[AIB Upfront] Sustainability and Food Safety: Let’s Move Forward Using Science

Sustainability is an increasingly hot topic. More than ever, consumers, retailers and stockholders are concerned with global environmental, economic and social issues. Conserving energy and water and reducing waste and air emissions are becoming common practices for many manufacturers and farmers. With its obvious benefits, I am interested in sustainability and curious about how the food industry should proceed.

I have received some disturbing calls in the past few months. In all the excitement about taking efforts toward sustainability, the food industry must remember that food safety is non-negotiable.

A while back, a company called to ask about the effects of increasing the temperature in its refrigerated warehouse by 4º F to save energy. They weren’t sure about the science behind the existing temperature, and explained that it was the company’s standard temperature. My advice for this company was to determine the science behind the temperature standard by referring to its HACCP plan. I reminded them that the HACCP plan should be supported by science and that food safety is non-negotiable.

I received a related call from a specialty milling company that was considering dropping heat-ups of some bulk storage silos during clean out in lieu of fumigation. They wanted to get credit for energy reduction to meet a customer’s request. While it may make sense to reduce energy by reducing heat-ups, one of the original purposes for using heat was to reduce the use of fumigants.

That same week, a company asked about eliminating their “infestation destroyer,” a piece of equipment commonly used in the cereal grain industry to destroy all stages of viable insects in grain and milled product. They indicated that it was a huge energy user and that they wanted to receive credit for energy reduction. When asked how they were going to prevent insect contamination in their packaged and bulk products, this company indicated it would use fumigants as needed. While this is not a food safety issue, it does fall under the GMPs and customer expectations.

I am constantly hearing that companies are reducing chemical usage including sanitizers and cleaning compounds. This is great, but I hope that the standards for cleaning and sanitizing are being met to ensure that food products are being produced in a safe environment. 

As we take global strides toward sustainability, make sure that decision-makers at your company not only have a passion for saving our environment, but also understand the science behind food safety. Food safety is non-negotiable and it remains the No. 1 priority for food producers worldwide.

The author is Vice President of Food Safety Education, AIB International.