Pia Borg
Senior Adviser
Authors
Pia BorgAbstract
We compared written guidance on date marking on the websites of Norwegian Food Safety Authority, Swedish Food Agency, and the Danish Agriculture and Fisheries Agency. We also compared what the three authorities write about guidance as a tool .
Authors
Anlaug Ådland Hansen Valerie Lengard Almli Pia Borg Anne-Grete Haugen Anne Marie Schrøder Kristine Myhrer Svartebekk Mads Erling Pedersen Ida Synnøve Bårvåg Grini Mari Øvrum GaarderAbstract
The preliminary project FastHold, funded by the Foundation for Research Levy on Agricultural Products (Norway), has examined challenges related to shelf-life determination and whether clearer guidance from the Norwegian Food Safety Authority could reduce uncertainty among food producers. Such uncertainty may lead producers to set shorter shelf lives than necessary to ensure food safety and appropriate product quality, thereby increasing the risk of food waste. The work included a mapping of current practices for shelf-life determination and available regulatory guidance, based on a survey, interviews, follow-up conversations and a workshop with food industry stakeholders. The results show that food safety carries the greatest weight, but sensory quality is decisive when determining shelf life within safe limits. Shelf life is also influenced by raw material quality, processing, packaging, temperature conditions and customer requirements. The stakeholders call for clearer sensory methods and product-specific microbiological limit values, particularly for raw meat products, ready-to-eat and heat-treated products, and composite products. Important barriers include unclear limit values, limited suitable sensory methods for use by food producers, resource-demanding shelf-life studies and uncertainty about temperature conditions in the value chain. This contributes to several companies setting a shelf life that is too short rather than too long. Current practice does not appear to make full use of the flexibility available under the regulations. It may therefore be possible to change practices for some product groups, particularly where microbiological risk can be controlled and documented, and where producers have good control of raw materials, processing, temperature and storage. The producers’ need for guidance does not appear to be sufficiently addressed in Norway. There is a particular need for more concrete support on understanding regulatory requirements, risk assessment, documentation and the choice between “best before” and “use by”. Compared with Sweden and Denmark, Norwegian written guidance practice appears less extensive and less specific. Based on the responses, shelf-life determination is currently not used as an active measure to prevent food waste.
Abstract
I denne evalueringen er ulike tiltak for å redusere miljøbelastning, spesielt klimagassutslipp ved produksjon av vårhvete i Norge vurdert. Tiltakene er vurdert gjennom litteratursøk og beregnet ved bruk av IPCC-metodikk. Vi fant at tiltak som fremmer jordhelse har størst effekt både i miljø- og klimasammenheng. Spesielt utmerker bruk av gras som fangvekst og tilbakeføring av halm seg, med beregnede utslippsreduksjoner på henholdsvis 95 og 53 kg CO₂-ekv/daa/år. Tiltak som reduserer jordpakking, jordarbeiding og drivstoffbruk gir også utslippskutt, men i mindre omfang. Ulike tiltak for variabel og stedsspesifikk delgjødsling har lavere beregnet klimaeffekt, men kan ha større potensial ved målrettet bruk mot anaerobe soner og om metoden benyttes ved gjødsling både vår og sommer. De beregnede verdiene er veiledende og avhenger av metodiske forutsetninger.