The management systems community
– 26th Feb 2010 by Alex Briggs
On the final day of February, LRQA’s Food Month, we bring you an interview with Catherine Francois, Director Food Safety Programmes, Consumer Goods Forum. Catherine is one of the most influential figures in the world of food safety. This podcast features her thoughts on certification, the GFSI’s role in harmonising global food safety standards and the Global Food Safety Conference.
– 22nd Feb 2010
Our blogger for day 16 is Luiz Bueno da Silva, LRQA São Paulo Business Centre Manager. Luiz has been with the Lloyd’s Register Group since 1975. He joined LRQA in 1991 and was named Sao Paulo Business Centre Manager in 2007.
– 22nd Feb 2010
Even with the falling birth rates and emigration, some Asian countries are struggling to feed the poor. Poverty and hunger may cause political instability and will slow down economic growth. The UN also noted that food stability will be a key issue to the Asian growth story.”
Our blogger today is Richard Gunawan, Area Business Development Manager LRQA Asia.
– 22nd Feb 2010
Our blogger today is Cor Groenveld. Cor talks about his recent food safety webinar.
– 18th Feb 2010
ISO 22000, PAS 220 and FSSC 22000 are changing the world of Food Safety Management Systems (FSMS) assessments.
– 18th Feb 2010
“Recently, a food manufacturing client asked me why they needed a FSSC 22000 management system certification and Business Assurance from LRQA. The conversation was all about “what could a certified management system approach offer that a checklist approach could not?” Read the full blog!
– 12th Feb 2010
“A deliberate typo in relation to last week’s Global Food Safety Conference. Yet a relevant typo, as the issue is ‘who do you trust?’ I will explain later.”
Day Ten’s blogger is Ronald de Kok, LRQA.
– 12th Feb 2010 by Alex Briggs
This podcast is an interview with Robert DuPuy. Robert is the Vice-President of Sales and Training for LRQA USA. Robert joined LRQA in 2007. Robert has brought a revolutionary approach to the certification industry, with his insight and extensive IT experience helping shape Business Assurance in the USA. On the final day of the Global Food Safety Conference in Washington, D.C., we talked to Robert about his take on the event and organisations in attendance.
– 11th Feb 2010 by Cor Groenveld
Cor talks about his recent visit to the Global Food safety event in Washington and specifically talks about FSSC 22000, GFSI and more.
– 8th Feb 2010 by Alex Briggs
Cor Groenveld, LRQA’s global food safety expert, delivered a presentation at the Washington D.C. Global Food Safety Conference. His presentation on the Food Supply Chain was one of the highlights of the world’s largest food safety conference.
Cor is also the chairman of the Foundation for Food Safety Certification, the owners of FSSC 22000.
– 4th Feb 2010 by Alex Briggs
On day two of the Global Food Safety Conference in Washington, D.C., we talked to Vel Pillay, LRQA’s food safety expert for the Americas. Vel talked about the road that LRQA has taken to FSSC 22000 and what lies ahead. Visit our food blog throughout the month of February for more information from the event.
– 3rd Feb 2010 by Alex Briggs
The Global Food Safety Conference is the world’s leading global food sector event. With over 700 delegates attending the Washington D.C. event, food safety issues are being addressed at the highest levels.
We are live at the event, with daily blogs, podcasts and news stories.
On day one, we interviewed Cor Groenveld, LRQA’s leading global food sector expert, Andrew Smith, LRQA’s Senior Vice-President, Americas and Martin Brown, LRQA’s Vice-President for the Americas.. Visit our blog throughout February 2010 for daily blogs on issues affecting the food sector.
– 26th Jan 2010 by Alex Briggs
The 1.25 million pound salami recall by Daniele Inc. and the associated outbreak have once again raised questions about traceability. This Food Safety News article highlights the seriousness of the issue.
– 12th Jan 2010
Read the latest Blog By Bob Ferrari on Supply Chain Business Process and Technology.
– 27th Nov 2009 by Alex Briggs
In this FoodNavigator.com article, Dr Lea Borkenhagen, head of Oxfam’s Sustainable Livelihoods Strategy, said, “The food and beverage industry is at the forefront of change due to their reliance on agricultural goods at the top of the supply chain.”
– 20th Nov 2009 by Alex Briggs
The US Senate approved the Food Safety Bill yesterday, bringing the bill to its final hurdle. The House of Representatives is not likely to being debating the bill until next year, with their approval meaning the bill would effectively pass into law, as President Obama is a vocal proponent of the bill.
