Zhytomyr – Unlike the Soviet times, with their empty shelves in food stores (of course, it didn’t concern the biggest cities), now supermarkets sell everything. However, can we always be sure of the quality of the food we buy?
For this reason, developed countries close their markets to Ukrainian producers: according to the State Statistics Committee of Ukraine, the export of food products does not exceed 25 percent of overall production, and the main destinations are the CIS and Africa. In these conditions several international institutions decided to help us. Thus, Zhytomyr recently hosted the seminar “Food Safety: Stable Profits and Consumer Trust” within the framework of the project of the International Financial Corporation (IFC) “Food Safety in Ukraine,” which is realized in cooperation with the Ministry of Agrarian Policy of Ukraine, and, in the region, with the Zhytomyr regional state administration and the main department of veterinary medicine in the region. A conference was held in the course of the seminar in the Zhytomyr press-club of reforms. Representatives of over 50 enterprises of this field that work in Zhytomyr oblast were familiarized with the modern system of food safety management, which go by the name of “Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point” (HACCP). The head of the project Sarah Ockman stressed, in particular, that this system is a good indicator that the company has taken measures to ensure a strong brand, proper risk mitigation, and sales growth in current markets, not to mention access to new markets.
By the way, in the Zhytomyr region only two enterprises successfully use the certified HACCP system: Zhytomyrski Lasoshchi and the Rud Company [which operates “Zhytomyr Butter Plant” JSC – Ed.]. Sarah Ockman also supposes that this issue is very topical for Ukraine, since we have a big agrarian potential and traditions of food processing. But the approach to control established in the Soviet times, which is focused on ready products, is inefficient, and HACCP is different due to the constant support and control of products — from manufacturing to storage.
So far, as was pointed out at the seminar, because of a lack of information, unclear legislation, problems with its practical implementation, and limited financing possibilities this system only started spreading in Ukraine. Ukraine’s joining the World Trade Organization opened Ukraine’s market for import products, intensifying the competition among Ukrainian manufacturers as well. This IFC project offers them comprehensive support in introducing the systems of food safety management. Among other things — by means of holding similar seminars in different regions, consulting assistance, evaluation audits, and also through cooperation with the state bodies in controlling the enterprises where HACCP is already introduced.
Thus, international experts want to promote increasing the quality of food products in Ukraine, and hence their competitiveness on the markets of developed countries. Will we use this chance? Only our manufacturers and relevant state institutions know the answer.
