Manufacturers and suppliers should work more closely together along the supply chain in order to prevent product recalls over potential allergen fears, food safety certification body Lloyd's Register has said.
The group made the call after a raft of food product recalls in the UK in the run up to Christmas, and follows a recent survey that indicted that 71% of UK consumers expect their supermarket or restaurant to know the 'precise ingredients' of every product they supply.
Provide Assurance
Lloyd’s Register said that manufacturers and suppliers should collaborate to provide assurance and transparency to consumers, and place consumer safety at the heart of all supply chain management decisions.
“As UK consumers become more educated on the risks associated with mislabelling and undeclared ingredients, it falls to the food industry as a whole to ensure it is doing everything possible to detect ingredients and control the global supply chain," commented Stuart Kelly, head of commercial, customised assurance at Lloyd’s Register.
"Programmes such as Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI)-aligned food safety certification, are in place to instil supplier-retailer-consumer trust," he added.
A recent report by Lloyd’s Register, UK Food Trends: A Snapshot in Time, indicated the reputational damage that can be caused by product recalls, with one in five British shoppers having changed the brands they purchase due to a food safety incident or product recall.
"Supermarkets and other vendors are expected to do more to provide assurance that food is what it says on the tin and maintain brand loyalty," said Kelly. "However, it is time for the industry to work together and for the entire supply chain to provide transparency.”
Food Safety Concerns
According to the same report, one in three UK shoppers are 'more concerned' about food safety than they were a year ago, with 57.1% of consumers saying they are concerned about food contamination, such as listeria or salmonella, following food safety scares over the past decade.
“Food has never been safer to consume, and yet we are still faced with the reality that nearly one third of consumers are questioning the safety of the food they eat," said Kelly.
"Whether intentional or unintentional, undeclared ingredients in food have influenced consumer trust. Food safety scares have created a climate of mistrust and while recalls are undertaken to preserve consumer safety, the negative associations unfortunately dominate consumers’ opinion. By working together, the food industry can help avoid future issues and regain consumer trust.”
© 2020 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine
