(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Is supply chain industry ready for new challenge? They should for everyone's sake.
In the UAE legislative control is limited to permits and on-road spot checks and annual licence renewal vehicle inspections leaving fast-moving consumer goods companies to implement controls and manage transporters and logistics providers themselves. KT file photo
Abu Dhabi: Not all trucks and delivery wagons carrying fresh and frozen food stuff in the country are installed with electronic monitors that track temperature levels maintained from the loading stage until delivery to the market says an industry source.
This issue was highlighted last week when lawmakers at the Federal National Council approved a draft law suggesting tougher punishments to offenders who carelessly handle food stuff at any stage in the supply chain.
So now dealing in food unfit for human consumption at any stage is punishable by at least three months of imprisonment or a fine up to Dh1 million.
The draft law is being sent to the Federal Cabinet for its final rectification which is expected in the coming months. Upon enforcement it will ensure food that has been approved at time of import maintains the original quality when entering the consumer market.
An industry stakeholder Brent Melvin general manager of the supply chain division at Abu Dhabi-owned transport fleet firm Massar Solutions said: “The implementation of the law helps to ensure the integrity of the products as those involved in the entire food supply chain will take safety quality and environmental protocols seriously.”
The World Health Organisation has developed basic criteria for the transport and storage of food albeit a generic guideline and a number of countries have specific legislation to regulate and control the storage and transport of food products.
In the UAE legislative control is limited to permits and on-road spot checks and annual licence renewal vehicle inspections leaving fast-moving consumer goods companies to implement controls and manage transporters and logistics providers themselves.
Khaleej Times spoke to transporters to know whether the food supply chain industry is ready to implement the new rules and what is the current status of multi-billion dollar industry’s preparedness.
Most larger food service companies are and should be ready to take the challenge said Per Ankersen director of supply chain and sourcing at Horeca Trade. He said the cold-chain control is only as good as the involved links in the supply chain which puts an equally-large importance on the food distribution companies as it does on production and transport companies.
A senior manager in a leading food logistics firm asking not to be identified said municipalities across the country have strongly regulated the food supply chain over the years with rigorous periodical inspections.
The nation’s transport fleet of an estimated 5000-6000 trailers and delivery wagons that transport food stuff to retailers after receiving it from ports cold storages and food processing industries are equipped with temperature readers a device that gives temperature reading inside the vehicle at the time. But nobody knows what was the temperature level maintained from loading until delivery to the market.
Here comes the electronic monitors that record the level of temperature maintained from the loading through the journey until food is unloaded making sure that the food is transported in the right temperature conditions.
According to an industry official between 20-30 per cent of the trucks and delivery wagons supplying food stuff are needed to be equipped with it.
“The UAE imports over 80 per cent of its food and is positioned at the centre of a $9.4 billion market serving the GCC and Africa. This makes supply chain safety that much more critical here” Melvin said.
Almost half of the UAE’s food imports are re-exported to the GCC he added. While many of the food safety and quality problems have been linked to production and manufacturing processes food logistics management has a responsible role to play here as well he said.
While tightening specifications and increasing incoming inspections is important it is essential that the new draft law caters to the safe handling and passage of food items in transit throughout the various steps of the supply chain Melvin said.
Logistics companies involved in the food chain must ensure that the original quality is maintained right up to final delivery. This requires coordination between the various control bodies and authorities to ensure that licenced vehicles are regularly checked and passed as fit for purpose and capable of meeting the temperature conditions required to keep food safe.
Visibility throughout the transport process is vital and should be “real time” so that action may be taken immediately in the event of failure to prevent loss or damage to the cargo.
Governance and enforcement are critical to food safety throughout the supply chain.
However a unified approach to implementation across all agencies with strict criteria in place is essential in holding up legislation Melvin said.
The food service sector has invested widely in quality certifications and the supporting processes over the past years Ankersen said.
The most commonly observed shortcomings in the supply chain are lack of pre-cooling of trucks; loading a cold product into a warm truck that breaks the cold-chain instantly; and not having the right temperature in the order-staging area and/or a too-long transit time from staging to loading also constitutes a breach of the cold chain.
On whether logistics and food service companies need to improve standards Ankersen said the standards are in place within most companies. “In some cases it is the execution of the standards that might need improvement” he said.
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