Though every food processor has the responsibility to guarantee the quality of the food made by him as prescribed by mandatory standards, the larger question regarding the period during which the quality will remain unchanged is a problem. It is true that declaring the "Best before Date" on the label being practiced in several countries including India gives some idea to the consumer as to how long these foods can be kept without appreciable quality deterioration. In order to declare the "best before date", manufacturers need scientific data regarding the behavior of foods once processed and packed and the rate of deterioration. It is difficult for SMEs to carry out simulation studies to predict shelf life of processed foods under different storage conditions involving strong laboratory infrastructure and financial resources and this is where some form of collective approach is called for.
"A free publication to help food businesses of all sizes determine the shelf-life of ready-to-eat foods has been published today, by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and the Chilled Food Association (CFA).The Shelf-life Guidance is designed to help businesses, from small food outlets to major food manufacturers, calculate an accurate safe time period that certain foods can be kept before they are eaten. The guidance is also designed to help firms meet European Union microbiology rules – in particular Regulation (EC) No. 2073/2005. This sets limits on micro-organisms in food, such as listeria, which is the focus of the guidance. Complex issues are explained in an easy to understand manner for staff at all levels of expertise. Real life worked examples are provided to show how the advice should be put into practice.
The BRC chaired a coalition of organisations that developed the Guidance, including the CFA, CIEH, LACORS, Food Standards Agency (FSA) and the UK National Reference Laboratory Services for Food Microbiology (Health Protection Agency) participating as an observer. Sally Barber, British Retail Consortium food policy executive, said: "Setting the right shelf-life is essential for food safety. The Guidance will help businesses of all sizes to calculate the correct food shelf-life for their products and to meet European microbiology regulations. It's a free publication, with easy to use explanations and common everyday examples. "Kaarin Goodburn, secretary general of the Chilled Food Association, which led food manufacturing sector input, said: "We are pleased that such a wide range of organisations participated in developing the Guidance. We hope it will provide vital information on how to set shelf life, what the key pre-requisites are for making ready to eat food, and the basic principles of what to look for when selecting ready to eat ingredients." Jenny Morris, Chartered Institute of Environmental Health food policy officer, said: "CIEH welcomes the Guidance, as setting shelf life limits can be complex. We believe that this Guidance will assist all food businesses, large or small, and will also be of considerable use to food law enforcers."
The progressive stance of the British Food Industry deserves appreciation and such coalition efforts can bring about significant improvement in consumer confidence on the processing industry and the products churned out by its members. The credibility of these activities get further boost considering that the government watch dog body also blessed the venture.
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