– 25th Aug 2009 by Alex Briggs
Part 12 of the LRQA Food Safety Webinar is also from the technical presentation of Cor Groenveld. Here he talks about sections 6-8 of PAS 220:2008. the sections dedicated to Utilities, Waste Management and Equipment suitability.
– 18th Aug 2009 by Alex Briggs
Last year the world had a wake-up call with the sudden oil and food price rises. While we know the price of our food, the full environmental costs and the costs to our health are significant and hidden. We need a radical rethink of how we produce and consume our food.
UK Environment minister, Hilary Benn
– 17th Aug 2009 by Alex Briggs
The latest part of the LRQA Food Safety Webinar to be uploaded is PART 11. Part 11 is also from Cor Groenveld’s PAS 220:2008 technical presentation. In this 3 minute segment, Cor talks about section 4 and 5 of the specification, including construction and premises outlay issues.
– 11th Aug 2009 by Alex Briggs
In episode 6 of the 10-part LRQA Business Assurance Trust and Transparency Podcast Series, carbon footprinting and “green issues” are discussed. Featured are Harriet Lamb, Fairtrade Foundation, Sandy Sutherland, LRQA and Solitaire Townsend, Futerra Communications.
– 30th Jul 2009 by Alex Briggs
Part 10 is the second part of Cor Groenveld’s technical update webinar on PAS 220.
– 29th Jul 2009 by Alex Briggs
Following on from the first 8 parts of the Food Safety Issues and Standards Webinar, the second set of videos will be from the technical session of the webinar. Part 9 is the beginning of the technical webinar from Cor Groenveld, one of the world’s leading food safety experts.
– 20th Jul 2009 by Alex Briggs
This Food Navigator article highlights the seriousness of health and safety for food manufacturers. With 3 deaths in the UK over the past few months, many firms in the Food sector are looking at OHSAS 18001 certification as a way to help them manage their risk and reduce health and safety incidents.
– 14th Jul 2009 by Alex Briggs
In Episode 4 of the 10-part LRQA Business Assurance Trust and Transparency Podcast Series, the importance of independent assurance in restoring consumer trust in organisations and government is highlighted. Featured are Harriet Lamb, Fairtrade Foundation, Helen McTaggart of the Co-operative, Alan Knight and Kate Ives, AccountAbility, Sandy Sutherland, LRQA and Solitaire Townsend, Futerra Communications.
– 13th Jul 2009 by Alex Briggs
The recent LRQA Food Safety Webinar is now available in smaller segments, starting with the opening session, “Food Safety Issue and Standards” being broken down into 8 individual video files. This post contains 5-8. Click on any of the images below to view that section of the webinar. Here is also the link to sections 1-4 .
– 9th Jul 2009 by Alex Briggs
The recent LRQA Food Safety Webinar is now available in smaller segments, starting with the opening session, “Food Safety Issue and Standards” being broken down into 8 individual video files. This post contains 1-4. Click on any
– 8th Jul 2009 by Alex Briggs
The July 1st Food Safety Webinar from LRQA is now available for listening, viewing and downloading.
The entire session is available as a recorded Webex here.
You can also view the webinar in parts with each of the sections being uploaded individually. The first sections will be uploaded tomorrow, covering all of the opening session, “Food Safety Issues and Standards.”
– 1st Jul 2009 by Alex Briggs
Association of Insurance and Risk Managers (AIRMIC) next chairman, Paul Howard, was recently interviewed by Sue Copeland for this article in Strategic Risk Magazine.
At a time when resources are even scarcer, risk managers are going to have to be much smarter in the solutions we offer and really review the cost benefit of any situation.
– 26th Jun 2009 by Alex Briggs
According to this FoodNavigator.com article, Danisco’s new sustainability chief, Jeffrey Hogue, will look to build more value from company policies and seeing results on the bottom line – as well as for the environment and local communities.
– 24th Jun 2009 by Alex Briggs
Follow Business Assurance at our YouTube! page, on our Twitter page , on the video sharing site, Vimeo and another video sharing site, Veoh .
– 19th Jun 2009 by Alex Briggs
http://www.tenby-today.co.uk/tn/news.cfm?id=24475&headline=Food%20safety%20warning%20for%20over%2060s
– 9th Jun 2009 by Alex Briggs
The 10 part “Trust and Transparency” podcast series is here! Harriet Lamb of The Fairtrade Foundation starts the series with her insight on what it takes for organisations to rebuild consumer trust. She also talks about Fairtrade and how they have done during the current economic downturn. She also shares her thoughts on the What Assures Consumers in an Economic Downturn report, the latest in a series from AccountAbility, sponsored by the Co-operative and supported by LRQA.
