The crave for quality consumption is as old as the Foods and Drink industry and this has, in many ways given local and global regulatory authorities some edge over the players in the industry in protecting the rights of consumers. Raheem Akingbolu reports.
Food safety standard compliance has, for decades, remained an important factor in determining healthy consumption. In recent years, the trend in large-scale food production to cater for the rising global and local populations has necessitated a laser-check on all consumables. Globally, two critical food safety concepts are adopted to forestall needless food safety hazards. The first food safety concept is the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), which is a risk-based approach targeted at curbing physical, chemical and biological contamination of foods within the production, packaging and distribution settings. The second concept is the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). The GMP approach to food safety standard practices ensures manufacturers of food products adhere to a stipulated set of protocol guidelines at the factory level to deliver packaged food brands that tick all the boxes within the safety and quality consistency standards.
As part of the ways to domesticate the global standard, several international private-owned organisations also provide comprehensive food safety guidelines and certify product brands after conducting strict checks to filter out unsafe production stage practices. These deep food value chains clean up approaches serve as a useful lever for controlling the food manufacturing industry thereby protecting the consumers.
For instance, Crown Flour Mill Limited (CFM), a subsidiary of OLAM, an agribusiness conglomerate, was awarded the Food Safety System Certification (FSSC) 22000 in September 2021. The food safety standard certification highlights the consumer-focused, sustainable food safety and quality philosophy driving CFM’s food production processes and product offerings. Products such as Mama Gold Flour, Crown Premium Pasta and Supreme Semolina, amongst others, have been adjudged to comply with the stringent requirements of the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) and the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), which recognize the FSSC 22000.
From any angle one chooses to look at it, catering to the culinary needs of Nigeria’s over 200 million population on a daily basis is a huge task. Meanwhile, the consumption of wheat derivative foods such as bread, semolina, pasta, noodles and biscuits has grown among local households as a result of worsening national headline inflation rate, with latest figure put at 17 per cent.
This negative inflationary trend continues to push the prices of other staple foods upward and out of the reach of a larger percentage of consumers. While the majority of the consumers are most likely to trade down to patronizing unhealthy food options, wheat milling companies such as CFM continue to put in place processes that ensure its food brands are safer, highly fortified with vital micronutrients as well as made affordable for, and available to, the masses.
The food safety standardization drive of the business, which was validated by Bureau VERITAS, a global leader in food testing, inspection and certification services, at a brief ceremony held at the CFM Ikorodu plant on Thursday, September 2, 2021, heralded another grand recognition, in the same month, that highlighted the active participation of the flour milling firm in the launch of the Micronutrient Fortification Index (MFI) in Nigeria.
Right now, the production plants of CFM in Apapa, Warri, Port Harcourt, and Tin Can have secured international food safety certifications and have obtained full regulatory MANCAP for all their products.
Why is food safety standard regulation critical at this period? It is estimated that 600 million people around the globe consume unsafe foods. The side effects of unsafe consuming practices include the possibility of mental retardation, various illnesses, poverty, and even death.
The World Health Organization (WHO) put the dietary disorder in proper perspective in an article on food safety on its website: “Access to sufficient amounts of safe and nutritious food is key to sustaining life and promoting good health.
Unsafe food containing harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances can cause more than 200 different diseases – ranging from diarrhea to cancers. Around the world, an estimated 600 million – almost 1 in 10 people – fall ill after eating contaminated food each year, resulting in 420,000 deaths and the loss of 33 million healthy life years (DALYs).”
The organisation posited that ,“in addition to contributing to food and nutrition security, safe food supply also supports national economies, trade and tourism, stimulating sustainable development.”
CFM’s commitment to ensuring consumer satisfaction through the production and distribution of safe and affordable wheat-derivative foods is also driving national productivity by ensuring the active population segment daily has access to healthy food brands that nourish their bodies while fueling their energy levels to deliver efficiently across all layers of the national economy.
Speaking on the food safety practices of CFM, the Managing Director of the company, Ashish Pande, said, “The FSSC 22000 certification is a demonstration of our sustained commitment to standard and safe practices across our food production processes beginning from how we source raw food materials from a wide network of vendors to how we handle the food processing procedures, and how we go about the food packaging and transportation process across multiple channels.”
According to Pande, “We continue to invest in best food production and fortification technology while consistently auditing our processes to avoid food hazards and risks. These overarching commitments to quality food production procedures enhance consumers’ confidence in our food brands as evidenced by our brand loyalty assessments and positive feedback received in all trade channels. Our customers, therefore, take pride in our food standardization efforts as they keep enjoying our most nourishing and affordable food products.”
Increasingly, there is a focus on customer centricity in the food production and packaging industry. So, creating a positive consumer experience that sets an organization apart from its competitors could not be more critical.
By prioritizing consumer safety and well-being through standardization of its manufacturing processes and investment in novel infrastructure such as the Vitamin Premix, CFM is not only transforming consumer experience, it is driving national productivity.
It is worthy of note that the organization has continued to invest in, contribute to and support the pursuit of Nigeria’s attainment of food security. It truly has remained one of the loudest voices for food systems in Nigeria, advocating new actions to transform how food is produced and consumed through a concerted effort at food safety, quality, and fortification in line with the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) as well as the World Food Programme(WFP)’s principal agenda.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, October 16, 2021, the world commemorated another edition of the World Food Day (WFD), with the theme “Our actions are our future – Better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life”. The WFD coincides with the commemoration of the number one staple food of the masses, the World Bread Day (WBD). Consequently, it presented the nation an avenue to examine and reflect on the current realities and living conditions of millions of Nigerians, especially those at the bottom of the pyramid and glean opportunities on how it can improve their access to affordable, nutritious and safe foods.
