We’ve work so hard to make quality products that delight our consumers. We’ve put in place strong food safety and quality systems for our ingredients and our products. And we continue to make these systems better to create the great-tasting foods our consumers expect and can feel good about. We do this by having:
To guide our continuous improvement in the area of food safety, we have established a goal to achieve third-party food safety certification against the independent Foundation for Food Safety Certification [FSSC 22000] Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) benchmarked scheme. Today nearly 100 percent of our internal facilities worldwide are certified against the FSSC-22000.
We also expect our suppliers and external manufacturers worldwide to live up to the same strict standards we have set for ourselves and require them to meet well-defined safety and quality expectations. This starts with our comprehensive supplier approval program to verify the supplier and the quality of the ingredients. Before we buy any ingredients or raw materials, we conduct an initial audit of their facilities to make sure they meet our Supplier Quality Expectations. Afterwards, we conduct audits on periodic basis to ensure they continue to meet our strict standards.
By 2018, all of our external manufacturers and suppliers must be certified against a GFSI scheme. And we’re making good progress towards that goal. At the end of 2016, 84 percent of our external manufacturers and 96 percent of our raw material suppliers certified against a GFSI benchmarked standard.
Many consumers have food allergies. And we know how serious those allergies can be. That’s why we look at the possible sources of major food allergens and clearly include this information on our product labels.
The safety of our products and the trust and confidence of our consumers is critical to our success. We also recognize that various groups have differing views regarding crop biotechnology and derived ingredients.
At Mondelez International, we believe that crop biotechnology can play an important role in improving food production and ensuring enough food for the world’s growing population. The technology already provides some environmental benefits, such as reduced use of pesticides and water, and increased crop yields, and it has the potential to provide improved nutritional profiles for some crops.
Many public authorities with scientific expertise have affirmed the safety of genetically-modified (GM) ingredients and biotech crops that are currently on the market. This includes the World Health Organization, the Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the European Food Safety Authority, and the U.S. National Academy of Science.
While the scientific consensus around the safety of currently available GM food ingredients is clear, local regulation and consumer acceptance of GM food ingredients varies across the globe. That’s why as a global company, Mondelēz International considers various factors when deciding whether or not to use GM ingredients in individual countries. In addition to meeting our strict safety and quality criteria, other factors our local businesses take into account include local regulatory requirements on use, consumer acceptance, and availability of alternatives.
We also support appropriate regulation of biotech crops in the field and GM ingredients in food to assure the safety and integrity of the food supply, as well as to protect the environment. Regarding labeling, as there is no global agreement on the labeling of GM-ingredients, and government approval on use and labeling differs from country to country, Mondelēz International complies with all local applicable regulatory requirements in each country regarding the use and labeling of GM ingredients in food.
Food Defense is Mondelēz International’s way of protecting our finished products from acts of intentional harm. It’s a critical element in maintaining our consumers’ trust. This trust is formed along our entire food chain – from suppliers, to manufacturers and distributors to our retail customers who stock and sell the finished products that consumers know, love and trust.
At Mondelēz International, we believe that it’s our responsibility as a food company, and collectively as an industry, to make sure consumers never have to worry about the food they serve their families. Not just because it’s the law - but more importantly because it’s the right thing to do.
Nanotechnology is an emerging scientific field. It involves the design and application of structures, devices and systems by controlling their shape and size at an extremely small scale - in range of one-to-100 nanometers (for reference, one nanometer is one-billionth of a meter). And this technology holds a lot of promise across industries.
Currently we’re not using nanotechnology. But as a leading food company, we need to understand the potential this technology may hold for us in terms of food safety, product quality, nutrition and sustainability. That is why our research and development teams always keep their eyes on the scientific research, as well as consider potential applications where nanotechnology may be used in packaging material.
In particular, we’re looking at packaging that requires less material, which helps to reduce waste. We would only consider those uses that meet regulatory requirements and are considered safe by the scientific community. We also take into account what our consumers think and feel.
Our highest priority is the safety of our products and our consumers. We thoroughly look at the ingredients and materials we use - no matter the size. We also talk with outside experts on specific questions related to ingredient and product safety. If we ever intend to use nanotechnology, we will make sure that the appropriate environmental, health and safety concerns have been addressed. This includes going through our own stringent quality-control processes, as well as working with our suppliers to make sure the proper assessments have been completed.
If you want to learn more, take a look at the National Nanotechnology Initiative and Woodrow Wilson Project for Emerging Nanotechnologies.