GOAL 3: IMPROVE QUALITY STANDARDS AND COMPLIANCE

Scandals have rocked the food industry in recent years. In a drive to regain consumer confidence, foreign retailers and governments have developed strict requirements for producing and packaging agricultural goods. Suppliers now must meet these standards for certification to survive in exports.
Goal 3 is designed to achieve two important objectives:

• Ensure compliance of international quality standards
• Ensure compliance of organic standards

Our strategy focuses on helping members fully understand and implement international quality and organic standards to aid them in achieving these profit-stimulating certifications. International quality standards provide a method for objectively verifying that agriculture is conducted in a way that respects food safety, the environment, the rights and health of workers and the welfare of animals.

AWAN-EA’s activities target three types of international standards and certification: the Euro-Retailer Produce Working Group for Good Agricultural Practice (EUREPGAP); the British Retailer Consortium (BRC); and the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP). The first concerns good practice on the farm; the latter two pertain to safety standards at packaging centers.Another area of focus for certification is the organic sector. Organic products attract up to 30 percent higher prices than ordinary items in international markets—offering new opportunities for members to raise incomes. To ensure compliance of international quality and organic standards, we provide:

• Trainings on awareness and procedures—AWAN-EA hosts workshops on market figures,
  consumer trends and the principles and techniques for implementing export quality and organic
  standards. Presentations are held at the chapter level.
• Linkages to experts—AWAN-EA builds partnerships with technical experts that can provide additional guidance on implementing export quality and organic standards.
• Pre-audit assessments—To spur members’ preparedness for certification, AWAN-EA arranges pre-audit assessments of production sites. Inspectors point out non-conformities and make recommendations for improving internal control systems. Such steps foster higher success rates for certification.
• Audits for certification—Once members have implemented the protocols for international quality or organic standards, AWAN-EA facilitates production-site audits in collaboration with selected certification bodies.