Food safety has
been a growing concern for the past decades as various food
scandals/scares have surfaced. Traceability is an important tool in
increasing food safety as it allows food business operators and
authorities to withdraw or recall products which have been identified
as unsafe. This is a cornerstone of the EU food safety policy.
In
the past few weeks traceability has been put under a considerable
strain. The presence of horse meet in different meat products
emphasises the importance of good quality control and traceability.
The
increased emphasises on traceability can be viewed as an opportunity
for the SME´s. The challenge for the SME´s is to build up a solid
and transparent quality control and traceability system. This should
not be very difficult as the raw material they use for their
production is usually from their close neighbourhood. This gives the
SME´s opportunities to build up a good reputation and trust of the
consumers.
There
is a growing interest in locally produced food, that interest can be
enhanced by making the origin of the products more visible to the
consumers, increasing their sense of security and ultimately food
safety.
Gunnþórunn
Einarsdóttir, project leader of SME
gunna@matis.is
Photo: matis.is
