Food Safety And Quality Management

Any farm that is going to be producing a crop that will be utilised in big food chains in South Africa or exported needs to have all of its staff trained and able to help in the process of food safety. To control and monitor a food safety process is beyond the ability of management alone. In this process, management will need the assistance of the staff at every level of the operation.

This will entail the following:

• High standard of training for staff in the importance of traceability.
• Full training in all the technical aspects carried out by the person.
• Full understanding of the OHSA.
• Personnel hygiene.
• Social issues

Getting a product to an overseas market usually requires many steps. At each step, there will be an assessment and sampling of quality and food safety. Before your product will be accepted by an export agent there will be an audit conducted to establish compliance to Good Agricultural Practices.

The overseas standards are important because if you want to export you will have to meet these standards. As the overseas standards raise so the South African standards have to change to meet these standards.