Action fields of Belgapom
Environment
Belgapom has collaborated to the creation of the guidelines for the best available technology for the fruit & vegetable sector.
Training and seminars
Belgapom has been recognised as the training office via a Q-for label. This allows companies to participate at Belgapom tranings & seminars making use of subsidies from the SME wallet (Flanders) and traning cheques (Wallonie).
Agricultural advice
Via the Platform for the processing of and trade in plants and plant products, Belgapom has contributed to the creation of the ICQM standard (Integrated Chain Quality Management), which allows producers of plants and plant products to get a certificate for their different commodities on the level of food safety, environment and technological quality.
Belgapom is also a partner of Vegaplan.be, that takes care of the management of the standard and the affiliated producers.
This ICQM standard is actually in the middle of a procedure to become equivalent to similar systems in the Netherlands (VVAk) and Germany (Q&S).
Quality and food safety
In a collaboration with Vegebe and Fresh Trade Belgium, Belgapom has worked out the Self Checking Guidelines for the potato, fruit and vegetables trade and processing industry, which allows to assure the food safety in these links of the chain.
These guidelines have been recognised by the AFSCA on 3 Januar y 2007 and helps companies to get a certificate or validation of the self checking system. These guidelines have been edited via a easy to use website in Dutch and French.
Belgapom is also working out a yearly sampling plan for the potato sector, which includes a number of samples tested on the presence of CIPC and heavy metals. These values are compared with the norms for food and feed.
This samling plan helps the members to control the costs of this obligation.
In a number of starch holding food stuffs, such as biscuits, coffee and potato products (frites or chips) fried at high temperatures (> 120°C) the presence of acrylamide has been discovered. Despite the fact that the health risks have not yet been confirmed, the potato processing industry has taken a number of actions to reduce its presence in the frites and chips. This has lead to a 'toolbox' elaborated by the European association EPPA and the food industry association CIAA, which is also used by the European Commission as a reference on its website.
Belgapom has edited washing cards for Bintje and firm cooking varieties. These cards create 5 classes for fresh washed potatoes based upon external quality. These cards are available at the Belgapom secretariat at € 15/set.
The Belgian potato processing industry has imposed on itself a number of quality standards for the production of prefried frozen frites. these standards concern the composition, quality and colour of the product and have been deposed at the Belgian Federal Public Service for Economical Affairs in 1998.
Plant health items
The prevention of the presence of harmful organisms on plants (such as brownrot or ringrot), wart disease a.o.) remains a high priority for Belgapom and the Belgian potato sector, taking in consideration the free trade of seed and ware potatoes on the common European market.
Belgapom has taken the initiative to defend the interest of the profession in its relationship with the competent AFSCA.
In collaboration with the agricultural associations and test centres for potatoes, Belgapom has developed a prevention plan for 'nematodes'.
In the framework of the self checking legislation the companies have to organise a plant health sampling scheme. Belgapom tries to reduce also these costs by means of a sectoral sampling plan.
Market information
Belgapom is providing to its members a regular overview of the potato market.
The Belgapom quotation is a weekly pice quotation defined by 4 people from the trade and 4 representatives of the processing industry. This Belgapom quotation is one of the representative European quotations which is used to define the 'cash settlement price' of the Hannover potato futures.
Contract policy
Belgapom is advising its members to create good buying and selling contracts. Also the guidelines for good contracts between the trade and processing industry on the one hand side and the farmers on the other hand has recently been worked out by Belgapom in collaboration with the farmers' unions.
RUCIP
Belgapom holds the Belgian RUCIP secretariat.
Promotion
Belgapom participates in the generic promotion for seed and ware potatoes via the Flemish VLAM and the Walloon APAQ-W.
A recent campaign in partnership with the Netherlands and France has been subsidised by the European Commission.
Belgapom has taken the initiative to create the Belgian Task Force for the UN International Year of the Potato 2008. This has resulted in a website giving an overview of the actions for the consumers, professionals and school children.
Social items
Belgapom has - together with the social partners - worked out a new function and wage classification for the potato processing and peeling industry.
Belgapom collaborates on the social issues with UNIZO and Fevia.
