Supporting International Food Safety Day – Every day of the Year!

Safe food is a primary determinant of human health, well-being and food security. Many communities are unable to exercise the right to safe food and may suffer from foodborne diseases (FBD) which compromise public health and development. Unsafe food containing harmful levels of bacteria, viruses, parasites, chemical or physical substances can cause acute or chronic illnesses – including more than 200 diseases ranging from diarrhoea to permanent disability or death. An estimated 600 million people fall ill from FBD annually resulting in up to 420, 000 deaths. Low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) are most affected, with an annual estimated cost of US$110 billion in productivity losses and medical treatment costs due to the consumption of unsafe food.

Alinea International, together with the University of Guelph and other Canadian and international partners, is involved in several projects specifically designed to mitigate food safety risks in Vietnam and Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan). While these projects have a specific geographical focus, they have a global impact by aligning with international best practices. The focus on food safety reaffirms the interdependence among health and well-being, nutrition, food safety and food security in achieving the SDGs. Food safety is integral to the realisation of the SDGs, especially SDG 2 (Zero hunger), SDG 3 (Good health and well-being), SDG 8 (Decent work and economic growth) and SDG 6 (Clean water and sanitation) which is a cornerstone of food safety, among others.

The Safe Food for Growth project (SAFEGRO), funded by Global Affairs Canada and implemented by Alinea, seeks to enhance the Vietnamese population’s access to safe, affordable and competitive agri-food products, with an aim to improve the wellbeing of consumers as well as other agri-food sector actors, including poor farmers in Vietnam.

Food safety in Vietnam is increasingly important for domestic consumers as well as regional and international trade access. Media reports, scientific literature, official communications and public complaints demonstrate that food safety is perceived as a major problem by consumers, industry and the government in Vietnam.

There is emerging evidence that there are still challenges in demonstrating improvements in food safety and reduction in foodborne incidents in Vietnam. Of concern are the biological, chemical and physical hazards that have been found in food in Vietnam, with biological hazards the most important in terms of their immediate human health impacts.

Vietnam is one of the world’s top exporters of seafood, rice, cashew nuts, coffee, pepper, and trade is likely to increasingly compete on quality and safety, areas that Vietnam needs to strengthen. Based on the experience of other countries, adopting risk-based approaches and building capacity is key to assessing, managing and communicating risk, all of which are priorities for the Safe Food for Growth Project (SAFEGRO), funded by Global Affairs Canada, for which Alinea is the Canadian Executing Agency, in partnership with the University of Guelph.

SAFEGRO promotes a risk-based food safety management system by working with key national ministries, selected sub-national governments and other stakeholders to enable agri-food value chain players to follow international best practice to produce, process and distribute safe food for domestic consumers and to facilitate exports. The project engages with civil society and the media to empower consumers, particularly women, to access safe food. The three project pillars include: an enabling environment (policy and regulations), supply chains (private sector and small-holder farmers), and demand (consumers’ awareness).

SAFEGRO is focused on key agri-food value chains to support a risk-based approach to mitigate food safety risks for domestic markets and a growing export market. The project is designing and implementing a comprehensive, competency-based, capacity building framework for training regulators and inspectors to modernize the national food safety management system.

This also includes technical assistance and training to promote internationally accepted best practice for all aspects of the selected value chains (fruits, vegetables, meat, aquaculture shrimp and fish). Specific interventions will drive behaviour change among the value chain players including consumers and in schools through K-12 programming and internationalizing undergraduate food safety curriculum. This also includes support of a more robust system for risk-based inspections, combined with diligent oversight of credible third-party certification, aligned with government inspection.

In all Central Asian countries, data on food-borne illnesses and international notification of food safety hazards is limited and does not allow for an accurate description of the food safety situation to reduce public health risks. Meeting the countries’ ambitions of exporting animal food products to external markets is supported through compliance with international standards, animal identification systems, farm to fork surveillance plans and strengthening the capacity for enforcement of food safety regulations.

For the Central Asia One Health Framework of Action project, funded by the World Bank, Alinea has partnered with Canadian and international organizations to support food safety risk assessments, surveillance and national action plans. The project addresses common goals, direction and coordination mechanisms for regional cooperation under a One Health umbrella to address needs in the areas of zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance and food safety with a focus on those foodborne hazards which occur at the animal-human-environmental interface.

