AMONG THE HEALTH PROTECTION FUNCTIONS, ENSURING THE SAFETY OF FOOD INTENDED FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION IS ONE OF THE PRIORITY OBJECTIVES. TO AVOID FOOD CONTAMINATION, THE PUBLIC HEALTH INSTITUTE OF THE GOVERNMENT OF NAVARRA SUPERVISES THE ACTIVITIES OF COMPANIES IN THE COMMUNITY
In the Autonomous Community there are large internationally recognized agri-food companies : preserves, packaged fruits and salads, frozen vegetables, as well as duck products and derivatives, among others. In addition to production, the Navarrese Executive supervises each step that is taken, since before the food makes its way to the homes of consumers anywhere in the world, it must be ready for consumption. For this, quality controls of processes and products are essential. Inspections are periodically carried out in agri-food industries provided for by the National Plan on Control of the Food Chain. They are also “supervised activities of theBodies for the certification and control of the Denominations of Origin , and when appropriate, the opening of disciplinary proceedings is carried out “, they report from the Government of Navarra.
Health control in the sector has increased in order to preserve the health of citizens . Issues such as food product labeling fraud and the quality of these are some of the reasons. The Provincial Administration supervises each step of the production chain for which the quality controls of processes and products are essential. Supervision is the responsibility of the Institute of Public Health of the Autonomous Community and the actions they carry out are very diverse, such as inspections and controls of the hygiene of the production and marketing of food., including the control of hygiene and animal welfare in slaughterhouses; the management of food alerts and the necessary records for carrying out inspection activities, as well as programs for the prevention of human zoonoses, all of which are essential to guarantee comprehensive protection of the health of the population.
CONTROL AGAINST COVID
The food sector has played a fundamental role in the current crisis caused by the coronavirus, and, therefore, has increased security within the industry, although a special action has been set, especially in the retail sector , since They are workplaces with high traffic of people. To this end, the Foral Public and Labor Health Institute advises that those responsible for the establishments follow basic hygiene guidelines and inform customers of the measures to be adopted indoors: use of hydroalcoholic gel, capacity, social distancing, cleaning and disinfection of surfaces, etc.
However, in large companies, especially in food processing and service establishments, as well as direct sales to the consumer , slaughterhouses for poultry, acquaintances and hoofed animals, establishments that retail fresh meat and its derivatives, as well as dairy products, the action protocols established have not changed and continue to be carried out on a regular basis. The inspection carried out by expert personnel in the field of food safety establishes a questionnaire with “different verification sections”. “These procedures make it possible to harmonize the controls carried out by the inspectors and apply them in the most objective way possible,” they detail. In the interrogation, the hygiene conditions of the workplace, the training of the personnel,product labeling, storage and conservation, packaging, traceability , etc. For each activity the protocols are different, but the requirement is the same. Subsequently, once the inspection staff have applied the control in the “most objective way possible”, the data are made public so that the companies are aware of the final result.
Dianne is an adventurer who grew up traversing the globe, first through the pages of books, and then in reality. She lives the clichéd life of working at a cafe and writing. When she’s not surrounding herself with words you can find her visiting art musuems and historical places .Dianne lives in Boston.
