topic 5 food safety

8/14/2019 Topic 5 Food Safety

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Processed Food Products - a Need of

the Modern World

Today, as the population of the world is growing, processed food products havebecome indispensable in our daily diet. Companies in the food industry coverthe huge demand of processed food products, ensuring the compliance with theconditions of storage, preservation and marketing, from producers to the endconsumer, that is essential for food safety.

Food additivesare substances that have a nutritional value or not, used in theprocessing of food products to improve their quality or to allow the use of moreadvanced processing technologies.

Artificial and Natural Additives

Some additives are obtained from natural sources, such as soybeans, corn orred beetroot. Other additives do not occur freely in nature, so that they must be

produced by artificial means, by chemical synthesis. The presence of foodadditives in the composition of processed food products, be they natural orartificial, is subject to the effective legislation, which sets forth the acceptedamounts, according to the safety standards.


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Processed Food Products - a Need of

the Modern World

Everything that exists in nature is made of chemical substances. Some additives areobtained from natural sources, such as soybeans, corn or red beet. Some other additivesdo not occur naturally and must be obtained artificially, through chemical synthesis. Forexample, the ascorbic acid and vitamin C are exactly the same substance, irrespective of

their being found in an orange or obtained in a laboratory. From the food safety standpoint, there must not be differences between natural and

synthetic additives. From this point of view, the fact that a food product does not containartificial additives is not of a major importance, as natural compounds have almost thesame chemical structure as synthetic products.

For a toxicologist, the term natural can even raise suspicions, as many chemicalsubstances that occur naturally are known for the side effects they may produce. Forexample, studies conducted in Great Britain show that allergic reactions to natural foods(eggs, milk, strawberries, some spices) are quite common, affecting almost half of the

worlds population. Irrespective of additives being extracted from plants or animal tissues,produced by microorganisms or synthesized in a laboratory, a toxicologist includes theseadditives in the same category. They are all chemical substances that can have toxicproperties. As for the analysis of their safe use for consumption in respect of the regulationof their use, the process is identical for all additives, regardless of the origin of the chemicalsubstance.


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CATEGORIES OF FOOD ADDITIVES

The effective Romanian legislation states the list of food additives accepted to be used in the food industry, alsomentioning the foods in which they can be used and the maximal accepted dose. This list is compliant with thelist of additives accepted in the European Union.

Categories of Food Additives accepted by the Romanian legislation

Preservatives

Antioxidants

Acidifiers

Buffers

Antifoaming agents

Emulsifiers

Jellification agents, sequestering agents, stabilizers, thickeners

Sweeteners

Natural and synthetic colouring agents

Leavening agents and anticaking agents

Flavour enhancers

Support-substances

Enzymes

Flavourings
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CATEGORIES OF FOOD ADDITIVES

Main groups of foodstuffs

Bread and bakery products

Milk and dairy products

Meat and meat products

Fish and fish products

Oils and fats

Eggs and egg-based products

Sugar and sweets

Fruits, vegetables and processed products

Alcohol beverages

Non-alcohol beverages

Confectionery and pastry products Cereals and cereal products

Spices, soups, sauces, salads

Ice creams

Foods with a special destination

Other foods


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ACCEPTED DAILY INTAKE AND

MAXIMUM USAGE LEVEL

The Accepted Daily Intake of Food Additives is Set Following Extensive Testing.

The legislation in force lays down the maximum level of additives that can be used in aparticular food products in order to avoid any harmful effect on consumer health.

Acceptable daily intake (ADI) = The amount of a food additive, expressed as mg/kg

body weight, that can be ingested daily over a lifetime without incurring anyappreciable health risk.

The ADI is based on an evaluation of available toxicological data and established byidentifying the No-Observed-Adverse-Effect-Level (NOAEL) in the most sensitiveexperiment among a battery of studies in test animals performed with the test compoundand extrapolating to man by dividing the NOAEL with a safety factor of usually 100.

The levels of an additive permitted in foods is established so that the ADI is not exceededand this will depend on the level of consumption of the various food categories in which theuse of the additive is approved.

With a view to confirming the safety limits of food additives consumption, the AcceptedDaily Intake is used worldwide by the regulatory health and food authorities: the WorldHealth Organization, the Scientific Food Committee of the European Commission, the USFood and Drug Administration. The Accepted Daily Intake is subject to regular revisions.The results of the tests are certified by independent experts.


