Food Safety Solutions for Contamination Prevention
The Urgent Need for Food Safety Solutions
The near-daily occurrence of food contamination alerts and product recalls in many countries demonstrates the critical need for improved Food Safety Solutions. These incidents often have dramatic consequences, making it clear that simply reacting to problems is not enough. We must reinvent ourselves and adopt innovative approaches to prevention. At Kersia, we believe that by embracing innovation and focusing on proactive food safety solutions, we can create a truly food-safe world.
The Global Impact of Unsafe Food
Indeed, with an estimated 600 million cases of foodborne illnesses annually, unsafe food is a threat to human health and economies. For this reason, the United Nations declared June 7, International Food Safety Day, a day to bring food safety into the spotlight, to help prevent, detect, and manage foodborne risks. This underscores the global importance of effective food safety solutions.
Kersia’s Role in Food Safety
These concerns are fully shared by Kersia. We were created just a year ago, bringing together the skills and expertise of international players in biosecurity solutions for the farm and agri-food sector. Having met many active players in every segment of the food chain over the past 12 months, I have reached the following two conclusions:
– Food safety is – more than ever – the number one concern, unfortunately, product recalls and withdrawals are almost daily occurrences. The diverse health risks within the food chain, coupled with increasingly complex production and distribution, create significant danger. This highlights the urgent need for improved control.
– Furthermore, to remedy this, we must reinvent control and preventive measures upstream of the production chain.
Current Food Safety Measures: Are They Enough?
Yes, a lot has already been done in the realm of food safety. However, the complex nature of the food chain, which begins at the farm and ends with the consumer, presents ongoing challenges. The food processing sector has made significant efforts to adopt ISO or HACCP certification measures. Nevertheless, these efforts alone may not be sufficient. We need more comprehensive food safety solutions. Contract specifications negotiated with suppliers and distributors require strict traceability measures. Traceability makes it possible to react competently when an incident or crisis occurs, to track products potentially at risk quickly, and to locate the source of the problem. Governmental and health authorities in many countries keep strengthening their regulations in this area. Consumers, naturally attracted by competitively priced food, nevertheless, yet pay more attention to health risks. Monitoring systems for foodborne illnesses and alert management systems are increasingly effective. Now, we must reduce their occurrence.
The Power of Innovation in Food Safety
To truly enhance food safety, we must have new innovative tools combining chemistry, biotechnologies, and digital technology. These cutting-edge technologies will empower farmers and food processing companies to anticipate problems before they arise. Reinforcing prevention through anticipation is key to effective food safety solutions. This approach will reduce production loss and improve overall quality. Moreover, it will also create value in the food chain and, most importantly, better protect consumers from foodborne illnesses.
Kersia’s Vision for a Food-Safe Future
At Kersia, we want to be at the forefront of this change. Innovation is at the heart of the DNA of our Group and its mission: “Inventing a food-safe world”. We focus our research efforts on this quest for disruptive solutions. This is the ambition that unites our team. This is the promise we make to our employees so they can flourish at work and contribute to the realization of our vision of a food-safe world.
Sebastien Bossard is the Chief Executive Officer of Kersia
(Dinard, France, June 7, 2019)
