General information
Pre-assembled, ready-to-distribute food parcels.
Type of food is determined by beneficiaries’ food habits (i.e., in some countries spaghetti is not accepted because it is unsuitable to local cooking habits).
Type of food is also determined by the intervention timeframe. At the beginning of an operation, food must be free from animal products.
All food parcel contents must be free from culturally-restricted components.
The impact in terms of availability and prices on the local, national or regional markets should be carefully studies prior to purchasing large quantities.
Specifications for food items vary according to national regulations. Food importation is always subject to national authority approval, based on national specifications.
The specifications must be adapted to each context.
Specifications
Refer to respective item sheets for specifications for each item.
The standards listed in the latest edition of the Codex Alimentarius apply for all food-product aspects, including packaging, unless otherwise described below.
Food products must be fit for human consumption and be of sound, fair and marketable quality.
- The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (amendment to the Convention on Biodiversity) requires that exporters and producers indicate whether food items may contain GMOs (genetically modified organisms) or not.
Markings
The name of product, production and expiry dates and the fact that it is free from culturally restricted components, must be indicated on the outer and inner packaging (all cartons and individual wrappers/boxes/can/containers).
Individual product must be market with:
- product name
- list of ingredients
- list of nutritional values
- free from culturally restricted components
- net weight in kg
- date of production printed or stamped on the packaging
- minimum durability date, declared as "best before" printed or stamped
Shelf-life
2-year minimum expiry date on date of delivery.
Packaging:
The primary and secondary packages must be sized in order to protect the goods, avoiding empty space inside the packages, and avoiding empty spaces between boxes on pallets, allowing palletization on pallets of 0.8m x 1.2m without exceeding the size of the pallet.
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Avoid any unnecessary sub packaging, especially the single use plastic foils or bags. When sub packaging is necessary, prefer 100% degradable materials such as paper or cardboard or starch-based plastics. |
Test of the box:
The sealed box with its content must withstand the equivalent weight of a pile of the same box at the foreseen height. The equivalent weight is placed for 12h on a wood board on the box. The wood board size exceeds the box size by at least 20mm on each side. The box is placed on a standard pallet, in a corner. When the specific pile height is unknown, the standard height is 4m.
Example: a box of gross weight 12kg, foreseen pile height is 4m, height of the box is 0.25m. The box must withstand the weight of 11 identical boxes (4m divided by 0.25m, minus one box). This box will be tested with 132kg (11 x 12kg).
Last update 2020-01-24
Here under list of content is for example only
Need to adapt to local situation