Safe food vs Healthy Food

What is the first question that you ask yourself about the food you buy? Do
you ask yourself is this food safe to eat or is this food healthy to eat? We all
need safe food, but also a healthy one.

Choices are sometimes depending also on amount of money that we have,

and in many cases healthier choices mean spending money. This is time when
we all want from are food just to be safe. But the choices we make today will
have effects in future.

What this means in real life is, when we consume safe product, for example
the cheeseburger in famous fast food, is that we are not going to get some
poisoning from the product or get sick in next hour or next four hours. But if we
consume every day that safe cheeseburger, for a next few months, we will
have a greater chance to get diabetes or heart attack.

This means that one safe product is not always the healthy product. This also
means that if we look at the food safety standards (HACCP, ISO 22000, FSSC
22000, IFS, BRC, etc.) they are all focusing on short time food safety.

Global Food Safety Focus

How important food safety in the world is, shows that it was the theme of
World Health Day in 2015. It is estimated from World Health Organization and
Europe that levels of foodborne disease are much higher than it is reported
and points out the need for improved collaboration among sectors to lower
the health risks associated with unsafe food. During World Health Day
important conclusion was shown: Our food chain is longer and more
complex than ever before, and demographic, cultural, economic and
environmental developments globalized trade, travel and migration, an
ageing population, changing consumer trends and habits, new technologies,
emergencies, climate change and extreme weather events are increasing
foodborne health risks.

Some of the World Health Organization key facts from 2014 that are not much
changed in 2015, and also could be the point for developing of new
programs in future showed the state of food safety in next few points:

For sustaining life and for promoting good health it is important to have
access to sufficient amounts of safe and nutritious food.
 More than 200 diseases (from diarrhea to cancers) are caused by
consuming unsafe food that contains harmful bacteria, viruses,
parasites or chemical substances.
It is estimated that 2 million people, including many children, dies from
foodborne and waterborne diarrheal diseases.
Food safety, nutrition and food security are more linked then earlier. This
is because unsafe food creates disease and malnutrition, particularly
affecting infants, young children, elderly and the sick.
Foodborne diseases have big negative influence on socioeconomic
development putting the pressure on health care systems, and harming
national economies, tourism and trade.
Food supply chains are more developed now and cross multiple
national borders. To ensure food safety good collaboration between
governments, producers and consumers is helpful.

With these key facts it is clear that goals for food chain organizations are to
build and maintain adequate food safety systems and infrastructures,
including laboratory capacities and surveillance and reporting systems.
Through whole food chain it is needed to have responds and good
managing of food safety risks, including during emergencies. Multisector
collaboration among public health, animal health, agriculture and other
sectors for better communication, information sharing and joint action is also
one of the goals. And to ensure that food produced domestically is as safe as
possible internationally it is needed to think globally and act locally.

One of the mentioned goals by World Health Organization is the integration

of food safety into broader food policies and programs including nutrition.
And with this it becomes clear that healthier food must be integrated part of
safe food programs in future.

Healthy food and Healthier choices

Innova Market Research shows that healthier choices are becoming the habit
of consumer. Transparency in labelling, new protein sources and a focus on
texture are among the top food industry trends that showed in last year.
Consumers are more focusing on text and signs on labels and demand is
clear, to have clear and simple, readable labels on products. Foodies are
consumers that like to cook, and for them the choices are to have more
products that are half prepared or lets say that make things easier. Also one
important group of people that are driving the trends are millennials (people
from age 15-35) who are well informed and who want to try something
different. Food industry has answered the call for snacks to replace
conventional breakfast foods, with pouches, muesli bites and breakfast
biscuits, among many others - and it is now moving into convenient, portable
foods to replace lunch and dinner too.

Snacks are changing and there are more customer demands for fresh fruits
based snacks and other fresh products. Also more important is becoming the
frozen products program as that kind of technology has the ability to lock
freshness in products. Private label is no longer synonymous with plain
packaging or poorer quality. Big retailers are investing in developing of quality
products with changes in design of packaging for consumer attention.

As we can see even food industry trends that were built according to
customer demands is showing that focus is on healthier food products and
healthier choices.

But, what is healthy food? There are so many definitions, but at the end it is
very hard to define it because healthy food for some people is not healthy
while for the others is (one could eat chocolate bar with peanut, but for the
other it makes allergies).

One definition seems to be generally used - Healthy food is food products that
provide essential nutrients and energy to sustain growth, health and life while
satiating hunger.

