Recent high profile food safety and food security incidents across the globe have increased global awareness of the potential food safety and food security risks involved in producing and manufacturing food products. As a result, consumers are increasingly interested in assuring that the food products they buy will not cause any negative health consequences. Consumer and media interest in food safety and food security and the desire to protect food consumers from food safety risks, have motivated international governments, private and public organizations and large-scale buyers of food products (i.e. supermarkets, retail chains, hotels, restaurants) to require that food producers and manufacturers have and follow complex food safety and food security assurance programs in order to:


Notwithstanding the importance and benefits of having and following a food safety or food security assurance program, the complex and scientific nature of developing, implementing, managing and certifying such programs often makes them financially inaccessible to small and medium sized producers. Even where such programs are financially accessible, producers and manufacturers in smaller markets often have fewer options to assist with the development and management of a food safety assurance program. For such producers and manufacturers these additional challenges mean that it is more difficult to get the benefits of a food safely assurance program. These benefits include compliance with governmental laws and regulations and accessibility to international markets, lucrative contracts with large-scale food buyers and membership with industry organizations.