What's on our plates in a globalized world: the roles and responsibilities of startups and SMEs
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 1,600,000 people worldwide fall ill every day as a result of eating unsafe food, with an average of 340 children under the age of 5 dying every day. This alarming public health problem is caused by some 200 diseases ranging from diarrhoea to cancer, attributed to the consumption of unsafe food.
In this age of globalization, with ever-increasing socio-economic and commercial exchanges, it is very difficult to control eating habits, which have changed considerably throughout the world (collective restaurants, fast-food outlets, etc.). These new practices are having an impact on food quality and safety in both industrialized and non-industrialized countries, opening the door to food-borne illnesses and considerable economic losses.
The current state of the "quality culture" in Chad
In the concert of nations where the implementation and continuous improvement of quality infrastructure is a guarantee of socio-economic emergence, Chad is positioned at the bottom of the ladder. This level does not allow start-ups, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large national companies to compete on the international market. Non-quality is a major technical barrier to trade (TBT). It also prevents foreign investors who are at a satisfactory level of quality from seeking out raw materials and manufactured goods from countries lagging behind. This situation makes it virtually impossible for SMEs and start-ups to develop, as is the case in Chad.
Many producers feel that the market for certified agri-food products is very complex, and that the opportunities and requirements of certification programs are not always clear. What's more, producers are not always sure whether these standards applied to products destined for export are mandatory or voluntary.
Approaches to adapting start-ups to "quality culture
In order to export their products to local, regional or international markets, all producer-exporters must comply with standards and regulations established to ensure product quality in line with customer expectations, protect the environment and human health, and add value to the product when it reaches the market. These vary according to product type and importing country. Some of these requirements are based on international food standards, while others have been drawn up at national level. Non-compliance with these requirements can lead to the exclusion of the product from the market and, more often than not, to rejection of the product by importing countries.
So, to meet the demands of food quality and safety, it's essential that food startups and SMEs identify all aspects of their activities that are crucial to the safety of their products and services. It is essential to control all hazards at all stages of the product lifecycle (design, production, storage, transport, marketing) in order to meet specifications (regulatory and commercial) and guarantee consumer safety. They must also identify all hazards (physical, biological or chemical) likely to contaminate their products at the various stages of production, and estimate the level of risk (probability of the hazard occurring) for each of them, based on working conditions, procedures and practices.
In concrete terms, they need to put into practice a few basic hygiene and safety principles, as described below, in order to produce and supply safe, healthy, quality food.
- Cleanliness: a necessity to limit contamination by combining :
- staff hygiene (clean hands, clean clothes, hair tied back, protection of wounds, etc.);
- equipment hygiene (vehicles, cutting or display tables, refrigerators, knives, etc.)
- Thermal treatments (cold and heat) : requirements to limit the development or destroy microbes that impair the organoleptic aspect of the food and are dangerous to consumer health. It includes :
- Protecting perishable foodstuffs with cold. Cold slows down multiplication, but does not destroy microbes. The principle is therefore one of continuous cold from the moment food is picked up and transported to the consumer;
- heat treatment destroys microbes that can alter the food's marketability and harm the consumer's health;
- Food use-by dates: managing and preventing waste.
- Food allergens
Current food regulations make it compulsory to mention allergens on food labels, as well as on the shelves of supermarkets and in catering establishments. This information is essential for food allergy sufferers, and its absence can have fatal consequences.
- Traceability and food alerts
Distributors and retailers are considered to be players in the food chain. As such, they must ensure the traceability of the foodstuffs they distribute, so that in the event of an alert, unsafe products can be withdrawn from distribution, and consumers warned if necessary.
- Food hygiene training
It is essential for understanding food safety and hygiene regulations.
Written by: Cabinet d'Expertise Qualité Six Sigma
