COMPLIANCE TO FOOD SAFETY & QUALITY AES and AET support farmers to meet standards

by Bukelwa Grwambi

AAccess to safe food is a human right recognised under national and international law that protects consumers against food production practices that are hazardous to human health. As a result, formal food markets make it mandatory for food suppliers (including farmers and processors) to comply with food safety requirements in order to gain access.

Compliance to food safety and quality standards varies according to the risk of product contamination (primary versus processed products), potential hazards and specific market requirements.

The Marketing and Agribusiness Division of Agricultural Economic Services (AES) supports farmers to comply with food safety standards through participation in the South African Good Agricultural Practices (SAGAP) Certification Programme.

The SAGAP Certification Programme is a set of practices that addresses basic food safety requirements, including traceability of fresh produce from the point of production to the retailer until it reaches the final consumer.

It also involves record-keeping of all activities undertaken during the production of fresh produce, hygiene and responsible use of agrochemicals (pesticides, fungicides and fertilisers). The latter requires farmers to undergo training on the safe use of chemicals as part of compliance with food safety and quality standards.

For more information, contact Bukelwa

Henry Cook, a lecturer attached to Programme: Agricultural Education and Training (AET), was requested to present a course on safe use of chemicals for farmers participating in the SAGAP Certification Programme over two days. The short course covered topics such as the classification of chemicals, transportation of chemicals, disposal of empty containers, poisoning and first aid relevant to chemicals.

Eleven farmers attended and completed training on the safe use of chemicals. The session was interactive and involved classroom training, practical demonstrations, group discussions and a guided tour to the chemical store.

Participants received certificates of attendance at the end of the course.

This intervention highlights the importance of collaboration between programmes within the Department. AP