Industry's need and expectations to meet food safety, 5th International Meeting: Noordwijk Food Safety and HACCP Forum 9-10 December 2002

Producing, processing or manufacturing foods which meet consumers' and society's expectations is a very complex undertaking. On one hand, we live in a world where the socio-economical situation and infrastructure, the environment, cultural values and regulatory requirements are different; on the other hand, the movement of people, trade of goods and services as well as communication have made food safety a global concern. Furthermore, everyday we are faced with new scientific findings bringing with them new hazards and new challenges. Therefore, ensuring food safety in today's complex world is a daunting task and is possible only with a concerted effort of all sectors including government, consumer organizations and industry - a concept that the World Health Organisation referred to as the concept of Shared Responsibility. In spite of this, in many countries, in particular in Europe, there is sometimes a feeling of distrust towards the industry. This hampers effective collaboration between different sectors whereas, in today's complex world, dialogue and partnership are needed more than ever. The present article outlines the needs and expectations of the food industry from other sectors so that it can meet its objectives, i.e. to provide consumers with safe and wholesome food and to contribute to their health.