– 2nd Jun 2009 by Alex Briggs
The current BPA debate that is raging around the world is an example of how quickly consumer trust can be destroyed, and how difficult it can be to regain it.
Currently, both sides of the debate (the critics who believe the evidence clearly shows that BPA leads to significant health problems and the regulators around the [...]
– 22nd May 2009 by Alex Briggs
Our Business Assurance Thought of the Day today helps bring the US Food Safety situation into perspective. According to Ohio.com,
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the US government agency solely responsible for auditing food manufacturing locations across the US did not conduct any audits at all in 2007-2008 in California, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and Wyoming.
– 20th May 2009 by Alex Briggs
This CalorieLab story takes a look at the most dangerous and common 9 foodborne illness. The story takes a look at each illness, where it comes from and even which groups are the most susceptible.
– 5th May 2009 by Alex Briggs
We now have 9 sections in total, with the Asia specific section joining Climate Change, Food, Supply Chain, CSR, Product Conformity, Risk, Management Systems and Business Continuity.
– 17th Apr 2009 by Alex Briggs
With Food Safety at the top of the agenda for governments, organisations and individuals, the risk to brands that get it wrong has never been greater. The costs of assuring the food supply chain have been seen by some as “too high” or “not necessary.” The example of the Plainview Peanut Company’s $14.6 million fine highlights once again the true costs of “getting it wrong.”
– 31st Mar 2009 by Alex Briggs
Todays thought and link of the day both refer to a new report, Keeping America’s Food Safe.
Only one percent of imported foods are currently inspected, even though approximately 60 percent of fresh fruits and vegetables and 75 percent of seafood Americans consume is imported.
– 17th Mar 2009 by Alex Briggs
Each year, about 76 million people in the United States are sickened by contaminated food, hundreds of thousands are hospitalized and about 5,000 die, public health experts estimate.
US President Barack Obama has named a new FDA head and deputy, as well as outlined budgetary plans that will place Food Safety at the top of the agenda.
– 4th Mar 2009 by Cor Groenveld
ISO 22005 is the new international standard for traceability in the food and feed supply chain. Traceability is a must throughout the whole feed and food supply chain, in particular as a part of the emergency management process when quality or food safety problems with raw materials or finished products occur. When an organisation is able to rapidly trace back ingredients or finished products, risks and costs involved with quality and food safety defects will be reduced. The standard is part of the ISO 22000 family and it provides tools to implement an effective traceability system as part of a food safety / quality management system.
– 2nd Mar 2009 by Alex Briggs
Consumer confidence in the safety of the US food supply has dropped sharply in the wake of the current salmonella outbreak, with fewer than one in five now saying that they feel the supply is safer now than a year ago.
With only 22.5 percent saying that the nation’s food supply has become safer, confidence in American food is the lowest it has been.
– 11th Jan 2009 by Alex Briggs
For 2009, Bill Marler, food safety advocate and managing partner of law firm Marler Clark, asked the food safety community to weigh in on the most pressing food safety challenges.
Top of the list was globalization, including the possibility of “economic or chemical terrorism”, which may not directly intend to scare people but is the intentional adulteration of the food supply motivated by profit, as in the case of the recent melamine scare in China.
– 17th Dec 2008 by Alex Briggs
Genetically modified? Organic? Country of Origin?
Those are some of the questions that US regulators and food producers are sorting through in their push to increase transparency in food product labelling.
This article highlights some of those issues, with an in-depth look at the organic debate, genetically modified products and the labelling of country of origin of food products.
– 14th Oct 2008 by Alex Briggs
This New York Times Media Group article raises the question “Is there more tainted food out there?”
The melamine scandal has heightened fears that the food business is racing ahead of the ability of governments to detect health-threatening contamination, whether accidental or deliberate.
– 29th Sep 2008 by Alex Briggs
Food manufacturers have begun a massive repackaging effort to address the environmental concerns of consumers. This article takes a look at the way that some global brands are addressing the issue, as well as how they are attempting to balance environmental concerns with consumer health concerns.
“Good for you” will increasingly be faced off with “good for the environment,” and food companies will find themselves redefining how their food products will retain appeal, according to Mintel International in Chicago.
– 16th Sep 2008 by Alex Briggs
This link is to a flash movie on the key issues surrounding food safety and supply chain security.
The presentation is from O. Keith Helferich, Ph.D. -Professor, Supply Chain Management at Central Michigan University and
Instructor, Supply Chain Management, Eli Broad College of Business at Michigan State University, and John Spink, MS., Director
Packaging for Food and Product Protection Initiative.
