Ed Bedington, Geneva A globally accepted food safety system could lead to lower costs for retailers and suppliers, the Global Food Safety Initiative conference heard in Switzerland on Wednesday. John Longworth, Tesco's trading law and technical director, said: "At the moment there is a proliferation of different standards out there and if we can bring clarity to the situation it will make life a lot easier for the suppliers." Longworth also urged the industry not to rely on governments to enforce food safety. "It would be a mistake to allow the public authorities to do our work for us. It's important we accept corporate and social responsibility." The industry's determination to tackle food safety must be seen, he added. He added that implementing would also send out a clear signal to policy makers that . However criticism was raised by Raymond Deskin, director general of the CIAA, a body representing more than 22,000 suppliers worldwide. He said that there had been no discussion with either him or his members and that without full consultation with the entire supply chain the initiative would not work. Longworth stated that it was still early days, however, and that consultations were ongoing and that a draft guide document had only been drawn up as a starting point. said a reduction in the number of safety standards that manufacturers must meet would help reduce the level of costs. "It can save us a lot of money and if the economics point in that direction then it is likely to happen. {{NEWS }}

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