Essay Sample on Food Industry Issues

Introduction

Safe food handling entails various steps that food and beverage businesses undertake to ensure the safety of foods across all phases of preparation. People in the food industry come into contact with consumer goods at different stages. For instance, the staff handles foodstuff during shopping, storage, cooking, and packaging. There are measures that firms ought to observe for the safe handling of foods (Food Standards Australia & New Zealand, 2015). For instance, all staff that handles the products must wash their hands often and use clean surfaces (Fsis, 2015). They should also prepare goods separately to avoid cross-contamination from one product to another.

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Adherence to the stated guidelines is critical in the food and beverage sector. The purpose of these practices is to curb food borne illnesses. The diseases arise due to increased contact with foods as a result of long distribution chains. Consumption of meals that contain harmful bacteria or chemicals puts the Australian public health at risk. Controlling the spread of infection relies on the adoption and implementation of stringent food handling policies. The provisions of the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) define standards required for preventing instances of food poisoning (Federal Register of Legislation, 2014). Thus, the sets of rules on food handling exist to protect public health and safety.

The Australian government has enacted strict laws to regulate the domestic food and beverage production sector. There exist high standards that companies must meet to gain approval and licensure for operation. The strict regulations that govern domestically produced foods also apply to imported food (USDA United States Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service, 2014). Through the coordination of various government agencies, the nation strives to subject imports to Australian standards. The efforts aim to safeguard the Australian population against consuming unsafe products. By regulating the entry of imports into the country, the government intends to keep substandard produce off the Australian market.

The issue of imported foodstuff threatens the health and safety of the people. Different nations have varied levels of food safety controls (Australian Government: Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, 2018). Besides, adherence to outlined standards varies with the corporate culture of food processing companies that export goods to Australia. Importation of food products is rampant among processors that seek to benefit from lower production costs available in other countries. Thus, by importing, the companies increase their profit margins. The Australian government strives to protect public health by inspecting and testing imports. The imported foods ought to comply with food safety regulations before gaining entry into the local market.

Key Regulations/Laws

The FSANZ is in charge of food safety issues in the country. It works with other agencies such as the Department of Agriculture (DOA) and law enforcement authorities to uphold standards (Leake, 2014). FSANZ's Standard 3.2.2 Food Safety Practices and General Requirements contains regulations that govern all activities of a food enterprise(Federal Register of Legislation, 2014, n.p). Unregulated contact or access to products within the establishment can significantly compromise the security of the goods. For instance, unsanitary handling of products can lead to contamination. Therefore, it is necessary for organizations and staff to adhere to the specific rules of the clause.

FSANZ's provisions serve as measures that regulate food handling during various stages of production. The agency emphasizes the need for cautious management right from the initial steps of receiving and storing produce. It also defines standards necessary for the critical phases of processing, packaging, and transportation (Federal Register of Legislation, 2014). One of the measures used to curb food-borne illness during food processing is cooking foods to the right temperatures. The other is prompt refrigeration of processed products. The act helps in the preservation of perishables. By encouraging practices such as sanitation of preparation surfaces, utensils and storage tools, the law addresses food handling challenges.

In response to threats posed by imports, the Australian government has stepped up its imported food safety system. The significant public protection measure is the Biosecurity Act 2015. The bill dictates that entry of foreign product into the Australian consumer market relies on the compliance of the goods (Australian Government/Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, 2018). Imported produce must satisfy the terms and conditions as outlined within the law's provisions. The DoA administers the Biosecurity Act 2015. Thus, it is responsible for the intensified inspection of goods to ensure compliance. The statute also empowers the department to set restrictions on the importation of specific products that do not meet the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code.

The conditions of the bill apply to several foods whether they are for commercial or private use. The goal of the law is to ensure that only permitted and certified goods enter the nation (McAndrews, 2018). The move targets companies that exploit cheap labor and costs of production that often compromise safety standards for profitability. Thus, it protects the citizens against items that do not meet Australia's import requirements (Kouparitsas, 2016). For instance, the nation prohibited the entry of personal consignments of pork jerky and biltong in November 2018. The prohibition sought to control the risk of an outburst of African swine fever in Australia.

Recommendations

A focused management solution applicable to addressing food handling challenges is facilitating the acquisition of knowledge among members of the food industry. There is a need to educate staff on the value and necessity of practicing exceptionally high health and hygiene practices (Guiso, Sapienza, and Zingales 2015, p.3). While the employees may possess basic training in dealing with foods, they need refresher courses. Enabling people to participate in such programs can increase their insight into the dangers of not handling food properly. Besides, it is also crucial for the workers to understand that food safety matters at all phases(Australian Institute of Food Safety, 2018). Thus, they should not uphold hygienic conduct during the processing stage only.

