Food Pacific Manufacturing Journal

Increased consumption of fruits and vegetables plays an important role in human health, as the importance and influence of the diet on health is undisputed. Yearround availability of fresh produce from a global marke, has contributed to the substantial increase in consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables in markets are that are important export destinations for fresh and frozen produce processors in Southeast Asia. Processors must take every step to minimize food safety hazards potentially associated with fresh produce as well as quick frozen fruits and vegetables, because once consumer confidence is shaken, it is expensive and labor-intensive to restore. In Asia, the issue of food safety has been addressed by the Coca- Cola Retailing Research Council Asia (CCRRCA) to help retailers identify and prioritize the steps needed to achieve the highest food safety levels. The endto- end framework outlines a comprehensive approach for addressing functions from upstream management, growth control, product environment, product flow to monitoring and inspection, system integrity and issue management. The study also proposes an evolutionary model that puts the food safety developmental stages of Asia Pacific markets in perspective. The model analyzes market readiness on five infrastructure or configuration requirements: basic water and sanitation infrastructure; standards, regulations and enforcement; cold chain infrastructure and capability; sophisticated base of producers and suppliers; and, aware and active consumers. In our annual Outlook beginning on page 28, we once again asked industry players to look back to the tumultuous business year of 2009, and tell us what they learned from its challenging conditions, and how they intend to apply these lessons to achieve more in the Asian market in 2010. They give us their views on how their customers and consumers have changed, and whether they think will this change be permanent. This year's panel also tells our readers what food & beverage segments look promising in 2010.