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Agricultural practices and food safety. Dr. Adnan I. Al-Samarrie, Assoc. Prof., Toxicology, Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority. 1. Two Main Issues will be discussed. Briefing ADFCA strategy in the field of food safety.
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Agricultural practices and food safety Dr. Adnan I. Al-Samarrie, Assoc. Prof., Toxicology, Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority 1
Two Main Issues will be discussed • Briefing ADFCA strategy in the field of food safety. • ADFCA recent policy concerning field auditing in order to adopt GAP in Abu Dhabi agricultural fields.
Food safety It is a wide spectrum field; it needs several bodies to organize their acts to achieve the goal.
Food safety is not necessarily related to toxic-free materials. • People and scientists are more concerned about toxicants. Environmental Contaminants Pesticides Hormones GMOs Microbes Metals Radiation Stones
ADFCA strategy to assure food safety To reach this goal, ADFCA is performing in stepwise the following: • Initiate the required legislations. • Improve manpower capabilities. Develop sampling methods and inspection systems. • Encourage the producers to adopt GMP, GAP • Transparency with the stockholders • Update the Laboratories instrumentation and analytical • methods. 5
Food Safety pathway.... Foods need to be safe during entire whole food handling chain FarmToTable FarmToFork Foods can be contaminated in Both 6
Critical Points in Food Contamination • Environmental: Contaminants:drifting. • Insects: Physical and Biological Damages. • Animals: Sources of microbial contaminants, physical damage • Soil: Contaminants uptake or transmitted. • Water: During Irrigation and post harvest washing process the food process. • Equipment: field & crop growing, harvesting, storage and transport. • Handling: Pre harvesting; misuse of pesticides and fertilizers pre-, during and post harvesting. • Storage, distribution under bad conditions and poor hygiene • Retailers and Consumers : Poor Hygiene 7
Foodborne illness In USA (1990-1998) the number of outbreaks associated with fresh produce steadily increased. Three-quarters (75.3%) of the outbreaks in USA were related to domestically grown produce. Most of the outbreaks were caused by bacteria, especially Salmonella species and E. coli O157:H7. It is the major threat to the produce & health * Hilborn, E.D. et.al., 1999, Arch. Intern. Med. 8
U.S. Market for Food Safety Testing by Type of Contaminant, 1999-2009, ($millions). Source BCC, Inc. After Strasburger & Siegal INC.
How To Improve Food Safety in the Farm: It needs the following: • Management • Documentation • Good field practices How to evaluate the farm good practices??? Auditing is the tool …. 10
ADFCA GAP PROGRAM (FARM AUDIT FORM) Pesticides usage and storage
ADFCA GAP PROGRAM (FARM AUDIT FORM) Pesticides usage and storage
What is the auditor looking for? • Management: Handling the input and output. • Documentation:The reports and logbooks • Good field practices:Follow the SOPs & specialist advices Farm Practices Crop Growing Harvesting Handling & packing Storage in field Transportation Post Farm Retailers Consumers
Guidelines & Regulations • Water: • Source • Chemical • Contaminants • Salinity • Microbial loading • Manure & Biosolid • Source • Composting methods • Microbial loading • Chemical contaminants • Application • Agrochemicals: • Fertilizers • Pesticides • Growth regulators • Application Hygiene Farm workers
Water Parameters The auditor checks: • Water sources: treated municipal waste water, desalinate water. • Water chemical contaminants: heavy metal, pesticides, nitrate, • Phosphates, etc. • Biological contamination: bacteria, fungus, Parasites. • Water salinity: Total dissolved solids, pH, E.C. • Water contact: Minimize contacts between irrigation water and the • edible plant parts. 16
Agrochemicals & Hygiene The auditor checks: • Fertilizers: types, soil parameters, rain, leach ability. • Pesticides: registration, pests, applicators, pre harvesting period, • reentry time, waste management. • Application practices and records. • Growth Regulators: IGRs and PGRs: comply with local regulations Hygiene: workers, sanitation standards, medical records. 17
Manure is a source of contamination: The auditor inspects: • Manuresource: cattle species, age of animals • Composting method: heating temperature, period of heating, aeration. • Chemical contaminants: heavy metals, pH, pesticides, etc. • Microbial loading: pathogenic microbes, intensity. • Time of application: harvesting time, irrigation method, • incorporate with the soil. • Bio Solids: Composting, plantation. Local regulations. 18
General Concerns • Once food contaminated, it is very difficult to decontaminate. • Minimize the sources of food contamination. • Fallow the specialist advices. • Enroll the farm in auditing system. • Training the farm workers at all levels of good agricultural practices. • Documentation should cover all farm activities. • The corrective actions should be implemented at appropriate time. 19
Adfca Pesticides Monitoring program (2006-2008) Asma Abdi Mohammed Head of Pesticides Residues Unit Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority 20
Introduction: • In general pesticides are used to control pests such as insects, fungi, weeds & rodents but in the same time these chemicals harm the environment & human being . • The Government of UAE Regulates the usage of Pesticides • Because of awareness, common public have a great concern about the pesticides residues in vegetables and fruits. • ADFCA pesticides residues monitoring program try to ensure that human dietary intake of these pesticides are at acceptable levels which are not harmful to human health .
ADFCA Monitoring Program • ADFCA Started pesticides residues monitoring program in 2006 . • Focused on imported & Local product (vegetables & fruits). • ADFCA are using state-of- the- art instruments. • The laboratories Department of ADFCA are UKAS accredited
Legislation of MRLs • Maximum Residues Level (MRL) is the highest level of pesticides residues that is legally tolerated in consumed food. • ADFCArelies on the UAE & Gulf standards, Codex Alimentarius and EU standards for pesticides’ MRLs.
Sampling • Trained inspectors of ADFCA collect the samples according to ADFCA sampling methods. • Domestic samples are collected from AD Municipality Agricultural Products Collection Center. • Imported samples are collected from Abu Dhabi markets.
Analytical Methods • The pesticides residues unit in ADFCA adapted a multi residues method which cover broad spectrum of pesticides and different commodities of vegetables and fruits • Analyses are performed by highly skilled & competent staff. • The procedure is based on qualitative & quantitative analysis. • Used equipment are (GC/ECD),(GC/NPD) and all the conformations are curried out using (GC/MS).
Quality Assurance: • Participation in External Proficiency Test Programs. • To meet the highest standard of accuracy the calibration of standard is always prepare in matrix . • Used method is accredited by UKAS.
Results The results are summarized In the forthcoming tables and figures
The results of 2006-2008 indicated that the numbers of the samples free of pesticide residues decreased, whereas the samples within MRLs did rise and that can be revealing to: 1- Sampling scheme during 2007 concentrated on the most suspected commodities based on 2006 results, and the sampling of 2008 based on same manner. 2- Extend the pesticides during 2008 and the number of samples
Recommendation: 1-Educate the farmers to follow Good Agricultural Practice. 2- Sampling scheme needs to be based on regional productions. 3-Extend the analysis to cover more commodities. 4-Risk analysis of the residues data.
