The World Citrus Organisation (WCO) has raised concerns about the growing trend of private food safety standards imposed by retailers.
WCO said the “non-scientific” requirements threaten the sustainability of the citrus sector, jeopardize farmers’ livelihoods, and may reduce supply to consumer markets. Private standards are not legally binding, but growers must comply to access retail markets.
The group urged retailers to refrain from setting private food safety criteria beyond legal rules.
WCO and its members have recently been evaluating the industry impact of the proliferation of private standards, primarily on plant protection products and maximum residue levels (MRLs) that exceed national and international rules.
According to the WCO, these measures contradict scientific evidence and undermine the role of and confidence in the rules of authorities.
Associated members of WCO in the United States include Classic Harvest, Naturipe, PCN, River Front Packing, and Wonderful Citrus.
Boitshoko Ntshabele, from South Africa’s Citrus Growers Association (CGA), said: “While citrus growers comply with national and international regulations to ensure safe and nutritious fruit, retailers are increasingly enforcing private rules that exceed legal requirements and might impact volume and competitiveness of trade. This might limit the efficiency of the necessary treatment to mitigate the evolution of pests and disease as a result of climate change.”
A WCO paper on private standards highlights bans on legally approved active substances – threatening pest and disease control. Imposing stricter MRLs than those set by law can lead to food waste and economic losses.
Also, restrictions on the number of residues can make Integrated Pest Management (IPM) unworkable, said WCO.
Jose Antonio Garcia Fernandez, from the Asociación Interprofesional de Limón y Pomelo (Ailimpo) in Spain, said: “It is important to enter into constructive dialogue within the supply chain to avoid a proliferation of subjective requirements that will add confusion and unnecessary costs on growers. Failure to do so could compromise fruit quality, increase food waste, and ultimately limit the availability of citrus on supermarket shelves.”
Badr Bennis, WCO president, said between 45 to 50 million tons of citrus are traded globally with a value of more than $50 billion.
“Our growers take this role seriously and comply with the most responsible and sustainable agriculture practices to bring confidence to consumers around the world with quality and safe citrus.”
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