Between a consumer pull and a supplier push, fresh produce certifications and standards have become increasingly prevalent in recent years. In the interest of streamlining and unifying the collection of worldwide standards, the International Federation of Produce Standards (IFPS) isramping up discussion of global harmonisation. Fruitnet.com spoke with the group’s chairman Dr Hans Maurer about what’s driving that discussion and where it’s likely to lead.
What are the main motivating factors behind fresh produce standards harmonisation?
HM: Ultimately, the entire produce value chain works for the consumer. Consumers have expectations – size, shape, taste, visual appearance, goodness, consistency, availability, price – with many of these attributes wrapped into the expressions like ‘quality’ and ‘value’.
As there is never just one value chain participant involved in managing crops and products from paddock to plate, one gets standard proliferation as the produce passes along the chain. Multiple standards existing in isolation have the potential to confuse value chain participants, slow down the pace at which the product moves between paddock and plate and increase costs. That’s not a good look when the product is highly perishable and speed to market is a key driver in delivering ‘quality’ and ‘value’. Standards harmonisation will assist in mitigating the risk.
How does a nation-led, bottom-up approach to standardisation (for example ChileGAP’s benchmarking against ChinaGAP) compare to a top-down approach whereby new standards are developed by a central body? Which kind of approach do you think we might see in the next few years?
HM: There is nothing wrong with nation-led, bottom-up approaches as you describe them. Produce is however traded in a global environment and there are a number of active global standard setters who are not necessarily paying attention to what bilateral activity is taking place, ie GS1, ISO, Codex Alimentarius, etc. It is unlikely that we ever get to the point of one central body developing all standards. The industry is far too complex for that.
The global industry has, however, determined that in order to get global standard setters paying attention to industry requirements in the process of developing standards, a global industry body which is focused on standards is needed, and this is how IFPS came into being.
Lastly, a comment on GAP – be that Chile, China or GlobalGAP – there is an absolute need for programmes of this nature, but there is also a place for them and that is on-farm. The A in GAP standards for agriculture. As produce leaves the farm, other standards apply, so standards harmonisation is a more complex beast than two countries aligning their GAP processes and procedures.
Standards required by private retail chains are becoming more significant aspects to this issue. How will those affect the discussion?
HM: Invariably, retail chains see quality standards as a potential point of differentiation – and with the increasing consumer focus on food safety related issues it would be difficult to argue with them. Retailers are however the ultimate pragmatists and are not hell-bent on reinventing the wheel come what may, as they understand the costs of doing so. Intelligent retailers will always try to understand the depth and robustness of existing standards in the first instance and then build their differentiation components on that platform – as long as they are confident that the existing industry standards do indeed have depth and robustness.
When that is not the case, retailers tend to start from scratch and that is something we believe can be avoided by ensuring that the global produce industry supports standards which not only have depth and robustness, but are cognisant of retail requirements in the first place. An example is the creation of the Global Fruit and Vegetable Traceability Implementation Guide. The Guide was created by the global produce industry, represented by IFPS, under the auspices of GS1 Global.
What are likely to be the main challenges to standards harmonisation?
HM: Vested interests, embedded practices and a lack of willingness to communicate. Luckily, this is only a hypothetical list, because IFPS is delighted with the actual progress that is being made in terms of preparing the ground. IFPS is now recognised as the global organisation representing the produce industry on standards-related matters by ISO (ISO/TC 034/SC17 ‘Management Systems For Food Safety’), Codex Alimentarius, GS1 and GFSI. Our first Global Forum at Fruit Logistica was very well attended and received indeed, and we will continue our work towards standards harmonisation with ongoing vigour and determination.
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