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LEGISLATION

As far as the protection of consumer interests is concerned, the Ministry of Health and Family and the National Authority forConsumers Protection, along with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, are the institutions in charge with issuingorders to regulate the conditions for authorizing the units that produce, process, store, transport and market food products, aswell as the conditions for authorizing the foods declared fit for human consumption and controlling units producing foods.

The marketing of food products in conditions that guarantee the protection of consumers health is regulated by the legislationin the following domains:

Regulations for the production, movement and marketing of foods - GEO no. 97/21 June 2001, approved by Law no. 57/16January 2002;

Conditions for obtaining, testing, using and marketing genetically modified organisms - GO no. 49/30 January 2000, approvedby Law no. 214/19 April 2002;

Product marking and labelling - GD no. 106/7 February 2002;

Imitations of food products that may involve the risk of endangering consumer health or safety - GD no. 187/17 March 2000;

Approval of the hygiene and health norms for food products - Order of the Minister of Health and Family no. 975/16 December1998;

Approval of the hygiene norms regarding the production, processing, storage, preservation, transport and marketing of foodproducts - Order of the Minister of Health and Family no. 976/16 December 1998;

Approval of the Norms regarding the food additives destined to be used in food products meant for human consumption - Orderof the Minister of Health and Family no. 438/18 June 2002and Order of the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Forestry no.295/12 July 2002which shall enter into force 12 months from date of its publication (Official Journal on 3rd October 2002).
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LEGISLATION

Romanian laws are harmonized with European legislation

Romanian laws establish the maximal accepted dose of each food additive in a particular food product. Onthe list of ingredients, food additives are registered with the name of the category followed by the specificname or the C.E. code. Compliance with the legal provisions shall be checked by the competentauthorities in charge with performing control at producer, during storage and marketing of food products.

As Romania is now preparing for EU accession, it has transposed the European directives regarding foodadditives. As a result, the Romanian food industry also uses food additives provided for in the followingEuropean directives:

Directive 94/36/EC regarding colourings meant to be used in food products;

Directive 94/35/EC regarding sweeteners meant to be used in the food industry;

Directive 89/107/EC regarding food additives authorized for use in food products meant for humanconsumption;

Directive 95/2/EC regarding food additives other than colourings and sweeteners;

Decision 292/97/EC regarding the maintenance of national legislations forbidding the use of some foodadditives in the manufacturing of specific food products.

On 3rd October 2003 shall enter in force the Order of the Minister of Health and Family no. 438 / 18 June2002 and Order of the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Forestry no. 295 / 12 July 2002 approving theNorms on food additives destined to be used in food products meant for human consumption.


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LEGAL REGULATIONS GUARANTEE

THE SAFETY OF FOOD ADDITIVES

Food additives are substances used for the preparation of foodstuffs, with a view to improving theirquality or allowing the application of advanced processing technologies.[1] The Codex AlimentariusCommission within the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the World Health Organisation specifies, inthe procedural handbook, that food additives mean any substances, even microbiological ones, which arenot naturally consumed as foods, even if they have a nutritive value or not, and whose addition to foods is

related to a technological (and sensorial) purpose in the manufacturing, packaging or preservation offoodstuffs, having a certain effect or an effect which is likely to produce (direct or indirect) convenienteffects upon their properties. The term of additive does not include contaminants or substances added tofoods for the preservation or improvement of the nutritive properties.

Used since ancient times for the obtaining of foods, food additives have become more and morediversified with time, the European Union authorizing for use a number of 311 food additives.

From the definition given by the Codex Alimentarius Commission within the Food and AgricultureOrganisation and the World Health Organisation, it results that the use of additives is justified for thefollowing purposes:

to preserve the nutritive value of a food product;

to improve the preservation and stability properties of a food product;

to favour the manufacturing, packaging, storage and transport of food products;

to improve the sensorial properties of food products.


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The use of food additives is neither justified nor permitted in the following cases :

the proposed dose for usage endangers human health;

results in a sensitive diminution of the nutritive value of food products;

it is intended to mask some deteriorations or degradations of food products or to hide some manufacturing or handling faults;

consumers are misled as to the quality of the food product.

