Food is not inherently safe

The 15th annual Australian HACCP Conference is in full swing and the overwhelming theme is that food is not inherently safe. The increased number of national and international attendees come from all areas of the food industry — manufacturers, retail, governments and policy, academia and agriculture — and all have the same agenda: how to ensure the food consumed in Australia and exported is safe.

It is unfortunate that the auditing process for food processors is so complex. There is a plethora of different auditing systems and many companies have to be accredited by five or more different systems. This is then overlaid by the fact that for a growing number of companies corporate social accountability is considered to be more important than food safety, with consumer health and nutrition lower still.

The 2008 HACCP Conference Awards provide the food industry with a vehicle to recognise and reward the achievements of those who work tirelessly to ensure the safety of our food supply. At the conference dinner the awards were presented to:

• Marion Bray — Outstanding individual nominated by an agri-food industry company
• Jane Lovell — Outstanding individual or organisation working in a non-industry institution
• Aron Malcolm — Outstanding individual working as a registered food safety auditor
• Shoalhaven District Hospital — Outstanding small high risk company
• Moratis Fresh — Outstanding large low risk company
• Snapfresh — Outstanding large high risk company
• Chapley Retail Group — Outstanding multi-site low risk company
• Fonterra Brands Australia Balcutta and Brunswick — Outstanding multi-site high risk company