Food safety is the responsibility of producers and authorities, but also of the consumer.
In addition to providing nutrients, food can also potentially be a source of harm to the consumer. Hazards associated with food include microbiological pathogens, natural toxins, allergens, intentional and unintentional additives, modified food components and agricultural chemicals. Food safety is therefore necessary.
What is the difference between food safety and food security?
Food safety is a scientific discipline that describes the handling, preparation and storage of food in a way that prevents foodborne illness. This includes a series of routines that must be followed to avoid potentially serious health risks. Effective food control systems are essential to protect the health and safety of consumers. They are also critical to enable countries to ensure the safety and quality of their food entering international trade. In addition, to ensure that imported food meets national requirements.
Food safety can be defined as the notion that all people, especially the most vulnerable, have dignified and unthreatened access to quality and quantity of culturally appropriate food that will fully support their physical, emotional and spiritual health. In some ways, consumers are showing an unprecedented interest in the way food is produced, processed and marketed.
For this reason, strategies must be developed to strengthen food control systems. This can protect public health, prevent fraud and deception, avoid food adulteration and facilitate trade. It will enable authorities to choose the most appropriate options for their food control systems in terms of legislation, infrastructure and enforcement mechanisms.
Preventive approaches in food safety and security
The introduction of preventative approaches has resulted in increased responsibility for managing the risk factors involved in food safety. A systematic preventative approach to food safety addresses physical, chemical and biological hazards as a means of prevention rather than inspection of the finished product. Different protocols need to be followed in the food industry to identify potential food safety hazards so that key steps can be taken to reduce or eliminate the risk of the hazards materialising.
According to the World Health Organisation, 600 million people worldwide fall ill each year – one in ten – after eating contaminated food. This leads to 420,000 deaths each year. 30 per cent of these deaths (125,000) are children under the age of five. More than 200 foodborne diseases are listed with various origins and Africa has the highest per capita incidence of foodborne diseases in the world with 91 million cases of illness.
While many are of bacterial origin (salmonellosis, listeriosis and Escherichia coli), others are of viral origin (hepatitis A and E, norovirus) or of parasitic origin (toxoplasmosis, giardiasis). Globalization, cross-border trade and rapid urbanization increase the risk of incidents and their spread, while limiting the control and capacity of countries to contain these crises.
To meet the demand for higher-value foods, producers must manage the safety risks of these foods and maintain consumer confidence. Therefore, it is necessary for policymakers, producers and consumers in developing countries to act to ensure food safety and prevent foodborne diseases.
Food Safety Control
By definition, a food safety control measure means “any action and activity that can be used to prevent or eliminate a food safety hazard or reduce it to an acceptable level.
Control measures are divided into three categories: prerequisite programs (PRPs), operational prerequisite programs (OPRPs), and critical control points (CCPs).
While individuals can take different steps to prevent foodborne illness, businesses face more significant challenges.
Some businesses may lack the resources or knowledge to implement comprehensive scientific methods and practices for prevention. Still, everyone involved in food manufacturing must create a safe environment for food handling, preparation, and storage so that foodborne illness is prevented. The fundamental pillars of prevention are:
Use Good Agricultural Practices
Develop and implement food safety plans
Maintain good hygiene practices
Follow proper cooking methods
Establishing food standards is necessary to ensure food safety and support fair food trade. Food standards provide guidance to farmers and food processors on how to handle food hygienically. They specify maximum levels of additives, contaminants, pesticide residues, and veterinary drugs that everyone can safely consume.
The standards also describe how food should be measured, packaged and transported safely. Consumers can determine if the product is good for them through the imprintplementación de estándares para cosas como la nutrición y el etiquetado de alérgenos.
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