Detailed explained healthy food is:

Fresh or minimally processed foods for example fresh fruits or

vegetable, or minimally processed food like frozen mixed vegetables,
Naturally dense in nutrients for example there is 11 Most Nutrient
Dense Foods on The Planet (Salmon, Kale, Seaweed, Garlic, Shellfish,
Potatoes, Liver, Sardines, Blueberries, Egg Yolks, Dark Chocolate,
Cocoa),
When eaten, sustain growth, repair and maintain vital processes,
promote longevity, reduce disease, strengthen and maintain the body
and mind and its functions.

According to Technomic Inc. Healthy Eating Consumer Report (picture 1),

consumers are becoming more health conscious and this is changing the
definition of healthy food. It is noted that, today's consumers are increasingly
driven to local, natural, organic and sustainable offeringsall of which are
strongly tied to their contemporary definitions of health.
 Picture 1 - to Technomic Inc. Healthy Eating Consumer Report infogram -
https://www.technomic.com/Reports_and_Newsletters/Consumer_Trend_Reports/dyn_PubLoad.php?pID=75

This changed definition is in grate connection with Food and Health Survey
2015 done by International Food Information Council Foundation, were it is
stated that, four in ten Americans believe that a sustainable diet means that
the foods they eat represent a balanced, nutritious meal (picture 2). Also
grate percentage in survey showed that sustainable diet for people means
affordable and readily available, which have smaller impact on the
environment and that are produced in socially responsible way.
 Picture 2 - International Food Information Council Foundation, Food and Health Survey 2015,
http://www.foodinsight.org/2015-food-health-survey-consumer-research#sthash.U8XPFIvr.dpbs

Same survey points out what informations are consumers reading these days
on packaging of food products. And it can be see that expiration date,
nutrition facts panel, also calorie and other nutrition information are among
top 5 (picture 3).

Picture 3 - International Food Information Council Foundation, Food and Health Survey 2015,
http://www.foodinsight.org/2015-food-health-survey-consumer-research#sthash.U8XPFIvr.dpbs
All of this consumer demands changed the focus from food safety that
become something that must be or exist to hewing healthier products and
healthier choices.

Here important point is that all healthy products must be safe, but all safe
products are not at the same time healthy.

Global Food Industry Trends

How consumer demands are affecting big food producers or retailers it can
be seen through global companies goals and projects. This is publicly
available since these food companies are communicating informations
about their new developed health products or programs for healthier
choices.

For example McDonalds who is the worlds leading global foodservice

retailer with over 34,500 locations serving more than 69 million customers in
more than 100 countries each day, showed more than a few programs that
changed menu and focused on healthier choices. Also McDonalds is
partnering with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation to leverage menu and
marketing power to promote balanced food and beverage choices.
McDonalds with this programs commits to: provide customers a choice of a
side salad, fruit or vegetable as a substitute for French fries in value meals;
promote and feature only water, milk, and juice as the beverage in Happy
Meals on menu boards and in-store and external advertising; offer new fruit,
vegetable, low/reduced fat dairy or water options in Happy Meal; ensure
100% of all advertising directed to children to include a fun nutrition or
childrens well-being message (picture 4).
 Picture 4 The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/07/27/business/20110727-mcdonalds-
happy-meal-makeover.html?ref=business&_r=0

If you are the customer of McDonalds you surely noticed nutritive and calorie
tablets on each product, helping you to calculate the amounts of calories
that you consume.

On the other hand Nestle who is the world producer of different food brands
is well known for food safety, but also it introduced a number of programs for
nutrition like: building knowledge leadership in childrens nutrition; provide
nutritionally sound products designed for children; reduce sodium (salt) in
products; reduce sugars in products; reduce saturated fats and remove trans
fats in products; deliver nutrition information and advice on all product labels;
provide portion guidance for consumers, and many other programs for
healthier choices.

Some of the biggest global food retailers have gone few steps further in
developing healthier choices, but also healthier products. For example look at
Delhaize Group Sustainability Strategy with defined goals for year 2020. In this
Sustainability Strategy one of the focus areas is sustainable private brands with
goals for nutritional labeling, nutritional quality, food safety, fair work
conditions, sustainable palm oil, sustainable seafood etc.

Also Delhaize Group in previous years has developed few grate projects.

First big project is Providing Better Choices: Delhaize Belgium and

Luxembourgs Sustainable Meat Programs (picture 5).

