Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2006. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Grains are generally considered to be low risk products. However food safety laws and consumer demands require companies to implement programs that will ensure food safety. To comply with these demands, South African grain handling companies are required to implement appropriate risk management systems. Companies that do not adopt such systems will not only exclude themselves from international grain markets but also from the whole food industry with related losses in market share. This study involved consultation with various roieplayers in the grain industry and a literature study to determine the current status of food risk management systems in South Africa. The survey investigated the food risk management requirements of local grain handling companies, and how local and international companies manage food risks. Existing food risk management practices currently implemented by Overberg Agri were also analysed. Although Overberg Agri's grain division has been handling grain for many years, attention to quality, safety en food risk factors has been infonnal and fragmented. No formal documented food risk management system has been implemented. This study presents an integrated food risk management system for managing food quality and food safety. The management system aims at identifying all important processes which are to be managed, to formally document the processes and to provide guidelines for implementing the system. Adoption of such an approach would ensure that the system is implemented in a structured way and that processes are regularly reviewed and updated as required in an ever-changing business environment. The management system contains the implementation of a system that includes food quality~ safety and risk, but includes more than just the minimum requirements of the ISO 9001 and Codex standards. The proposed management system focusses on an approach based on logical sequence of the daily business, to involve everyone and keep them involved. This will ensure that processes are executed in a manner that will identify all food risks to limit or exclude them, rather than analysing each element of an existing standard and repeating it as a requirement. The existing management system of Overberg Agri is not effective in managing food risks because several losses still occure. This is because there are insufficient formal systems, documentation and records available to determine wheter losses can be ascribed to structures, work instructions, management or latent grain defects. The proposed system will ensure that the above mentioned will be implemented to supply the company, stakeholders en clients with sound information which is needed for continuous improvement of the company. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Oor die algemeen word graan as veilige voedsel beskou. Verbruikers dring al meer daarop aan dat ondememings moet bewys dat hulle stelsels in plek het vir die versekering van veilige voedsel. Om aan die vereistes te voldoen, moet ondememings in Suid-Afrika wat graan hanteer, die gepaste risikobestuurstelsels implementeer. Ondernemings wat dit nie doen, stel hulself bloot aan verliese sowel as uitsluiting, nie net van die intemasionale graanhandel nie, maar ook die hele voedselindustrie. Vir die studie is rolspelers in die graanindustrie genader en literatuur bestudeer om vas te stel wat in Suid-Afrika ten opsigte van voedselrisikobestuur bestaan. Daar is ook vasgestel wat die behoeftes ten opsigte van risikobestuur is vir ondememings wat graan opberg en hanteer en wat plaaslike en internasionale ondememings doen om voedselrisiko's te bestuur. Ook is bepaal wat alreeds in Overberg Agri se graanafdeling rakende voedselrisikobestuur bestaan. Alhoewel die afdeling al jare funksioneer is daar heelwat plekke waar op informele wyse aandag aan kwaliteit, veiligheid en voedselrisiko gegee word, maar nie formeel nie. Die werkstuk poog daarin om 'n geintegreerde bestuurstelsel vir voedselkwaliteit en - veiligheid daar te stel. Die bestuurstelsel het dit ten doel om alle belangrike prosesse wat bestuur word, te identifiseer en op 'n formele wyse te dokumenteer en te implementeer. Sodoende word seker gemaak dat dit reelmatig gebeur en dat sulke prosesse gereeld hersien word om te sien of hulle noodsaaklik vir die bedryf is. Die bestuurstelsel behels die implementering van 'n stelsel wat voedselkwaliteit, -veiligheid en -risiko insluit, maar meer is as net die absolute minimum vereistes van die ISO 9001 en die Codex standaard. Hiervoor kombineer die voorgestelde bestuurstelsel die ISO 9001 en HACCP standaarde. Die bestuurstelsel konsentreer meer op 'n benadering gebaseer op 'n logiese volgorde soos die besigheid daagliks vloei, en om almal betrokke te kry en te hou, en dan te verseker dat prosesse so uitgevoer word dat alle voedselrisiko's geidentifiseer en beperk of uitgesluit word, eerder as om elke element van 'n bestaande standaard te ontIeed en weer te gee as 'n vereiste. Die bestaande bestuurstelsel van Overberg Agri is nie effektief in die bestuur van voedselrisiko's nie, aangesien te veel verliese steeds voorkom. Dit is waarskynlik omdat daar nie genoeg stelsels, dokumentasie en rekords beskikbaar is, sodat oorsake toegeskryf kan word aan strukture, werksinstruksies, bestuur of graan nie. Die voorgestelde stelsel wil verseker dat bogenoemde geimplementeer word om vir die ondememing self, aandeelhouers en kliente konkrete inligting te gee sodat verbetering voortdurend aangebring kan word.