It will thus contribute to addressing three high-level goals shared among Central Asian countries: pandemic prevention, resilience of food systems, and regional agriculture, trade and competitiveness. Through the Framework for action, Governments of Central Asian countries will commit to continue adopting a technically and economically justifiable One Health approach and, to this end, increase intersectoral and regional collaboration to promote food safety.

alinea’s whistleblower policy

1.1 Purpose

The following Whistleblower Policy has been established to provide guidance to Alinea International employees and sub-contractors on how to deal with known or suspected improper conduct within the organization. The objectives of this Policy are to:

Create awareness of the Policy and available whistleblower protections
Act as a reference guide to potential whistleblowers wishing to make a disclosure
Define the structure of the whistleblower system, including reporting and investigation procedures, whistleblower protections, and confidentiality, among others
Improve the communication and transparency in the processes associated with whistleblowing and assure protection against derogatory consequences, namely reprisals and detrimental action
Complement the current communication channels between employees, sub-contractors and immediate managers, and hierarchical channels flowing to the President and Senior Management team
Provide guidance to all parties involved in either whistleblowing or whistleblower protection.

1.2 Scope

Alinea requires all employees and sub-contractors to observe high standards of business and personal ethics in the conduct of their duties and responsibilities. All employees and sub-contractors of Alinea are required to comply with applicable laws and regulations of Canada and the countries where we operate. Any allegations of known or suspected improper conduct or mismanagement of organizational resources will be dealt with in accordance with this Policy, and reasonable steps will be taken to protect those who come forward with allegations. Alinea’s Whistleblower Policy covers both internal and external whistleblowing, and establishes the controls and procedures for dealing with allegations of malpractice, fraud and violations of our code of ethics and/or laws or regulations that govern our operations. This Policy is intended to encourage employees and sub-contractors to report known or suspected improper conduct or mismanagement of organizational resources and to enable Alinea’s Senior Management team to address and correct inappropriate action. It is the responsibility of all Board of Directors’ members, the Senior Management team, employees and sub-contractors to report concerns about known or suspected malpractice, fraud and violations of our code of ethics and/or laws or regulations that govern our operations. This Policy is applicable to all employees and sub-contractors of Alinea International.

1.3 Reporting Procedures

Alinea recognizes the value of transparency and accountability in its administrative and management practices and supports the making of disclosures that reveal improper conduct or mismanagement of organizational resources. Our internal controls and operating procedures are intended to detect and prevent malpractice, fraud and violations of our code of ethics and/or laws or regulations that govern our operations. As detailed in Alinea’s Employee Policy and Onboarding manuals, employees and sub-contractors are encouraged to share complaints and/or concerns regarding ethical or legal violations with their immediate managers. If the employee or sub-contractor is not comfortable speaking with their immediate manager or is not satisfied with the response, they are encouraged to speak with the Gatineau or Calgary Office Managers, the Vice Presidents or, as required, the Chief Financial Officer. All members of the Senior Management team are required to report complaints and/or concerns about suspected ethical or legal violations in writing to Alinea’s Ethics Committee who has the responsibility to investigate all reported complaints and/or concerns. In the event that the complaint and/or concern is about the President, it should be raised by the employee or sub-contractor to their immediate manager or the Ethics Committee who will determine how the investigation will proceed. All reports will be promptly investigated and appropriate corrective measures will be taken if warranted by the investigation. Alinea’s Ethics Committee is responsible for acknowledging receipt of the suspected violation and notifying the whistleblower of the outcome of the investigation. Anyone filing a written complaint concerning suspected improper conduct or mismanagement of organizational resources must be acting in good faith and have reasonable grounds for believing the information disclosed indicates a violation. Personal grievances or complaints related to employment are not covered under Alinea’s Whistleblowing Policy. For cases such as this, employees and sub-contractors are advised to first refer to Alineas Employee Policy and Onboarding manuals when considering a disclosure under the Whistleblowing Policy. Any allegations that prove not to be substantiated and which prove to have been made maliciously or knowingly to be false will be viewed as a serious disciplinary offense.

1.4 Confidentiality

Maintaining confidentiality is crucial to ensure reprisals are not made against the whistleblower. Alinea is committed to safeguarding the identity of the whistleblower and to protecting the whistleblower against detrimental action taken in reprisal for allegations of suspected improper conduct or mismanagement of organizational resources. The Ethics Committee is responsible for ensuring whistleblowers are protected from direct and indirect detrimental action, and that the culture of the workplace is supportive of suspected allegations being made. Any employee who retaliates against someone who has reported a violation in good faith is subject to discipline up to and including termination of employment.

1.5 Review

Alinea is committed to implementing ‘best practice’ policies and procedures for dealing with allegations of suspected improper conduct or mismanagement of organizational resources (as defined by this Policy) and the management and protection of whistleblowers making allegation(s). This Policy will be reviewed periodically to ensure it meets the objectives of relevant legislation and remains effective for Alinea, and may be changed at the discretion of the Board of Directors at any time. For allegations of fraud, securities law, or human rights concerns, or when you are not satisfied or uncomfortable with following the Company’s open door policy, individuals should contact the Company’s Ethics Committee directly.

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Alinea International Promotes and Implements Food Safety in Vietnam and Central Asia