A generic model of the integrated food supply chain to aid the investigation of food safety breakdowns

Increasingly it is becoming important to study and manage aspects of food production in relation to the total food chain implications and not one stage in isolation. As part of a major UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) funded project on Breakdowns in Food Safety a novel generic model of the integrated food supply chain was described which attempts to break the chain into its component parts. A hierarchical approach has been used which describes three levels: 5 stages, 9 operational steps and a series of 27 unit operations, each of which have been defined. In addition, 21 types of “generic” breakdown have been identified which could occur at any stage of the food chain. This approach has been used to collect data from 8515 breakdowns in food safety.