Pork is an affordable meat for many customers. That made it ideal for an
ambitious project that created healthier pork products without increasing
prices. To improve sustainability, Delhaize began at the first step in the pork
supply chain: animal feed. The Healthy Farming Association Benelux, an
organization of scientists and agricultural professionals, helped develop a
feed that is made from a mix of grains and is richer in Omega 3 fatty acids
than traditional, corn-based feed. This feed results in healthier meat, as the
pork contains at least twice the Omega 3, an essential nutrient, as
conventional pork meat. Furthermore, growing a more diverse set of crops for
the feed, rather than relying only on corn, promotes biodiversity in the farming
region.

To encourage farmers to adopt the new, more expensive feed, Delhaize paid
for the difference in cost from regular feed. They coordinated with 47 farmers,
10 feed suppliers and 5 slaughterhouses. Pork generated by this project is sold
under the Delhaize brand, and is currently available in the majority of
Delhaize Belgium and Luxembourg stores. And they plan to offer it in 100% of
our stores by the end of 2015.

Picture 5 Delhaize Sustainability progress report 2014 -

http://www.delhaizegroup.com/en/Sustainability/SustainabilityReports.aspx

Second big project was made in Delhaize Serbia where Delhaize

Empowered Local Farmers to Compete on the European Market through
selecting programs for food safety standards and food traceability,
education campaign for local farmers and financing of 2 local farmers for
certification of Global GAP (picture 6). Delhaize Serbia also plans to use the
Support to Sustain slogan for additional initiatives, including new programs
for sustainable breads and other locally produced products that will be
available year round.
 Picture 6 Delhaize Sustainability progress report 2014 -
http://www.delhaizegroup.com/en/Sustainability/SustainabilityReports.aspx

Projects for future development of safe food

It is clear that global food retailers are following the demands of customer,
but also food industry trends and with their projects we can see the healthy
products more representatives on shelves, but also healthier choices offered.

Here important thing that needs to be point out is difference between

healthier products or choices and healthy products.

Healthier products means that we have some product that is not considered
as healthy product and food manufacturer or retailer is going to perform
activities like labeling program or ingredients changing to make it healthier or
some other activities that will help customer to make healthier choices.

Healthy food is healthy product by itself or it is produced from raw materials

that in combination make that product healthy. There are numerous
programs that food manufacture or retailer can use, like developing of new
products or development of raw materials/suppliers that will at the end have
part in producing the healthy product.
Labeling programs

In most countries it has become a legal obligation to mark Reference Intake

or Guideline Daily Amount. Also there are demands for traffic lite coding
where more green colors means more nutrient product.

Retailers use in store labeling to mark more nutritive products on shelves and
make it more visible for customers.

Labeling programs can make grate difference in the price of products on the
market because other interesting points like preparation of product,
combinations with other food, health impacts, and nutritional value that can
be added.

Ingredients changing

Ingredients changing can be developed in two big groups: reducing of the

existing amount of ingredients (salt, sugar, preservatives, additive);
replacement of existing ingredients for healthier (natural flavors, natural
colors, natural fruit sweeteners, specialty ingredients meeting consumer
requirements).

Development of new products

Development of new products mainly goes in step with customer demands,

but also market requirements. For food producers and retailers this
development is highly needed to remain competitive on market.

For example developing of new product would be using of hemp seed in milk,
protein powders and as additives in cereals because hemp has a healthy
combo of veggie protein, omega-3 fats and antioxidants. Also more and
more popular becomes seaweed as in form of seaweed snacks because it
has big number of nutrients, including high levels of vitamins A and C, and
calcium, high amounts of iodine, potassium, selenium, iron, and magnesium.
The grate thing to remember is that all this comes in a very low-calorie
package.

Development of suppliers

As noted in Delhaize Group project, development of suppliers can go through

developing of animal feed or improving of soil. Important step would be the
training for suppliers in changing the conditions of production and demands
for healthier raw materials and healthier food programs.
At the end it comes clear that future customer demands for healthy food and
healthier choices will have effects on global changes in food safety
demands.

Development of healthier products and providing healthy food for market

ultimately will change the food safety standards and we can expect, beside
allergen management and labeling, more concrete demands in them.

Changes then will be visible in time of effectiveness of food safety on health

of consumer, and when healthy becomes the inseparable part of food safety
then we can say that our food product is 100% safe.

Spec. Sanit. Eco. Ing. Vladimir Surinski

Auditor and Trainer

Quality Austria Center d.o.o. Belgrade, Serbia