How safe is our food? It is a question asked all over the world on a daily basis as food-scare stories fill the media and governments act to calm consumer fears. There is a real and tangible concern among the public; an IBM consumer confidence survey in 2009 found that 80 percent of those questioned do not trust the food they buy.

In truth, the food chain is almost certainly safer today than at any time in history, yet there is still much to be done. Public trust must be restored, and there is a need for more transparency across food supply chains. A large part of the problem is the number of different food safety standards around the world. Major retailers often create their own bespoke set of standards which they impose on their suppliers, creating further fragmentation.

Suppliers are left confused, wondering which standards to follow. The fragmentation only harms transparency and erodes trust.

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