{"id":1404,"date":"2024-09-10T19:03:57","date_gmt":"2024-09-10T16:03:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swissapproval.gr\/?page_id=1404"},"modified":"2025-05-07T16:37:11","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T13:37:11","slug":"health-safety-of-food-consumers","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/swissapproval.gr\/en\/health-safety-of-food-consumers\/","title":{"rendered":"Health & Safety Of Food Consumers"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n

AFQ Food Bioactivity and Antioxidant Action Certification Scheme<\/strong><\/p>\n

Aimed at prevention, for the Health and Well-being of consumers.<\/h5>\n
<\/div>\n
In layman\u2019s terms, we could describe it as\u00a0a scheme for classifying the \u201cantioxidant activity\u201d of foods, determining an index of bioactivity<\/strong>\u00a0of the products we consume on a daily basis, such as meat and dairy products, primary agricultural products, secondary processing products, etc.<\/h5>\n

It is well known that antioxidants contained in the food product reduce free radicals, which are produced as by-products in human metabolism.\u00a0Therefore, the consumption of foods with a high \u2018antioxidant activity\u2019<\/strong>\u00a0index, by definition, has a protective effect against a variety of pathological conditions.<\/p>\n

In\u00a0a highly innovative and revolutionary approach<\/strong>, at an international level, for the first time in modern nutritional history,\u00a0an attempt has been made to classify agri-food products in general according to their level of antioxidant substances and bioactivity.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The\u00a0\u201cSpin Off\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0company of the University of Thessaly under the name\u00a0Foodoxys<\/strong>, understanding the great need for differentiation of Greek agri-food production, created the\u00a0New International Quality Label<\/strong>, the first label that has been created at international level, starting from Greece regarding agri-food products in general, the so-called\u00a0AFQ: Activity Foodoxys Quality.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The important problem of the food market is the inherent and reasonable inability of consumers to know in an objective way \u2013 and not on the basis of promotional advertising schemes \u2013 which foods have the highest index of\u00a0\u2018antioxidant activity\u2019 and \u2018bioactivity\u2019, or in any case an acceptable level of \u2018antioxidant activity\u2019, which makes the food attractive for consumption, but above all safe from a preventive point of view.<\/strong><\/p>\n

For the first time at international level, the Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biotechnology of the University of Thessaly attempted in a systematic<\/strong>, innovative and structured way to classify foods according to the index of\u00a0\u201cantioxidant activity\u201d and \u201cbioactivity\u201d, code-named \u201cAFQ\u201d.<\/strong><\/p>\n

More specifically,\u00a0products classified in the AFQ scale<\/strong>\u00a0are subjected to rigorous and detailed laboratory testing protocols in order to\u00a0assess their ability to neutralize a number of synthetic and natural free radicals.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In addition,\u00a0the ability to prevent DNA<\/strong>\u00a0damage induced by the action of free radicals, which can lead to mutations, is being tested, and\u00a0the ability of the food product under consideration to protect important endogenous \u2018biomolecules\u2019 from oxidative damage<\/strong>\u00a0associated with modern lifestyles, which studies have shown to be associated with a number of pathological diseases, is also being assessed. The new AFQ label introduces an innovative, internationally pioneering way of\u00a0evaluating agri-food products that practically demonstrates the beneficial effect of the consumption of the food product under evaluation on the metabolic health of human cells.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The\u00a0antioxidant profile<\/strong>\u00a0of the product influences not only its shelf life but also its taste stability and the protection of the raw materials from oxidation, which would potentially reduce its quality and benefits. The antioxidants contained in the product are therefore both the most important endogenous \u2018guardians\u2019 of its flavour and the \u2018guarantors\u2019 of its beneficial effects on human health.<\/p>\n

With regard to primary and secondary production, farmers and\u00a0the agri-food processing industry<\/strong>\u00a0in general are nowadays called upon to adapt their farms into modern businesses that produce high-quality and safe products while protecting the environment. The effects of globalisation, the liberalisation of markets and new international agreements on the production and marketing of agricultural products are imposing new constraints on the agri-food sector.<\/p>\n

In particular, the pressures for ever increasing quality at lower prices from Super Markets, the legal responsibility of the producer, the urbanisation of the population and its move away from traditional ways and places of production, environmental sensitivities, the constant need to pursue the well-being of consumers, the intense pressure from the Processing & Standardisation Industry, the constant trend towards diversification of the nutritional value of products, and the support of the above priorities by the European Union, have quickly put in place<\/p>\n

Thus, products should be\u00a0clearly certified<\/strong>\u00a0to ensure that good agricultural practices are followed in terms of cultivation, plant protection, harvesting and marketing of agricultural products on the one hand, and good production and distribution processes in the secondary sector on the other.<\/p>\n

