COFFEE QUALITY, TRACEABILITY COFFEE QUALITY, TRACEABILITY AND FOOD SAFETY: AND FOOD SAFETY: THE EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVETHE EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVE

Workshop on Sustainable Coffee DevelopmentDalat, 4 December 2009

Roel VaessenSecretary General European Coffee Federation

QualityQuality

Quality

NOT regulated by EU law – matter between buyer and seller Important for trading: LIFFE Robusta Contract Standards for defects and foreign matter based on ISO 10470 Not acceptable for LIFFE if the coffee:

is not Robusta; is unsound; contains more than 8.0% defects by weight; contains less than 90% beans over Screen 12; contains more than 1.0% foreign matter by weight; has a detectable foreign odour (for instance mould, fermentation or

smoke). Coffee fails if one criterion is met!

LIFFE classification and premium/discount

Premium Class 1 Class 2 Class 3 Class 4

Defects max 0.5% 3.0% 5.0% 7.5% 8.0%

Foreign matter max 0.2% 0.5% 1.0% 1.0% 1.0%

Screen minimum

90% over 15 and 96%

over 13

90% over 14 and 96%

over 12

90% over 13 and 96%

over 12

90% over 13 and 96%

over 12

90% over 12

Premium or discount per tonne

+ $30 0 - $ 30 - $60 - $90

Defects include: black beans, bean fragments, cherries, mouldy beans. Foreign matter: any object which is not a coffee bean or part thereof or a cherry

including sticks, stones, soil and husks.

TraceabilityTraceability

EU Regulation on Traceability (1)

EU Regulation 178/2002, art 18:1. The traceability of food (….) shall be established at all stages

of production, processing and distribution.2. Food business operators shall be able to identify any person

from whom they have been supplied with a food (…..)3. Food business operators shall have in place systems and

procedures to identify the other business to which their products have been supplied (….)

In short: ‘One Step Up/One Step Down’‘One Step Up/One Step Down’

EU Regulation on Traceability(2)

Inevitably the production of many farmers is combined to fill a 20 ton container.

How to trace upstream beyond coffee mill? Legal obligation stops at exporter in non-EU

country. Commercial traceability is separate issue: ensure

that all coffee in a shipment is certified organic, meets 4C/FLO/RA/Utz criteria, or is estate grown. Requires separation throughout the chain.

•Ochtratoxin A (OTA)•Pesticide Residues•Occupational safety

Food safetyFood safety

OTA

Moisture is major risk factor ICO/FAO/CFC Prevention Project Codex Code of Good Practice Shortest possible summary: dry coffee properly

and keep it dry Measuring moisture at one point in chain is

meaningless Calibrate moisture measuring equipment to ISO

standards

OTA: ICO/FAO/CFC Prevention Project: example educational material

Protect drying cherries from showers

OTA: risk in local transport

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Records in a container from 4 Dec. 1999 to 23 Jan. 2000

from NL to Kampala

from Kampala to Mombasa

at M

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basa

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from Mombasa to Bremen

OTA risk reduction: lining containers

OTA risk reduction: dry bags

Pesticide residues

EU legislation EU Pesticide Database:

http://ec.europa.eu/sanco_pesticides/public/index.cfm Coffee not particularly risky, but attention is

needed Good reputation is easily lost

Occupational safety: inferior straps

Occupational safety: inferior bulk bags

Contact us at:www.ecf-coffee.orgecf@ecf-coffee.org

Thank you!Thank you!