– 15th Sep 2008 by Alex Briggs
The Gallagher Review, commissioned by the UK government and released in July, concluded the EU’s biofuels target of 10% of all fuels by 2020 could not be met sustainably and advised that targets be scaled back.
The report concluded that, while the current targets are not realistic under the existing regulations,
if robust, comprehensive and mandatory sustainability standards are implemented now, a genuinely sustainable industry could evolve.
This ClimateChangeCorp.com article goes on to discuss existing standards, as well as introducing the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels “Version Zero” proposed standard.
– 31st Aug 2008 by Alex Briggs
Japan is the latest country to commit to carbon labelling retail products. According to this Guardian article, about 30 companies will display their labeled items at an eco-products fair in Tokyo in December, and the first batches are expected to appear in shops at the beginning of April 2009.
– 8th Jul 2008 by Alex Briggs
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India will be set up by the end of July, 2008 while the first set of food safety norms may come out within the next two months, according an Indian Government official.
– 23rd Jun 2008 by Alex Briggs
http://22000-tools.com/what-is-iso-22000.html
– 23rd Jun 2008 by Alex Briggs
The latest edition of the ISO Magazine is dedicated to ISO 22000, the food safety management system standard. Case studies from Kraft, Danone, Arla Foods and the Van Drie Group highlight the issue.
– 15th Apr 2008 by Alex Briggs
With the new Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) coming into force today, oil companies are required oil companies to ensure all petrol and diesel they sell in the UK contains a minimum level of biofuel. This article in the Independent takes a closer look at the debate over the use of farm land as a transportation fuel source.
– 11th Feb 2008 by Alex Briggs
The Co-operative Group, have announced transparent, detailed plans on addressing stakeholder concerns. They will ban the sale of eggs from caged hens, convert its entire own-brand hot beverage range to Fairtrade, reduce the weight of its wine packaging and add a further 66 pesticides to its prohibited list.
– 25th Jan 2008 by Cor Groenveld
A roundtable discussion was recently organised by LRQA’s Netherlands office. The focus was on sustainability in the Food Supply Chain.
Here is a brief synopsis of the topics covered and the key points raised.
– 5th Dec 2007 by Cor Groenveld
Research from the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority in the Netherlands showed that many food products do not meet the EU regulations towards health claims on food products. The Authorities analysed 79 products and found 44 non compliances on 22 products against the regulations. The new EU Directive 1924/2006 towards claims is effective since July 2007 and it also covers health claims.
– 30th Oct 2007 by Alex Briggs
Counterfeiting costs the food and drinks industry an estimated $75 million, not to mention the damage to brand reputation and consumer confidence. With an increase between 2003 and 2005 of 250% in the volume of counterfeited food and drink items, there is a clear need for collaboration between industries and governments to fight the problem.
– 30th Oct 2007 by Alex Briggs
Anheuser Busch has denied serious allegations by Greenpeace that their Budweiser beer contains traces of a genetically engineered strain of rice known as “Liberty Link”.
Liberty Link is a series of strains of GM rice from Bayer CropScience. Some of the strains are banned in a number of markets around the world for human consumption, but not in the US.
Due to Anheuser Busch’s position as the largest single purchaser of American rice, Greenpeace claims that the group had a responsibility to ensure it was fully aware of how it is sourcing ingredients.
– 9th Oct 2007
A new report from the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University suggests that US consumers believe that local food is safer than that from further afield.
– 2nd Oct 2007 by Cor Groenveld
An article in the Sydney Morning Herald addresses the food safety concerns in China. The Chinese Government revoked the production licenses of hundreds of companies. It is known that food safety is very high on the agenda of China’s government. Reasons for that are the coming Olympics and the negative publicity from several food scandals. [...]
– 2nd Oct 2007 by Cor Groenveld
Small and medium food companies often struggle with food safety requirements. The USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) has created a website to help small and medium size firms better manage their food safety.
– 25th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs
The key issues of risk management, supply chain and climate change have made their way to the top of media and corporate agendas recently.
A Wal-Mart and Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) joint effort will measure the climate change effects across the Wal-Mart supply chain.
– 24th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs
This Times article has raised a difficult topic for organic farmers.
The article reveals that Helen Browning, the director of food and farming at the Soil Association, sends pig shoulders from Wiltshire, England to Germany for processing into sausages and imports pork loins from Sweden to make bacon.
