Individuals must be at the center of the food supply chain. This is, after all, the true meaning of sustainability. The collectivity of individuals participates in the
common good
that is reflected in human health
, animal welfare
, environment and biodiversity
. Expressing themselves, among other things, through labels free from unbearable burdens.
‘Free from’
, supply chains and products free from unbearable burdens.
Global consumers
, increasingly aware of their role as protagonists and therefore masters
of the food and beverage supply chain, today express a clear vocation to purchase food and beverages
‘natural’. Effectively forcing a paradigm shift in production and distribution chains.
The most striking signal
of extraordinary effectiveness of the ‘pressure from below’
of ConsumAtors is that of palm oil, which within a few years has almost disappeared in Italy
and in Europe
From confectionery and bakery products. Numerous other signs, however, have gone under the radar, as operators have merely eliminated ingredients that pose food safety risks but have not boasted of their absence. As occurred with titanium dioxide.
and the so-called Southampton dyes, quietly excluded from much confectionery and
chewing gum
(not also, the dyes, from drinks). (1)
The ‘free from‘ is a much broader phenomenon as it affects:
– food ingredients and additives (see. next paragraph on ‘clean label‘),
– the supply chains ‘
from seed to fork
‘ e ‘
from farm to fork
‘. There is a marked distrust of seeds-where the ‘
no
GMO
‘ is already leading the European rankings – and pesticides employed in the production of plant ingredients.
The fraudulent use
of certain terms ‘
free from’
, vice versa, must be suppressed without delay by the relevant supervisory authorities. Since the misuse of wording such as ‘
gluten-free
‘
on products that are naturally devoid of it and cannot bear a trace of it because they are made in plants and supply chains where grains do not even appear(e.g., tea) constitutes a violation of fair information practices, when not a fraud in trade. (2)
Animal welfare and human health
Antibiotic resistance
has garnered the attention of the WHO as well as that of the European legislature, which recently introduced a major reform on the use of drugs in animal husbandry
. Coop Italy has turned the system around, involving several hundred suppliers in the development of ‘antibiotics-free‘ supply chains
, extended to eggs
and aquaculture
.
The feeding of animals Is itself destined for prominence. With a view to integrating supply chains in the territories, excluding the unsustainable supplies of corn and especially GMO soybeans of distant origin and de facto lack of control. On the other hand, consumers are beginning to understand that ‘grass milk’ has quite different characteristics than ‘barn milk,’ and they will learn to recognize the greater value of products derived from pasture-raised livestock. In Sardinian sheep’s milk cheeses. but also in Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano, to name but a few of our excellences.
‘Clean label’
The ‘
clean label
‘ – simple labels with a few quality-certified ingredients – are gaining ground in every commodity sector. Work is being done on theintegrity of the supply chain
, which must be equitable and sustainable
to ensure true quality, understood also in a social-environmental dimension (CSV, ‘
Contributing to Social Values
‘
). Blockchain technology, in this sense, can contribute to transparency through ‘digital notarization’ and incorruptible of physical processes. (3)
The reformulation of foods and process adaptation is another crucial step in improving and simplifying prescriptions. Action should first be taken-where possible, particularly in processed and ultra-processed products-on the nutritional profiles. With the specific goal of reducing salt
, added sugars
and saturated fats whenever they are not absolutely essential to maintain the microbiological stability and/or nature of traditional foods (where, however, some corrections can be made, taking into account the current nutritional needs of the population).
In turn, the use of food additives can be reduced to the bare minimum, as a ‘last resort’ to be referred to only when any other solution is inadequate to actual and indispensable technological needs. According to a logic that, on closer inspection, is already imposed by European rules on additives, although often overlooked by food operators who instead chase ‘shelflife‘ objectives useful only to the shelf life of products beyond any reasonable limit. (4) Research and development are in any case the key-functions to replace ‘traditional’ additives with functional ingredients, often of plant origin, capable of performing equivalent technological functions.
Transparency
is an additional element to consider, in order to draft ‘
clean label
‘ truly capable of meeting the expectations and choices of various consumer categories. One example out of all is that of gelatin, which can be of animal origin and not be so indicated to unsuspecting vegetarian and vegan consumers. (5) Animal gelatin, in turn, can be derived from bovine, fish or pig skins. And since nearly 2 billion people in the world (including Muslims and Jews) cannot consume pork-derived foods by religious precept, their right to know the species of origin of this ingredient, which is widespread in large numbers of products, must be recognized.
#Égalité!
Dario Dongo
Notes
(1) The reg. EC 1333/08, on food additives, introduced the requirement to carry the warning ‘may adversely affect the activity and attention of children‘ on the labels of products containing the dyes sunset yellow (E 110), quinoline yellow (E 104), azorubine or carmoisine (E 122), allura red (E 129), tartrazine (E 102), cochineal red (E 124)
(2) See reg. EU 1169/11, Article 7.1.c, and Criminal Code, Article 51
(3) It will be helpful in this regard to clarify the responsibilities of operators in the supply chain, from primary agriculture to final distribution. But also and especially that of auditors and technical inspectors who certify the consistency of processes and material flows with the requirements set
(4) Top management in turn should have the lucidity to come up with better foods, so as to promote their appreciation and faster turnover
(5) Transparency should also be promoted on cheeses, which are suitable for vegetarians only in cases where vegetable or microbial rennet is used. See the article https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/etichette/il-formaggio-è-vegetariano-nì-ecco-come-riconoscerlo-dall-etichetta
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.