The Human Imprint

BRC Global Standard - Food Safety - Version 5

The BRC Global Standard – Food Safety has been updated and version 5 will be available in the new year. The TSO is offering pre-publication discounts on the standard – for more information follow the link to the TSO

What is new about the BRC? The standard is adopted by over 8000 food businesses around the world.   

Changes include:

Greater emphasis on senior management commitment to achieving an effective quality management system.

Greater clarity and definition of the HACCP section as the cornerstone of a food safety management system.

Expanded section on issues of major industry importance, such as allergens and site security.

A more rigorous grading system linked to more frequent audits for poorly performing sites.

Revision of product categories that focus on technology of food production to clarify competence requirements of auditors. (Source: TSO)

As with the previous version the BRC will not recognise certification against the revised Standard for six months after it is formally published.

Water and population rise

The Guardian reported today online that Britain's population could almost double to 108 million within 75 years. The data from the Office for National Statistics said that, based on high estimates of growth in immigration, fertility and longevity, the current population of 60.5 million could rise to 75 million by 2031 and 108.7 million by 2081.

However, the ONS says its most likely projection is that Britain's population will reach 71 million within 25 years, 78 million within 50 years and 85 million by 2081. The population rise is primarily in England, most predictions suggest a virtually stationary population in Scotland, Wales and N Ireland.

Where will the resources come from? The energy industry and the drinking water supply accounts for 71% of the water currently abstracted (agriculture in the UK accounts for between 1 and 3% depending on the research data). The demand will certainly increase as the population rises anywhere between 40 and 80%. There will also obviously be an increased need for sewerage and waste water treatment. If we keep taking water out of the environment how will that affect our rivers, lakes and streams. Are we happy to see a scenario in 2081 when we have dry river and lake beds in the UK?

Water availability in England and Wales is around 1334 m³ per person per year, but the rain doesn't always fall where the people live. Water availability in the Thames Valley region is around 266 m³ per person per year which is 1/3 of the water available per person in Egypt and in the same magnitude as the water available per person in Israel.

We need to address this issue of population growth and available resources in terms of water strategy and planning, otherwise we will face a significant crisis in the future. Many States in the US have already, or are now, developing state water plans to address the issues of water management and water policy. Whilst we in the UK can, and are, importing more food to feed a rising population, importing water to meet our needs is just not viable.  

Water footprint and gardening

Frequent readers of my blog will know that I am undertaking a Nuffield Scholarship looking at water policy and how we use water more efficiently in our lives – “water footprint” to be precise. Heather Gorringe, a fellow Nuffield Scholar is studying the benefits to rural areas of social media, blogging, and podcasting. One of the ideas that she has brought back from the US is to use social media to create her next business catalogue. Heather heads up an innovative business called Wiggly Wigglers that, along with other activities, sells a range of garden products with an environmental theme. The business also interacts with its customers through podcasts, blogging and social media such as Facebook. Heather has asked me to write a post specifically on what I learned in the US about water usage in our gardens. My blog post will go together with everyone else’s submissions and may be part of the final catalogue.

I think that this is a very innovative approach and one that will create a sense of belonging among 160,000 people who receive a copy of the catalogue who have had an opportunity to provide input. In the spirit of innovation I will therefore submit some good ideas from those I gleaned whilst travelling in Utah and California.

Top tips for managing water use in your garden especially where is doesn’t rain very often (or indeed hardly ever):

1. Use a broom instead of a hose to clean the paved areas in your garden. If you are doing this with the children you can make a game of it and see who sweeps up the biggest pile of dirt or leaves.

2. Check taps or water equipment for signs of leaks and repair as quickly as you can. One drop a second leaking from a tap can be as much as 5000 litres a year. Use a trigger on the end of your hose so that the water is never left running onto the ground.

3. Sloping gardens and features will allow the water to run off more quickly than flat areas. You might get soil washed off that is vital for your garden as well as valuable water. Also any chemicals or fertiliser that you have applied in the garden could end up in local streams and rivers and cause pollution.

4. A crowded garden will use more water and may also be more prone to disease.

5. Choose a grass mix for the lawn that needs less water especially if you live in an area with low natural rainfall. Lawns are the most water-hungry feature in a garden.

6. Use low water plants by planning your garden and selecting plants that survive with less water. Some low water plants also provide a lot of ground cover – so less weeding.

7. Mulching will also retain the water in the soil.

8. Set up rain butts so that when it rains you can collect roof water that runs off into your gutters. Put a rain gauge in your garden so that you can monitor rainfall and you don’t water plants unnecessarily. Rain gauges are good fun for children too and you can work with them on their maths, and draw graphs to show how often it rains or have a weather calendar in the kitchen where the children have made the symbols clouds, sun, rain drops, snow etc.

9. If you need to water your garden, then choose the right time of day. Don’t water in the heat of the day because the water will simply evaporate. The best time is the early morning. Don’t water on windy days because this will be less effective.

10.  Better still to use a water efficient drip or tape water irrigation system for your trees, shrubs and flowers

I’ve lots more tips for fun in the garden and water saving but I’ll leave those for another day!

