Food quality assurance schemes (QAS) need to be well-promoted and free from red tape to thrive, a European Union (EU) study has concluded.
The EU’s Joint Research Centre Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS) has been researching QAS which highlight food products’ home region and/or production methods, plus issues such as the environment or animal welfare. Examples include geographical indication schemes, such as that for Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and internal management schemes such as the EurepGAP standard for fresh foods and the UK’s Red Tractor quality label.
Said the report: “Successful schemes have significant budgets for promotion which effectively create a brand in the market” and entrench Europe’s reputation as “a high-end producer of exclusive food products”.
Registration for producer should be faster, it added, warning scheme administration is “a time-consuming and often non-transparent process.” The most successful schemes are based around well-functioning professional structures, such as the French Intra-Chain Committee for Comté Gruyere, said the report.
*http://foodqualityschemes.jrc.es/en/index.html

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