https://doi.org/10.4081/ijfs.2020.8273
Hazard perception and possibility of simplifying food safety management systems in small businesses in Piedmont region, Italy
Submitted: 8 May 2019
Accepted: 23 December 2019
Published: 1 April 2020
Accepted: 23 December 2019
Abstract Views: 1139
PDF: 722
HTML: 24
HTML: 24
Publisher's note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Authors
Small food businesses, because of their limited resources, are hard pressed to comply with the requirements of a conventional food safety management system (FSMS). To overcome it, the European legislation provides some flexibility in the application of FSMS. With this study, we evaluated the change in the perception and awareness of hazards in food production and in the attitudes of food business operators (FBOs) after a regional regulation was introduced to allow flexibility and a campaign of training activities on the FSMS simplification opportunities. Training activities targeting various stakeholders have been carried out in Piedmont region since 2014. A total of 283 FBOs from the dairy and the meat supply chains were recruited for a two-round survey. Overall, the majority of the FBOs believed that application of an FSMS helps to overcome official controls, to produce healthy foods, to better manage the production process, and for staff training; its usefulness for enhancing customer trust was judged of limited value. FBO knowledge on the possibility of simplifying the FSMS activities increased significantly between surveys, suggesting the success of the information campaigns. Over time, simplification increased in the meat but not in the dairy supply chain, where it involved nearly 70% of FBOs. The cost of FSMS (mainly due to microbiological analysis) and the time it takes were the main reasons for FBO resistance to its application. Simplification of FSMS procedures were welcomed by the vast majority (>90%) of FBOs. The perception of hazards was low and generic, suggesting the need for targeted training activities.
Angelillo IF, Viggiani NM, Rizzo L, Bianco A, 2000. Food handlers and foodborne diseases: knowledge, attitudes, and reported behavior in Italy. J Food Prot 63:381-5.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4315/0362-028X-63.3.381
European Commission, 2003. Commission Recommendation of 6 May 2003 concerning the definition of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, 361/2003/CE. In: Official Journal, L 124/36, 20/05/2003.
European Commission, 2004a. Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs, 852/2004/CE. In: Official Journal, L 139/1, 30/04/2004.
European Commission, 2004b. Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 laying down specific hygiene rules for on the hygiene of foodstuffs, 853/2004/CE. In: Official Journal, L 139/55, 30/04/2004.
European Commission, 2004c. Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April laying down specific rules for the organisation of official controls on products of animal origin intended for human consumption, 854/2004/CE. In: Official Journal, L 139/206, 30/04/2004.
European Commission, 2005a. Guidance document. Implementation of procedures based on the HACCP principles, and facilitation of the implementation of the HACCP principles in certain food businesses.
European Commission, 2005b. Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council 15 November 2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs, 2073/2005/CE. In: Official Journal, L 338/1, 22/12/2005.
European Commission, 2011. DG(SANCO)/2010-6150 - MR FINAL: General report of a mission series carried out in six member states in the period November 2009 to March 2010 in order to gather information regarding the application of the hygiene regulations in small establishments producing meat and meat products of mammals and dairy products. Available from: http://ec.europa.eu/food/audits-analysis/overview_reports/details.cfm?rep_id=15. Accessed: MayDec 2019.
European Commission, 2016. Commission Notice on the implementation of food safety management systems covering prerequisite programs (PRPs) and procedures based on the HACCP principles, including the facilitation/flexibility of the implementation in certain food businesses, 4608/2016/C. In: Official Journal, C 278/1, 30/07/2016.
European Food Safety Authority, 2017. Panel on Biological Hazards (BIOHAZ): Ricci A, Chemaly M, Davies R, Fernández Escámez PS, Girones R, Herman L, Lindqvist R, Nørrung B, Robertson L, Ru G, Simmons M, Skandamis P, Snary E, Speybroeck N, Ter Kuile B, Threlfall J, Wahlström H, Allende A, Barregård L, Jacxsens L, Koutsoumanis K, Sanaa M, Varzakas T, Baert K, Hempen M, Rizzi V, Van der Stede Y, Bolton D. Hazard analysis approaches for certain small retail establishments in view of the application of their food safety management systems. EFSA J 15:e04697.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2017.4697
Farmhouse and Artisan Cheese and Dairy Producers’s European network, 2016. European guide for Good Hygiene Practices in the production of artisanal cheese and dairy products. Available from: https://ec.europa.eu/food/safety/biosafety/food_hygiene/guidance_en Accessed: MayDec 2019.