The need to objectify the controls on the Producers and Distributors of the products that will be included in the AFQ certification scheme, led to the cooperation of\u00a0FOODOXYS<\/strong>\u00a0with the Independent Certification Organization\u00a0Swiss<\/strong>\u00a0Approval<\/strong>\u00a0International<\/strong>, which is an Internationally recognized Inspection and Certification Body, with presence in 19 countries in 3 continents. Within the framework of the International food certification activities, Swiss Approval International, has now included the\u00a0AFQ International certification mark<\/strong>, owned by the \u201cSpin Off\u201d company of the University of Thessaly, Foodoxys, in its specialized services.<\/p>\n

The challenges of\u00a0a new system of food evaluation and classification, based solely on the positive effects on the human body,<\/strong>\u00a0is now a global necessity that will inevitably lead in the coming years to significant and innovative rearrangements in the global food chain.<\/p>\n

AFQ<\/strong>\u00a0is the result of a continuous research effort over the last decades, with the involvement of important people, mainly subject scientists, but also consultants, strategy and market analysis experts, and other contributors, led by Professor Dimitris Kouretas.<\/p>\n

It is considered absolutely certain, because it is historically necessary, that the global consumer movement will adopt in the near future methodologies for the evaluation of agri-food products based on indicators of\u00a0\u201cantioxidant activity\u201d and \u201cbioactivity\u201d, establishing an absolutely NEW system for the evaluation of food products, and therefore their acceptance and penetration of global markets.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In this New Reality, we will move from the well-established and widely known today\u00a0\u201cevaluation of production and distribution systems\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0to the\u00a0\u201cevaluation of food products\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0as such, changing the hitherto known structure of the food market.<\/p>\n

The game of food acceptance and distribution in global markets has already changed, and a revolutionary approach to the hitherto known consumer order of things is now just around the corner.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE CERTIFICATION PROCEDURE FOR FOODSTUFFS UNDER ASSESSMENT<\/strong><\/p>\n

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  • The interested customer\/producer\/processor approaches Swiss Approval TB, or the FoodOxys Laboratory, and requests the evaluation of the products selected according to the AFQ criteria.<\/li>\n
  • He receives a questionnaire which he fills in appropriately, in such a way that the product to be evaluated is fully identified. In the case of more than one product, he shall complete the corresponding number of questionnaires.<\/li>\n
  • It then receives the financial and technical offer from Swiss Approval TB. The financial offer consists of 2 distinct types of services:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
      \n
    1. The cost of the laboratory tests, which is the exclusive responsibility of the FoodOxys laboratory, which also issues the relevant tax document.<\/li>\n
    2. The cost of Inspection and Certification, which relates exclusively to the Swiss Approval Certification Body, which will issue a separate tax document for its services. Swiss Approval will carry out the relevant inspection on the production line, regarding the production \u2013 packaging & labelling \u2013 storage \u2013 and distribution of the product under evaluation, issuing the relevant product conformity certificate.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
        \n
      • By accepting the offer, the producer concerned will send a sample of the products to be evaluated to the laboratory, based on a specific sampling methodology.<\/li>\n
      • The FoodOxys laboratory carries out the prescribed checks and tests and issues a LABORATORY REPORT for each product individually, which is simultaneously addressed to the Customer and Swiss Approval.<\/li>\n
      • Subsequently, the Swiss Approval TB Certification Body, in cooperation with the customer \/ producer, determines an inspection date, during which the production system of the product under evaluation, the planned controls, the correct implementation of the quality plan with regard to the product under examination, the correct production practices \/ Factory Production Control, its packaging and its appropriate labelling, storage and finally the distribution procedures of the product are thoroughly examined.<\/li>\n
      • Following a successful inspection, a CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE with the specifications\/criteria of the AFQ Certification Scheme is issued. The certificate is valid for 1 year, and is continuously renewed, with laboratory tests repeated every one year.<\/li>\n
      • It is possible, and sometimes necessary, to combine AFQ certification with other quality and food safety standards, both for economies of scale and for better monitoring of the certification conditions of the product under evaluation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        AFQ Food Bioactivity and Antioxidant Action Certification Scheme Aimed at prevention, for the Health and Well-being of consumers. In layman\u2019s terms, we could describe it as\u00a0a scheme for classifying the \u201cantioxidant activity\u201d of foods, determining an index of bioactivity\u00a0of the products we consume on a daily basis, such as meat and dairy products, primary agricultural<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1404","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nHealth & Safety Of Food Consumers | Swiss Approval TB<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In layman\u2019s terms, we could describe it as\u00a0a scheme for classifying the \u201cantioxidant activity\u201d of foods, determining an index of bioactivity\u00a0of the products we consume on a daily basis, such as meat and dairy products, primary agricultural products, secondary processing products, etc.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, 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