Resumen

MERCADO, Carmen E. Normative environments, quality management and food innocuity: an integral vision. Agroalim [online]. 2007, vol.12, n.24, pp.119-131. ISSN 1316-0354.

The food crisis of the 1990’s and the increase in transmittable diseases from foods, pointed out the difficulty for sanitary control systems to confront demographic changes, consumption and intensive production techniques, transformation and food conservation.  This caused a change in food innocuity from a posteriori approach to a reactive and punitive one in order to prevent and reduce the long term risk of the food chain.  To guarantee innocuous food and quality work on three fronts must be carried out: 1) the design of a modern normative framework in agreement with the international norm particularly, Codex Alimentarius; 2) the prevention of innocuity in the food chain based on Good Practices and 3) the design and management of a national system of food controls with institutions that make operational legislation, control, inspection and information, education, and communication.  In this work three development experiences in these areas are presented.  The first shows three projects developed by the FAO to improve normative capacity and the management of Codex Alementarius.  The second, shows the implementation of the Chilean Agency for Food Innocuity.  The third, shows the experience of the SICOFHOR program from Argentina, which encourages good practices in the cash crop and fruit chains

Palabras clave : food quality and innocuity; preventive approach; systems of securing; legislation; Codex Alimentarius.