– 24th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs
The Vegetarian Society has launched a new ad campaign on climate change. The ads are aimed at educating the public as to the carbon emitted by livestock.
This often overlooked issue was addressed by Rowland Hill, the Sustainability Manager at Marks and Spencer, in one of our podcasts as he talked about measuring the carbon footprint of their top selling ready meal, Beef Lasagne:
– 20th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs
Successful consumer led campaigns against companies using cheap labour may be the blueprint for upcoming campaigns aimed at brands not paying enough attention to the “greenness” of their global supply chain.
This Supply Chain Digest article once again shows that brands cannot afford to get their supply chain wrong.
It is no longer enough for a brand [...]
– 20th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs
Despina Keegen of JP Morgan Global Trade Services has written a guest column for Supply and Demand Chain which features a supply chain checklist. Interestingly, the column talks about a possible “import czar” position being created at the cabinet level of the US government. A sign as to how important supply chain safety, supply [...]
– 20th Sep 2007 by Cor Groenveld
Will we ever have a “one size fits all” food safety management system? The Food Safety section editor, Cor Groenveld, provides an informative update on the initiatives that are all trying to bring some uniformity to the food industry. This blog post makes sense of a very complex situation.
– 18th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs
Andrew Wadge, The UK Food Standards Agency’s Chief Scientist has a blog. In his latest post, he writes about some good news on lower salmonella contamination levels in eggs.
– 17th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs
An article on a new white paper has shown that Chinese food exports are the safest in the world, with the EU accepting 99.8%, the US 99.1% and Japan accepting 99.42% (better than the EU and the US rates of acceptance for Japan).
With the recent food safety scares originating largely in China, the Chinese government watchdog [...]
– 14th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs
The Arizona Republic ran a story on a recent Associated Press study indicating that the anticipated wave of government and industry regulation following last year’s E Coli outbreak has not materialised.
AP’s review of data obtained through the Freedom of Information Act found that federal officials inspect companies growing and processing salad greens an average of just once [...]
– 11th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs
For those of you who haven’t seen it, ISO has put a promotional video on YouTube! The video is an overview of the environmental management standard, ISO 14001, and has over 5,400 downloads so far!
Further, there are supply chain videos on YouTube!, including this promotional video from Cisco and Ford, as well as Food Safety videos, including this one on Food Safety and China.
– 10th Sep 2007 by Gail Van Den Bos
At the recent Global Food Safety Summit inPrague, a number of key messages emerged. These included the importance of effective risk assessments across all of the supply network, of the need to have processes in place to prevent emergencies (product recalls, security incidents), and also to be prepared to respond if the worst happens. Whilst the [...]
– 7th Sep 2007 by Cor Groenveld
I just got back from the Global Food Safety Summit 2007 in Prague. The event featured stakeholders from the food manufacturers, retail, food services and suppliers of food ingredients. It was a series of presentations, interactive sessions and individual meetings, all based around the issues of food safety in the supply chain. The attendees and [...]
– 6th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs
A Greener Choice Blog post has highlighted a recent Consumers Report poll has found that 92 percent of Americans want their food products to be labelled with the country of origin.
In line with the recent What Assures Consumers report which focused on UK and US consumers and their attitudes toward climate change, the Consumers Report poll has [...]
– 6th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs
Canadian Blogger Robert Paterson has linked three key Business Assurance issues into one post: Food Safety, Supply Chain Assurance and the importance of transparency. Have a look at his “know your farmer, trust your farmer” point of view.
– 3rd Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs
Fresh Metz, a California based “grower and shipper specializing in year-round custom-grown spinach” has voluntarily recalled 8,000 cases of its products after an internal test found traces of salmonella on some of their products.
Coming on the back of new guidelines rolled out just five months ago, the latest recall of spinach has shocked the industry and [...]
– 16th Apr 2007 by Tim Kitchin
UK newspaper, The Times has highlighted a growing scandal as demand for ‘ethical’ and sustainable products outstrips supply, and unscrupulous suppliers are pushing farms.
– 3rd Apr 2007
Under current legislation in the UK, producers of compostable waste may need to apply for a license before they can spread it on land.
According to an article on the IEMA website, he new Quality Protocol proposed by the Environment Agency in England and Wales will mean that compostable products will be easier to dispose.
– 6th Oct 2006 by Tim Kitchin
The number of cases of E. coli in spinach continues to multiply in the US, displacing more serious governance concerns like HP’s alleged employee-spying from the front pages of newspapers.
– 20th Sep 2006
The traditional association between organic foods and health is being steadily eroded, and replaced, with greater consumer association with the environmental benefits.
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