The conditions for the use of food additives imply the following:

innocuousness and absence of danger as a result of a potential accumulation of doses or effects, conditions which are provenexperimentally on at least two animal species;

their use should be accepted as necessary and motivated by scientific and/or technical considerations;

the quantity added to the food product should be as low as possible, but also sufficient to obtain the effect for which the foodproduct is indicated;

the introduction of a substance from the group of food additives should not result in the replacement of one of the normalcomponents of the food product;

the purity of the food additive by the testing of its physical and chemical characteristics should be regulated by law;

the introduction of food additives should be preceded by the establishment of simple, sensitive methods, for qualitativeidentification and quantitative dosing;

the addition of food additives in foods shall be stated visibly on the package, in compliance with legal provisions.


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The regulations regarding the safety of food additives use are currently issuedby the European Community. The analysis and evaluation of consumptionsafety are carried out by a group of independent experts meeting within theScientific Committee on Food which reports to the European Commission.Food additives are authorized only after being analysed and evaluated in termsof consumption safety. The testing procedure is a rigorous one, and is aimed atobtaining information regarding potential effects on the short, medium and longterm as a result of the prolonged consumption of products containing suchadditives. Most often than not, such researches can last for a few months oreven a few years, depending on the additive subject to testing. The methods forresearch on food additives (Report of the Food and Agriculture Organisationand of the World Health Organisation, 53/593-1974) consist of: acute toxicity

studies; short and long-term toxicity studies; special studies containinginvestigations regarding reproduction, embryo-toxicity, teratogenicity,mutagenicity and finally observations on humans. The tests also answer somequestions as the following: Is this additive toxic?, Can it cause malformationsin newborns?, Can it affect persons suffering from allergies?.


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Based on the results, the Accepted Daily Intake, is calculated, meaning the estimated quantity from afood additive, expressed taking into account the body weight, which can be consumed on a daily basis,throughout the entire life, without posing any risks to the health. The accepted daily intakes for humansdepend on each particular additive, and these doses can be: unconditionally accepted daily intakes andtemporarily accepted daily intakes (the unconditionally or temporarily accepted daily intakes are expressed

in mg/kg body). These doses must not be mistaken for the quantities introduced in foodstuffs. The Accepted Daily Intake is a concept used by regulatory bodies from the entire world, such as the World

Health Organization, the Scientific Committee on Food of the European Commission, the US Food andDrug Administration, for the confirmation of the consumption safe limits of food additives. The AcceptedDaily Intake applies to persons of all ages, children and adults.

Once the Scientific Committee on Food establishes that an additive is safe for consumption, the EuropeanCommission can initiate the required legislation to regulate the use of the respective additive.Specifications will also be issued to ensure that the additive to be used will have the same compositionand purity as the initially tested product.

The specifications for use are agreed upon by technical experts from all EU member states, subordinated

to the Commission. Further on, the Commission will submit its proposition to the Council of Ministers andto the European Parliament for approval. The proposition contains the conditions in which the additive canbe used, specifying the types of foodstuffs and the maximal quantity in which it can be used. The finalresult is a directive of the European Commission, approved by the Council of Ministers and the EuropeanParliament.

It is at that very moment, after the safety of the additive was proven and after it was included on the list ofaccepted additives, that the additive is assigned an E code, followed by a group of figures andpotentially letters.

The provisions of the EU directive will be subsequently incorporated by all member states into theirrespective national legislations, each of them monitoring that the accepted maximal levels should not beexceeded.


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LABELLING AND PACKING FOOD

PRODUCTS

The purpose of labelling is to provide consumers with all necessary, sufficient, verifiableand easily comparable data they may need in order to choose the products that meet theirrequirements and financial possibilities, as well as to become aware of the potential risksthey may be exposed to.

It is compulsory to label all food products.The information indicated on the label mustnot mislead consumers as to:

the characteristics of the food product, and especially as to its nature, identity, properties,composition, quantity, durability, origin, as well as the manufacturing or productionmethods;

assignment of effects or properties that the foods do not have;

suggestion that the food has special characteristics when actually all similar products havethe same characteristics.

The labelling and the methods by which it is realized must not assign to foods properties forthe prevention, treatment or healing of diseases or make reference to such properties.Exception to this rule are natural mineral waters as well as any foods with specialnutritional destinations, authorized as such by the Ministry of Health and Family.


