Assessing Food Safety and Quality Compliance: An Evidence from Vegetable Industry †
CAB International (Central and West Asia), Rawalpindi 46300, Pakistan
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
Presented at the third International Tropical Agriculture Conference (TROPAG 2019), Brisbane, Australia, 11–13 November 2019.
Proceedings 2019, 36(1), 42; https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2019036042
Published: 12 January 2020
(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The Third International Tropical Agriculture Conference (TROPAG 2019))
Abstract
:The aim of present research was to assess and document the practices for prevailed food safety and quality standards as employed by small scale growers and market managers in the vegetable supply chains of Pakistan. For this purpose, cross-sectional data were collected from two provinces (Sindh and Punjab) of Pakistan targeting commercial vegetables, i.e., potato, tomato, onion, and chilies. Information regarding the food safety and quality were recorded during field survey from all the supply chain participants, i.e., growers, harvesters, processors, traders, and exporters through well-designed questionnaires. The collected data adherence with the standard requirements and identifying constraints of chain actors were analyzed using descriptive analysis. Results showed that many practices such as soil and ground water contamination, pesticide and fungicide residuals, microbial contaminants, infected labour, diggers, packaging migrants, clothes, surfaces and non-food grade containers may enhance the chances of food borne diseases among consumers. Therefore, training needs have been identified for all stakeholders that need to be addressed which will develop their understanding about the quality requirements and safety regulations. It will create opportunity in the advanced markets at national and international levels and new opportunities may arise to enhance stakeholders’ income.
Funding
This research presents the output of field surveys, interviews of chain actors and FGDs under GO2Market survey. The authors acknowledge funding from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) for project: Strengthening vegetable value chains in Pakistan for greater community livelihood benefits (HORT 2016/012).
Acknowledgments
The authors also extend the gratitude to the small-scale vegetable farmers, Mojaz Foundation, Women Agriculture Development Organization (WADO) and CAB International, Rawalpindi for the help during the field visits, FGDs and technical support for Go2Market toolkit. In this section you can acknowledge any support given which is not covered by the author contribution or funding sections. This may include administrative and technical support, or donations in kind (e.g., materials used for experiments).
Conflicts of Interest
The author declares no conflict of interest.
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MDPI and ACS Style
Riaz, R.; Jawaid, A.; Bajwa, B.E.; Asif, M. Assessing Food Safety and Quality Compliance: An Evidence from Vegetable Industry. Proceedings 2019, 36, 42. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2019036042
AMA Style
Riaz R, Jawaid A, Bajwa BE, Asif M. Assessing Food Safety and Quality Compliance: An Evidence from Vegetable Industry. Proceedings. 2019; 36(1):42. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2019036042
Chicago/Turabian StyleRiaz, Rehan, Arfa Jawaid, Babar Ehsan Bajwa, and Muhammad Asif. 2019. "Assessing Food Safety and Quality Compliance: An Evidence from Vegetable Industry" Proceedings 36, no. 1: 42. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2019036042
