Food allergies and perceptions towards food allergen labelling in Mauritius

There remains a paucity of research in food allergies in Sub-saharan Africa. It is the aim of this study 4 to determine the self-reported prevalence of food allergies and consumers’ perceptions towards food 5 allergen labelling in Mauritius. A survey was conducted in four supermarkets in the Municipalities of 6 Vacoas-Phoenix, Quatre-Bornes and Moka during the period of September to November 2017. The 7 questionnaire was designed based on previous studies and administered using a face-to-face 8 interview approach to increase completion rate. Descriptive analysis and one-way ANOVA between 9 subjects design were conducted. Shellfish was reported as the most common causative agent 10 followed by fish, egg and peanut. Respondents were satisfied with the current font size and general 11 information provided in food labels. Respondents agreed that it could be problematic to identify 12 suitable foods for individuals suffering from food allergies or intolerances. Variations of PAL 13 statements and generic terms provided in food labels, and location of allergy warnings were cause for 14 concern. More than 80% of the respondents felt that allergens in ingredient list should be emphasised 15 (e.g. bold font) and plain English or French language should be used to describe allergenic 16 ingredients. The findings in this study provide practical insights on food allergen labelling issues for 17 policy makers and stakeholders in the food supply chain. Determining the prevalence of food allergies 18 in the country will inform policy makers to consider adding shellfish and other major allergenic 19 ingredients to the list of ingredients requiring mandatory allergen warning label in Mauritiu

Potential Application of a Quality Cost Model for Fresh Produce Packhouses

AbstractThe objective of this research is to access the potential of a quality cost model to food industry as a quality improvement indicator tool. The quality cost model has been applied for salad pack house and selenium egg pack house. The primary cost analysis show the different proportionality between cost of prevention and cost of control among two types of manufactures. Such evidence is explained by the different risk of products; fresh ready to eat vegetable and the raw egg in shell, thus the different of working model. The cased manufacturers indicated the possibility to apply this cost model as a long term quality improvement evaluation tool in term of the quality cost investment and the business revenue growth

A multi-stakeholder perspective on the adoption of Good Agricultural Practices in the Thai fresh produce industry

Purpose – We explore the factors hindering the adoption of good agricultural practices (GAPs) in the Thai fresh fruit and vegetable industry from the perspectives of key stakeholders in different tiers of the supply chain up to consumers. Design/methodology/approach – Semi-structured interviews carried out in Bangkok and nearby cities. The key informants were experts, governmental authorities, producers, distributors, exporters, and consumers. A qualitative content summarising approach was used to analyse the interview transcripts. Findings – Stakeholders perceived the credibility of national GAP (Q-GAP) standards implemented in the Thai domestic market as low, due to a lack of reliable verification and traceability and because the system is managed by governmental bodies. Consumer demand could drive the market of safe produce, but retail stores are the main influencers of producers’ adoption of GAPs in domestic markets. Research limitations/implications – The findings are based on a small group of Thai fresh produce industry players and consumers who operate mainly in an urban context. Practical implications – The paper provides relevant information for policy makers and industrialists to find appropriate strategies to sustain GAPs in Thailand. Stakeholder awareness of food safety issues and information provision are crucial. Originality/value – This is the first in-depth study of stakeholders’ perceptions of GAP implementation in the Thai fresh produce supply chain as the industry is currently transitioning from a commodity market to a quality/safety-oriented market. The results raise important issues regarding GAP adoption, food safety certification, and labelling in Thailand