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PRODUCTS

The labels of foods prod ucts mu st include the fol lowing:

name under which the product is traded;

list of ingredients, containing all ingredients in the decreasing order of their quantity, determined at themoment of their introduction in the manufacturing process; vitamins and minerals added to goods shall belisted among ingredients; additives shall be mentioned among ingredients, with the specification of thecategory, followed by the specific name or by the EC digital code;

quantity of certain ingredients or categories of ingredients;

net quantity of pre-packed foods;

date of minimal durability expressed as "Best before ...", , if the day is included in the date, or "Bestbefore ...", if the months and year or only year are indicated. In the case of foods which are highlyperishable from a microbiological point of view, the consumption deadline shall be specified (validity term),expressed as "Expires on ...", indicating in the following order, the day, month and year, in an non-codified manner;

storage and use conditions, when they need special indications;

name or commercial name and producers, packers or distributors headquarters; the case ofimported products, the name and address of the importer registered in Romania;

the place of origin of the food, if its omission would create confusions among consumers;

instructions of use, their absence can determine an improper use of foods;

alcohol concentrationfor beverages where it exceeds 1.2% of the volume;

batch, whose indication is preceded by letter "L"; - the indication of the batch is not compulsory when thedate of the minimal durability and the or the consumption deadline are indicated by a clear and non-decoded mention of the day and month, at least.

additional labeling indications, based of product groups.


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PRODUCTS

All indications on the label must be in Romanian, without excluding the possibility of their beingdisplayed in other languages, too.The indications on the label shall be printed in a legible manner,easy to understand, shall be marked visibly, in a way which does not permit for their erasure andshall not be masked, hidden, placed in obscure places or in places interrupted by photos or texts .

When the list of ingredients contained by a food product is not stated on the label, consumers can dial the

Consumers Phone Number, if stated on the package, or can refer to the County Consumer ProtectionOffice.

Read the product label carefully before buying the product!

The label - a means by which the consumer is informed of the ingredients of food products.

The purpose of labeling is to provide consumers with all necessary, sufficient, verifiable and easilycomparable data they may need, in order to choose the products that meet their requirements andfinancial possibilities, as well as to become aware of the potential risks they may be exposed to.

The obligation to provide appropriate labeling for packaged foods is stipulated both in the Romanian andEU legislation.

Conformity checks in respect of the information contained on product labels shall be conducted by theauthorities in charge with performing the surveillance and control of foodstuffs, i.e.:

The authorities for consumers protection designated by the National Authority for Consumers Protection;

The health authorities designated by the Ministry of Health and Family;

The sanitary-veterinary, phyto-sanitary and technological control authorities designated by the Ministry ofAgriculture, Food and Forestry.

I t is compulso ry to have food addi t ives marked on the produc t label.

According to the effective legal provisions, food producers are bound to state the food additives contained

by the food products, in a visible manner, on all the labels of the product packages (bottle, jar, box, packetc.).


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PRODUCTS

Under the slogan "Inform Yourself!", the Ministry of Health and Family (MSF) and theNational Authority for Consumer Protection (ANPC) are launching the consumerinformation programme, "Food Safety" (SPA). The programme is aimed at providingRomanian consumers with all the instruments required for a complete information in the

area, so that they should be informed and demanding when purchasing a food product. Consumers now have two sources of information: the website www.siguranta-alimentara.ro

and the "Food Safety" Guide. The informative materials are the result of the collaborationbetween the specialists of the Ministry of Health and Family and of the National Authorityfor Consumer Protection and, in addition to that, they are based on a series of researchactivities in the area, carried out internationally.

The informative SPA guide contains fundamental information about food safety, foodadditives and the daily accepted consumption, the labelling of food products, consumers'rights, the categories of additives accepted by the Romanian legislation, the effective

legislation from Romania and the European Union, as well as practical advice forconsumers.

Printed out in 40.000 copies, the informative SPA guide is distributed free of charge to theterritorial structures of the authorities having attributions in the regulation, authorization andcontrol of the manufacturing and trade of food products, as well as to the medicalassociations from Romania, thus ensuring the basic information for the education of thepublic at large as regards food safety. Thus, 10.000 copies are being distributed throughthe National Authority for Consumer Protection to the county offices for consumerprotection, while 10.000 others are being distributed through the Ministry of Health and

Family to the county public health directorates.


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PRODUCTS

The informative SPA guide is being distributed simultaneously to the mass media from allover the country. Moreover, 100.000 posters with the internet site address are beingdistributed throughout the country, in the large store chains and other food retail outlets.

The internet page www.siguranta-alimentara.ro contains information about consumer

rights, food additives, the history of their use, the categories of food additives accepted foruse in Romania and their role in food products, their authorization procedure, the accepteddaily consumption, the effective legislation in the area, useful information regarding theinstitutions consumers can refer to.

www.siguranta-alimentara.ro also contains information regarding natural and artificialadditives, allergies and adverse reactions, acidifiers, leavening agents, antioxidants,flavourings, colourings, preservatives, emulsifiers, labeling and packaging, fats,sweeteners, advice for cooking food products.