Fielding LM, Ellis L, Beveridge C, Peters AC, 2005. An evaluation of HACCP implementation status in UK small and medium enterprises in food manufacturing. Int J Environ Health Res 15:117-26.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09603120500061583
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, World Health Organization, 2006. FAO/WHO guidance to governments on the application of HACCP in small and/or less-developed food businesses. Available from: http://www.fao.org/docrep/009/a0799e/a0799e00.HTM Accessed: MayDec2019.
Henson S, Holt G, Northen J, 1999. Costs and benefits of implementing HACCP in the UK dairy processing sector. Food Control 10:99-106.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0956-7135(98)00162-5
Karabasil N, Boskovic T, Dimitrijevic M, Vasilev D, Teodorovic V, Ilic N, Djordjevic V, 2015. Food hygiene – Flexibility in traditional and small meat establishments. Procedia Food Sci 5:140-3.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profoo.2015.09.040
Ko WH, 2013. The relationship among food safety knowledge, attitudes and self-reported HACCP practices in restaurant employees. Food Control 29:192-7.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2012.05.076
Nicolandi L, Barzanti P, Enrico D, Gherardi P, Osella MC, Marino C, Ru G, 2012. Indagine campionaria sull'applicazione dei piani di autocontrollo tra gli operatori delle microimprese del settore lattiero-caseario in Piemonte. Argomenti S.I.Ve.M.P. 14:57-61. Available from: https://sivemp.it/post_rivista/argomenti-nr-1-2012-anno-xv/ sivemp.it/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/33_57_60_epivet.pdf. Accessed: MayDec 2019.
Nicolandi L, Barzanti P, Enrico D, Gherardi P, Osella MC, Ru G, 2011a. Indagine campionaria tra gli operatori del settore alimentare carni trasformate. Sintesi dei risultati. In Technical and scientific newsletter of the Piedmont Region- Medicina Veterinaria Preventiva 35:50-5.
Nicolandi L, Barzanti P, Enrico D, Gherardi P, Osella MC, Ru G, 2011b. Indagine campionaria tra gli operatori del settore alimentare lattiero-caseario. Sintesi dei risultati. In Technical and scientific newsletter of the Piedmont Region- Medicina Veterinaria Preventiva 35:56-62.
Panisello PJ, Quantick PC, 2001. Technical barriers to Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP). Food Control 12:165-73.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0956-7135(00)00035-9
Panisello PJ, Quantick PC, Knowles MJ, 1999. Towards the implementation of HACCP: results of a UK regional survey. Food Control 10:87-98.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0956-7135(98)00161-3
Piedmont Region, 2012. Determina Dirigenziali No. 692 of 15 October 2012. Definizione di linee di indirizzo per il controllo ufficiale nella microimpresa. In: Bollettino Ufficiale, No. 47, 22/11/2012. Available from: http://www.regione.piemonte.it/governo/bollettino/abbonati/2012/47/siste/index.htm Accessed: MayDec 2019.
StataCorp, 2015. Stata Statistical Software: Release 14. College Station, TX: StataCorp LP.
Tallone G, et al. 2016. Guida di buona prassi igienica per i caseifici di azienda agricola. Available from: http://www.casarecasari.it/guida-di-buona-prassi-igienica-per-i-caseifici-di-azienda-agricola-versione-2016. Accessed: May-Dec 2019.
Taylor E, Kane K, 2005. Reducing the burden of HACCP on SMEs. Food Control 16:833-9.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2004.06.025
Thaivalappil A, Waddell L, Greig J, Meldrum R, Young I, 2018. A systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative research studies on factors affecting safe food handling at retail and food service. Food Control 89:97-107.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2018.01.028
Violaris Y, Bridges O, Bridges J, 2008. Small businesses e big risks: current status and future direction of HACCP in Cyprus. Food Control 19:439-48.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2007.05.004
Yapp C, Fairman R, 2006. Factors affecting food safety compliance within small and medium-sized enterprises: implications for regulatory and enforcement strategies. Food Control 17:42-51.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2004.08.007
Zanin LM, da Cunha DT, de Rosso VV, Capriles VD, Stedefeldt E, 2017. Knowledge, attitudes and practices of food handlers in food safety: an integrative review. Food Res Int 100:53-62.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2017.07.042
How to Cite
1.
Ceballos LA, Vercellino D, D’Errico V, Barzanti P, Decastelli L, Nicolandi L, Negro M, Ru G. Hazard perception and possibility of simplifying food safety management systems in small businesses in Piedmont region, Italy. Ital J Food Safety [Internet]. 2020 Apr. 1 [cited 2024 Nov. 22];9(1). Available from: https://www.pagepressjournals.org/ijfs/article/view/8273
PAGEPress has chosen to apply the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0) to all manuscripts to be published.