Food Safety Assurance System for Fresh Produce Production in Thailand: A Review

In 2004, the Thai government enacted a food safety policy, ‘from-farm-to-table’, to ensure food safety throughout the food chain. Several food safety assurance systems such as good agricultural practices (GAP) are employed to control and monitor food safety. Nevertheless, a lack of confidence in food safety of products in the domestic market still exists. This study aimed to describe and analyse the current situation of GAP standards implemented in fresh produce production in Thailand. A mixed explorative and descriptive approach was used by reviewing literature and using multidimensional scaling to draw a subjective perceptual map of the relative position of the set of GAP standards adopted in Thailand. Food safety law and regulations were discussed with a comparative analysis of the three kinds of GAP standards applied in Thailand. The subjective perceptual map of the different GAP standards shows that the standards may be positioned with reference to two dimensions: ‘trustworthiness’ and ‘usefulness for the business’. The problem of GAP implementation in Thailand is rooted in a lack of knowledge and understanding of principles and the perception of advantages of GAP adoption among stakeholders. The national GAP of Thailand, Q-GAP, is the most widely adopted standard. However, improvement of credibility of this standard is urgently required

Are Thai consumers willing to pay for food safety labels? Choice experiment on fresh produce

Thai government introduced a food safety label (Q mark) to help consumers recognizing produce with higher level of safety assurance. Producers and retailers are sceptical on whether Thai consumers place value on it, thus they are reluctant to apply to obtain certification and label. This study aims to estimate the value Thai consumers place on food safety labels for fresh produce using a discrete choice experiment approach and a mixed logit (RPL) model. A sample of 350 Thai consumers was surveyed in Bangkok in 2013. Thai consumers are willing- to-pay a premium price for food safety labelled produce over unlabelled ones

A multi-stakeholder perspective on the adoption of Good Agricultural Practices in the Thai fresh produce industry

Purpose \u2013 We explore the factors hindering the adoption of good agricultural practices (GAPs) in the Thai fresh fruit and vegetable industry from the perspectives of key stakeholders in different tiers of the supply chain up to consumers. Design/methodology/approach \u2013 Semi-structured interviews carried out in Bangkok and nearby cities. The key informants were experts, governmental authorities, producers, distributors, exporters, and consumers. A qualitative content summarising approach was used to analyse the interview transcripts. Findings \u2013 Stakeholders perceived the credibility of national GAP (Q-GAP) standards implemented in the Thai domestic market as low, due to a lack of reliable verification and traceability and because the system is managed by governmental bodies. Consumer demand could drive the market of safe produce, but retail stores are the main influencers of producers\u2019 adoption of GAPs in domestic markets. Research limitations/implications \u2013 The findings are based on a small group of Thai fresh produce industry players and consumers who operate mainly in an urban context. Practical implications \u2013 The paper provides relevant information for policy makers and industrialists to find appropriate strategies to sustain GAPs in Thailand. Stakeholder awareness of food safety issues and information provision are crucial. Originality/value \u2013 This is the first in-depth study of stakeholders\u2019 perceptions of GAP implementation in the Thai fresh produce supply chain as the industry is currently transitioning from a commodity market to a quality/safety-oriented market. The results raise important issues regarding GAP adoption, food safety certification, and labelling in Thailand

Food Safety Assurance System for Fresh Produce Production in Thailand: A Review

In 2004, the Thai government enacted a food safety policy, \u2018from-farm-to-table\u2019, to ensure food safety throughout the food chain. Several food safety assurance systems such as good agricultural practices (GAP) are employed to control and monitor food safety. Nevertheless, a lack of confidence in food safety of products in the domestic market still exists. This study aimed to describe and analyse the current situation of GAP standards implemented in fresh produce production in Thailand. A mixed explorative and descriptive approach was used by reviewing literature and using multidimensional scaling to draw a subjective perceptual map of the relative position of the set of GAP standards adopted in Thailand. Food safety law and regulations were discussed with a comparative analysis of the three kinds of GAP standards applied in Thailand. The subjective perceptual map of the different GAP standards shows that the standards may be positioned with reference to two dimensions: \u2018trustworthiness\u2019 and \u2018usefulness for the business\u2019. The problem of GAP implementation in Thailand is rooted in a lack of knowledge and understanding of principles and the perception of advantages of GAP adoption among stakeholders. The national GAP of Thailand, Q-GAP, is the most widely adopted standard. However, improvement of credibility of this standard is urgently required