From the Secretariat of Production and Industry, through different agencies (Undersecretary of Production, CIPPA, ADENEU SME Center and PRODA) work is carried out on various lines and programs that seek to guarantee this food safety.
A food is safe when it is absent – at safe and acceptable levels – of dangers that could harm the health of consumers. Only safe foods satisfy dietary needs and help everyone lead an active and healthy life. There is no food security without food safety.
“From the Secretariat of Production and Industry, through different agencies, work is carried out on different lines and programs that seek to guarantee this food safety,” said the Secretary of Production and Industry, Juan Peláez.
From the Undersecretariat of Production, “horticultural producers are supported through the implementation of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) with the Responsible Horticulture program,” he added. One of the fundamental axes of the GAP is precisely to guarantee the safety of food, of equal magnitude to taking care of the environment and ensuring the safety of the workers of each of the productive establishments.
The way in which vegetables are produced, stored and handled directly affects their safety. For this reason, the program supports producers in the application and monitoring of GAP, working on their 7 minimum points: count with the
mandatory documentation, use of phytosanitary products, use of drinking water, aspects of handling harvested products, presence of animals on the farm, use of fertilizers and organic fertilizers, and trained technical assistance.
“The Responsible Horticulture program takes as its axis this regulation that is already mandatory for this primary sector in our country (Conj. Res. 5/2018) through its incorporation into the Argentine Food Code (CAA). The responsibility of the actors involved in horticulture is to guarantee food safety
understanding that this contributes to food and nutritional security, strengthens regional economies, trade and tourism, and also constitutes a foundation for sustainable development,” said Peláez.
“At the ADENEU PyME Center, we work on the topic through different programs with the aim of promoting the development of certain products, and for that, technical assistance, training and financing are provided. For the different preparations there is something transversal, which is the care of the preparation standards, which have a direct impact on human health,” added the Secretary and President of the entity.
We also work together with different areas and organizations such as the Ministry of Health, Bromatology, the INTI and those dependent on the same secretariat.
Through Cippa, programs are implemented to reinforce good practices that are part of achieving food safety. Within these programs we can mention “Good Practices in Butcher Shops”, whose objective is to identify the problems that occur in the storage and sale stage of meat products to the public in order to assist in the implementation of different measures to overcome these difficulties. and correct them. This
manner and indicating appropriate meat handling and cooking practices, diseases such as Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS) are prevented.
The provincial program for the surveillance and control of trichinosis, a foodborne disease (ETA), was also launched, raising awareness of the importance of consuming safe pork, that is, one that is negative for analysis (DAR).
“Likewise, in each control that is carried out, precautionary interventions are implemented in order to stop the commercialization of foods that are going to be consumed until it is determined if they meet the necessary conditions,” Peláez said.
“ProDA promotes the production of Agri-Food in the province of Neuquén based on three axes of action: quality, safety and food sovereignty. Accompanied by professionals specialized in the practices of agriculture and from a comprehensive, agroecological and organic socio-productive conception and vision, he implements production policies and continuous training in an agroecological key to guarantee the right to access to healthy, safe, quality food, in sufficient quantity, produced locally, thus strengthening the economy and the diets of Neuquén families,” he assured.
In this sense, it accompanies communities in the provincial territory through different lines of action and implementation devices for agri-food production. Thus, for example, Protected Gardens as socio-productive devices become models
development where orchard families produce their own food in an agroecological way all year round.
Fruits, vegetables, aromatic, medicinal, forestry, flowers and ornamental plants, edible mushrooms, make up the biodiversity of the garden system to guarantee the basis of agroecological production.
Agroecology as a mode of agri-food production and, in this sense also, food safety are interrelated concepts that point towards more sustainable and safe production systems for human health, the environment and communities. It offers a comprehensive approach to food production, contributing to food safety by reducing the use of chemical inputs and promoting agricultural practices that improve soil health and biological control in an organic way.
The day
Proclaimed by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in 2018, this day aims to promote awareness about food safety and continue taking action to prevent, detect and manage risks and foodborne diseases (FAD).
The main transmitters of ETAs can be biological, chemical or physical in nature and are often invisible to our eyes: bacteria, viruses, parasites, agrochemical residues, among others.