For a complete information, consumers can access the links to the Internet sites existing in

the European Union and the USA, such as: the European Food Safety Authority -www.efsa.eu.int, the European Food Information Council - www.eufic.org and the US Foodand Drug Administration - www.fda.gov. Consumers have direct access to the internetwebsites of the Ministry of Health and Family - www.ms.ro and to the National Authority forConsumer Protection - www.anpc.ro.

By the information disseminated under SPA program, consumers will be better informedand aware, in order to evaluate the way in which producers and traders understand toobserve the Romanian effective legislation and their degree of responsibility towardsconsumers.

The Ministry of Health and Family and the National Authority for Consumer Protection areplanning to continue the "Food Safety" program next year as well.


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The quality standards are the guaranty of the safety food product.

The food producers have the entire responsibility to produce safety food that will be equalto consumers requirements and expectations as for their safety and appropriate lawenforcement. The producers, who assumed this responsibility, are relying on modern

management quality systems which assure the quality and safety of the products. The mostused systems are: Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Hazard Analysis Critical ControlPoints (HACCP) and Quality Standards ISO 9000.

Packaging has an important role to protect the food and consumers. It maintains theaccurate quality of the products as well as the integrity of the products during the transport,distribution, and storage in the warehouse and storehouse. The packing contribute toincrease the lifetime of the food and the label offers a wide range of information about theproducts.

The frigorific chainis a primer condition. Food safety is subject also on the respect of

suitable temperature and other specific rules of the transporters and distributors whichmust protect the products against the action of nocive factors and must hinder degradationof the products. The EU legislation, ISO norms and Codex Alimentarius set-up adequatenorms in order to implement quality standards during the food transport and storage of thegoods.


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The consumers responsibility is food hygiene.

The consumers responsibility to assure their own food safety has the same importance like theresponsibility of food industry producers. The consumer must respect some rules regarding the foodhygiene when they buy, carry out, keep and cook the food. The risks of the consumers in the domesticenvironment are especial the microbes which may contaminate the food products especial when they are

cooked and consumed. The more safety way to protect the consumers against the risks is to inform them on a permanent basis

about the food safety. For this purpose, from 2004 the department stores from all over the country havethe FS information points when you can found all the time the most important advices for the consumerssafety. Also it will be distributed 400,000 of ABC of food safety(FS)brochures by these points. TheInternet web page www.siguranta-alimentara.rowill be permanently at the consumers disposal to facilitatethe access to the FS information as well as to the legislative acts in this field.

The seminars and workshops has begun in 2003 and the process is continuing also in 2005 and will gettogether the producers, traders, authorities and civil society to debate on the responsibility of the foodsafety from the producer to the final consumer.

The FS program has begun in 2002 and his task is, inter alia, to correctly inform the consumers to be well-advised and to ask for supplementary information when they are buying foodstuffs. The FS program is inline with the common efforts of the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and AgricultureOrganization of the United Nations (FAO), the specialized committees of the European Commissionspecialized services and other international organizations that work for protecting the consumers and toguaranty the health by offering safety products.

In order to adequately inform and advise the consumers about the food products, The National Authorityfor Consumers Protection has included in its program to assist the non-governmental organizations of theconsumers. In 2005 the authority has also financed a network of consumers consultation and informationcenters in Romania having the managerial center in Bucharest.
http://www.siguranta-alimentara.ro/http://www.siguranta-alimentara.ro/http://www.siguranta-alimentara.ro/http://www.siguranta-alimentara.ro/


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Government Decree no.671 from 19 July 2001 published in the FirstPart of the Official Journal no.437/6 August 2001 regarding the settingup, the organizing and the functioning of the Inter-ministerial

Committee for Supervision of the Products Market, Services andConsumers Protection.

Government Decree no.671 from 19 July 2001 regarding setting up,organizing and the functioning of the Inter-ministerial Committee forSupervision of the Products Market, Services and ConsumersProtection was amended and completed by the Government Decreeno.144 from 12 February 2004 modifying the Annex.

We have the opinion that it is necessary to develop in Romania theself-control activity by setting up by the employers organizationdetailed and similar to the EU practice the Good Practice Cods for thespecific activity sectors.


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Thank you.