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Food safety in Brazil
30 Nov 2007
Topics: Food safety, ISO 22000, Brazil, Americas
Food safety is an important issue across the globe, not least in Brazil. The country has a large and well developed agricultural sector and is a major exporter of agricultural and processed food products, the most important of which are coffee, soybeans, wheat, rice, corn, sugarcane, cocoa, citrus fruits and beef. It exports primarily to the EU and Asia Pacific regions, with processed foods representing a small percentage of its total food exports.
Growing the market
Naturally both producers and suppliers in Brazil are looking to grow the market for raw products and to increase the percentage of processed food exports. And while existing trade rules within Latin America (Merco-sur) have brought import tariffs down and helped Brazil to expand its exports into other Latin American countries, Brazilian suppliers nevertheless are increasingly looking to grow their exports into the EU economic zone, and into the UK in particular. That said, there are still some stumbling blocks along the way.
One factor is the fragility of Brazil's supply-chain infrastructure, for instance the low number of airports in key locations which are able to handle commercial traffic. A second barrier is the general lack of knowledge and awareness of EU consumer trends. The third significant barrier is a lack of knowledge and awareness of European food legislation, including requirements for food safety and labelling. It was to address this third issue that BSI recently participated in a programme of presentations across Brazil to highlight the role of food safety standard, ISO 22000.
Sending out a message
ISO 22000 is an internationally recognized food safety management system that was published in September 2005. The standard focuses on the safety of the final product, at its core providing an auditable format for the control of food safety hazards through implementing prerequisite programmes and HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points). According to John Gioeli, BSI's VP of Marketing in the Americas, the food industry uses HACCP as a risk assessment tool to mitigate food safety hazards. He says: "ISO 22000 represents a disciplined risk analysis for suppliers so they can look at all risks associated with their products and processes."
To spread the word about the standard's value in Brazil, BSI became involved with the UK's International Agri-Technology Centre (IATC) which ran its second series of presentation in Brazil in 2007. The aim was to bring information directly to Brazilian suppliers to help open doors for them to trade with the EU and the UK in particular.
The presentations - delivered by food sector experts - covered food safety management system certification as well as food regulations, supply chain control, food packaging regulations, international retailer requirements and consumer trends. Under the management system certification heading, BSI's presentation on ISO 22000 highlighted its role as an international tool which Brazilian suppliers can use to assure the safety of their products and their compliance with relevant legislation. Gioeli comments: "IATC has recognized BSI's capabilities in food safety management system training and certification." He adds, "We are honoured to be presented as a partner to the Brazilian food industry."
Across Brazil
The event was presented first in Sao Paulo in conjunction with the Food Ingredients Conference and Expo and then repeated in the north east of Brazil in Fortaleza, the country's fourth largest city and an important port for the production and export of fruits and vegetables. The Fortaleza event was simultaneously broadcast to 20 other states with the support of CIN (International Centre of Cearia Businesses) and the International Business Centre Brazilian Network. Attendance at these well-received events included Brazilian and Argentinean suppliers, trade associations and government representatives.
To learn more about food safety certification and training, visit:
www.bsiamericas.com/Food/Overview/index.xalter www.bsibrasil.com.br/servicos/alimentos/
Business Standards © 2010. Editorial produced by Caspian Publishing in association with The British Standards Institution. Editorial opinions expressed on are not necessarily those of BSI Group or Caspian Publishing. Neither Caspian Publishing nor BSI Group accept responsibility for advertising or editorial content, nor for that appearing on linked third-party websites. Reproduction in whole or in part is forbidden without written permission from BSI Group or Caspian Publishing.
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