Mike Gregory

Anyone who reads my blog on a regular basis will know that I often recognise individuals who have demonstrated great leadership, either individually or in a team. I have been saddened with the passing of Mike Gregory. Whilst my husband is a rugby union fan, as are my children - my father, being born in Lancashire, favoured rugby league. Mike Gregory's personal story is inspirational on many levels. He was in the Great Britain team that had a sensational victory against Australia in 1988. Despite losing the first two games he not only scored a try himself but the Great Britain team went on to a 26-12 win, the first win against Australia for a decade. He then went on to achieve in both his playing and coaching career. 

He was bitten by an insect whilst in Australia in 2003 and then progressively developed a neurological disorder (which may or may not have been unrelated) which was very similar to motor neurone disease. We  often recognise sporting prowess and success, and he may have been a "legend in his lifetime" but I think of his family most and their immeasurable loss.

More quotes from Albert Einstein

Here are some quotes that will definitely get the discussion going, that I sometimes use in presentations:

1. It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.
2. It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer.
3. There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle.
4. Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.
5. Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.
6. The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.

Five quotes from Albert Einstein

Here are five quotes reputedly from Albert Einstein who worked on his theory of "Relativity" when he was a patent clerk:

1. A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.
2. Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex... It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.
3. Anyone who doesn't take truth seriously in small matters cannot be trusted in large ones either.
4. If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?
5. If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.

Carbon Monitoring for Action

Data has been produced by The Carbon Monitoring for Action (Carma) website. This study looked at 50,000 power stations and is the first global inventory of emissions. Its data was compiled by the Center for Global Development. National power sector emissions (in million tonnes of CO₂) were as follows: US - 2530, China 2430, Russia 600, India 529, Japan 363, Germany 323, Australia 205, South Africa 201 and UK 192. This showed who is producing the most CO₂ emissions but when the data was assessed in terms of emissions per capita it showed that Australia was using 10 tonnes of per head, US 8.2 tonnes, UK 3.2 tonnes, China 1.8 tonnes and India 0.5 tonnes. Interesting data!

Animal farm

Yesterday's post got me thinking about George Orwell's book "Animal Farm". I thought I would therefore write a post with some quotes reputedly from George Orwell.

1. All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.
2. Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the plough, he cannot run fast enough to catch rabbits. Yet he is lord of all the animals.
3. Every generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it.
4. In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act!
5. To see what is in front of one's nose is a constant struggle.

Thought provoking!

Animal disease - a management challenge

As I was arriving back in the UK, from my five week Nuffield study tour of the US, I learned that H5N1 avian influenza has returned. In 2007, we have had animal disease challenges with foot and mouth disease, blue tongue, ongoing issues with bovine TB and now avian influenza H5N1 for a second time this year. If you want to read a really thoughtful post on the issues associated with bovine TB then please go to the Wiggly Wigglers blog where you will get a first-hand account of what a farming business is currently having to deal with. Being positive, I hope that the animal disease challenges that we have are swiftly and competently addressed and soon we will again have, in the UK, an animal disease free status.

On my study, when I was talking to agricultural organisations, one of the points that we discussed time and time again was the effect that regulation or market uncertainty had on a business. How can you develop a business plan when regulations, and the resultant rules that apply to your business, are changing at a frequency, or a time of year, that is not in line with the agricultural production cycle? How do you operate a business that is reliant on the performance of a range of stakeholders that are outside your immediate control and largely your sphere of influence? Agricultural businesses can seek to offset risk by not having livestock on their farm. This is a very drastic management decision, but one that more farmers could make as a result of what has happened this year and the impact on their profitability, even viability. If offsetting risk is not deemed appropriate then mitigating risk by implementing good management practice becomes critical. These management practices include effective biosecurity and Defra provides lots of advice on the subject, but the uncertainty and its impact on business management remains.

What is the magic solution? I don't know if there is one, but the first stage is to admit that in the free markets in which we operate the challenge of animal disease is one of our biggest threats. Conversely, it is also a tremendous opportunity for market stability if stakeholders collaborate and address and then resolve the issues together. How do we develop such collaboration? Firstly we need leadership and resolve from a range of stakeholders. Then we need to develop a practical, maybe even novel, approach that has animal health and welfare at its core and where we seek to address the needs of all species in a strategic plan that can be implemented and is ultimately effective.

Musing on musings

For my Nuffield Scholarship, I have carried around a little moleskin notebook, well several over the five weeks. As I have spent quite a lot of time on my own with my thoughts, I have found myself writing in a way I haven’t done since I was a teenager. People do give you strange looks when you are scribbling in your notebook in a cafe or on a train. However, JK Rowling reputedly wrote the first Harry Potter book in a cafe, so I am in good company. When I get home I will be able to express myself verbally again so I wonder if my writing will diminish. The strange thing is when I was a teenager I didn’t want anyone to read my musings. Now I find myself publishing them on a blog! Why tell the world? Why believe that others will actually want to read our thoughts? Is it just the height of egotism? Maybe it is egotistical, but I am not alone because there are millions of people doing the same in their blogs every day. I think that as humans we feel a basic need to communicate and we also seek recognition by others of our thoughts and opinions. Historically, that was from people close to us, but now we have the technology to broadcast our ideas to all corners of the earth.