin America

Incluye Bibliografía

Road Safety in Latin America and the Caribbean: Recent Performance and Future Challenges

This issue of the FAL Bulletin examines road safety performance in Latin America and the Caribbean between 2000 and 2010. It also sets out the need for road safety measures to be incorporated into an integrated and sustainable mobility policy.

Epidemiologia molecular aplicada ao estudo de estirpes de Staphylococcus aureus na produção de queijo tipo Minas Frescal

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Aplicação da técnica de grupo focal em pesquisa da Rede-SANS sobre as ações de alimentação e nutrição na atenção básica em saúde

Focus groups are seen as important tools in qualitative research for evaluating projects aimed at articulating social networks and movements. Six focus groups were held as one of the stages in research as part of the Food Safety and Sustainable Nutrition Project (SANS). This social network articulates the academic world with social movements and government in defense of the human right to suitable nutrition. This report is aimed at discussing the experience of applying focus groups to the investigation of perceptions by health professionals of activities related to food and nutrition in basic health care. These groups made it possible to bring together 52 professionals from 13 municipalities in the State of São Paulo, Brazil, and they exchanged experiences and debated issues related to food safety in the area of health care. The group discussions identified eating, nutrition vigilance and intersectoriality as emerging topics. The focus group technique proved to be a suitable tool for investigating the topic quickly and in depth, with a large number of professionals working in different contexts. In fact, the discussions went beyond the objectives of the research, since the group work made it possible to strengthen the process of articulation carried out by a network that promoting local measures in food safety and sustainable nutrition.

Inspeção pós-morte de bovinos: ocorrência de alterações sanitárias no abate e respectivo impacto em relação ao mercado globalizado

Pós-graduação em Medicina Veterinária - FCAV