Ensuring a safe food supply is critical for consumers, farmers, and food businesses and it must start with education and training on the activities covering Farm to Fork.
Farmers and consumers alike have a shared interest in sustainable production and eating safe food.
Keeping food, free of chemical, physical, and microbial contaminants during planting season all the way through harvest is a top priority for all the countries to reduce potential safety risks. Each year millions of people are medically treated for foodborne illnesses as a result of poor food safety practices.
Biggest challenge in the implementation of good agricultural practices & food safety program in rural/semi urban areas is lack of awareness and understanding of the requirements and non-availability of consultants.
Krishi GAP objective is, to digitally reach all the important crop production and food processing centers and to create large pool of skilled persons ( Food Safety bearers) who will become enablers in promoting food safety across food supply chain and to create impact on:
- Safety, Health, Welfare of the Farmers ,farm workers, personnel in the processing sector.
- Sustainable and profitable agricultural operations
- Positive effect on Climate Change
- Reduce foodborne illnesses through safe and healthy food
HOW FOOD SAFETY IS EVOLVED AROUND THE WORLD
UNITED STATES
- The first U.S. laws addressing the safety of food supply was passed – the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Federal Meat Inspection Act. 1962
- President John F. Kennedy proclaimed the Consumer Bill of Rights, which stated that consumers have a right to safety, to be informed, to choose, and to be heard. These rights have a direct correlation to the many food safety acts
GLOBAL GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES -1997
- GLOBALG.A.P.’s roots began in 1997 as EUREPGAP, an initiative by retailers belonging to the Euro-Retailer Produce Working Group. British retailers working together with supermarkets in continental Europe become aware of consumers’ growing concerns regarding product safety, environmental impact and the health, safety and welfare of workers and animals.
GLOBAL FOOD SAFETY INITIATIVE (GFSI) -2000
- Food industry leaders created the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) to collaboratively drive industry improvement to reduce food safety risks and increase consumer confidence in the delivery of safe food.
THE EUROPEAN UNION- 2002
- The E.U. has proactively adopted food laws for its 28 member countries that are applicable to other countries (i.e., third countries) that trade with member nations to the E.U. The European Food Safety Authority was established in 2002 and is responsible for risk assessment
INDIA
- The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 came into effect from 23rd August 2006.
- It has been created for laying down science based standards for articles of food and to regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption.
- India Good Agricultural Practices launched by Quality Council of India, latest version 2021 with the intent that the retailers and the buyers recognize that if farmers in the region opt for hygiene and food safety in their production system, they will enjoy access to guaranteed new markets, have reliable quality inputs, will increase farm value and increase farmer’s skill in farming operations in domestic as well as in the global markets.
WHO
- Today, the 164 member countries of the World Trade Organization (WTO) recognize the CAC standards as food safety policy that meets international expectations for food safety management.