Training teams on the importance of hygiene can result in a responsible corporate culture among organizations (Elnaga and Imran 2013, p.1). Enterprises that show commitment to maintaining food handling standards can help prevent food-borne diseases. With an organizational culture that values food safety, there is minimal opposition against investing in premises and equipment that meet set qualifications. For instance, entrepreneurs can resort to using modern vehicles that do not expose foodstuff to contaminants (Federal Register of Legislation, 2012). Thus, taking food and beverage industry leaders and their subordinates through comprehensive safety-oriented programs can positively address the problem.

A focused management approach to upholding the defined Australian import standards can involve the integration of local staff with the production teams in the country of origin (Wandersman, Chien, and Katz 2012, p.3). For example, a business imports meat products from China. The nation may not have similar standards compared to those of Australia. Thus, upon importing the final products, some get seized and destroyed at the ports. In such a scenario, the administrators can incorporate local quality assurance officers in the production process since they understand the requirements.

Alternatively, firms can exploit the available cheap production avenues to maintain high-profit margins without sacrificing the quality of the final commodity. The incentive of outsourcing and importing is the projected profits due to low costs of production. Food businesses can minimize sourcing costs by acquiring raw produce directly from the farmers. The presence of intermediaries influences the high acquisition costs. Intermediaries that link companies and farmers in the food and beverage sector significantly impact pricing through the demand and supply balance (Fernie and Sparks 2014, p. 38). The high prices of productions drive entrepreneurs to outsource or import. Therefore, direct sourcing without go-betweens can lessen the need for importation of foods.

References

Australian Government: Department of Agriculture and Water Resources. 2018. Importing food. [online] Available at http://www.agriculture.gov.au/import/goods/food [Accessed 9 Jan. 2019].

Australian Institute of Food Safety. 2018. Food Safety Laws. [online] Available at https://www.foodsafety.com.au/resources/videos/food-safety-laws [Accessed 9 Jan. 2019].

Elnaga, A. and Imran, A., 2013. The effect of training on employee performance. European Journal of Business and Management, 5(4), pp.137-147.Available at https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/354c/2c8c60f37f5e25f63f557b3573ec366197ae.pdf [Accessed 9 Jan. 2019]

Federal Register of Legislation. 2012. Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code - Standard 3.2.3 - Food Premises and Equipment. [online] Available at https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2012C00774 [Accessed 9 Jan. 2019].

Federal Register of Legislation. 2014. Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code - Standard 3.2.2 - Food Safety Practices and General Requirements (Australia Only). [online] Available at https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2014C01204 [Accessed 9 Jan. 2019].

Fernie, J. and Sparks, L., 2014. Logistics and retail management: Emerging issues and new challenges in the retail supply chain. Kogan Page Publishers. Available at http://www.ismsedu.com/Logistics%20and%20Retail.pdf

Food Standards Australia & New Zealand. 2015. Food safety standards (Australia only). [online] Available at http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/industry/safetystandards/pages/default.aspx [Accessed 9 Jan. 2019].

Food Standards Australia New Zealand. 2016. Safe Food Australia - A guide to the Food Safety Standards. [online] Available at http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/publications/Pages/safefoodaustralia3rd16.aspx [Accessed 9 Jan. 2019].

Fsis. 2015. Basics for Handling Food Safely. [online] Available at https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/safe-food-handling/basics-for-handling-food-safely/ct_index [Accessed 9 Jan. 2019].

Guiso, L., Sapienza, P. and Zingales, L., 2015. The value of corporate culture. Journal of Financial Economics, 117(1), pp.60-76. Available at:https://www.nber.org/papers/w19557.pdf

Kouparitsas, A. 2016. Find out where Australia imports its food from - Esri Australia blog | Esri Australia. [online] Esri Australia Pty Ltd. Available at: https://esriaustralia.com.au/esri-australia-blog/find-out-where-australia-imports-its-food-from-blg-20 [Accessed 9 Jan. 2019].

Leake, L. 2014. Food Safety in Australia - Food Quality & Safety. [online] Food Quality & Safety. Available at: https://www.foodqualityandsafety.com/article/food-safety-in-australia/?singlepage=1 [Accessed 9 Jan. 2019].

McAndrews, J. 2018. Australia's Food Importing Rules Need a Review. [online] Foodsafety.com.au. Available at: https://www.foodsafety.com.au/news/australias-food-importing-rules-need-review [Accessed 9 Jan. 2019].

USDA United States Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service. 2014. Australia: Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards | USDA Foreign Agricultural Service. [online] Available at https://www.fas.usda.gov/data/australia-food-and-agricultural...