IPC comes out with new GMP for pepper production

The International Pepper Community (IPC) sub-committee on quality has came out with a revised set of good manufacturing practices (GMP) for pepper production and processing. The revised GMP applies to pepper and other similar spices – whole, broken, ground, blends or processed.

The new set of hygienic practices, approved in a recent session of the committee held at Jakarta, covers the minimum requirements of hygiene for harvesting, post-harvest handling like curing, drying, cleaning, grading and packing, processing (grinding, blending, freezing, freeze drying, extraction and dehydration), packaging and storage of processed products, at farm-level, processing establishments and manufacturers’ premises.

IPC secretariat will be sending the revised GMP to the member countries for their views and comments before placing it for consideration at the next session of IPC. This will be held in Colombo during October 30-November 2, 2012.

Once the session approves this set of hygienic practices, it will be applicable to all the member countries. There were a lot of complaints about the quality of pepper in the global mart mainly due to poor post-harvest handling and storage. High moisture content in pepper due to poor storage facilities causes inferior quality and some times becomes toxic due to fungus infection.

The committee has also discussed issues related to quality such as pesticide residues, mycotoxins, follow on the IPC inter-laboratory proficiency testing programme, sampling methods, training programme for laboratory personnel and training for farmers/extension workers of the IPC member countries.

The members of the committee consists of Husniaty (Indonesia – chairman), KRK Menon (India – vice-chairman), S Padmadja, T John Zachariah (India), Dyah Palupi, Wiyas Prawesti (Indonesia), Zehnder Jarroop (Malaysia), M Dharmadasa (Sri Lanka) and Bui Chi Buu (Vietnam). IPC, which is an inter-governmental organisation of pepper producing countries, includes Brazil, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Vietnam as full members and Papua New Guinea as an associate member.