The Importance of Food Safety
The production, supply and consumption of food is one of the most important activities in our daily lives and is intricately linked to food safety. Shockingly, it is estimated that 600 million people, which is roughly 1 in 10 people globally, fall ill after eating contaminated food. In 2022, it was reported that approximately 420?000 people die annually due to food-borne illnesses. It is estimated that approximately 40% of the mentioned cases are children under the age of 5 years old, resulting in 125?000 deaths per annum. Apart from the health issues due to a lack of food safety, there are other factors that must be considered, such as how food-borne illnesses impede socio-economic development by putting strain on healthcare systems and harming national economies, trade and tourism.
Unsafe food often contain bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances that are harmful to the consumer. There are a variety of diseases caused by unsafe food ranging from less serious conditions to certain cancers. Unfortunately, unsafe food leads not only to foodborne illnesses, but also to malnutrition, especially affecting infants, young children and the elderly. Ensuring food safety is of major importance and should be orchestrated by means of good collaboration and communication between governments making legislation, producers and consumers.
Some of the major agents of food-borne illnesses are pathogenic bacteria, including Salmonella, Campylobacter, certain strains of Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes to name but a few. These pathogens affect millions of people annually and can have severe and sometimes even fatal outcomes, especially in infants and the elderly. Other agents of food-borne illnesses include viruses, parasites, prions and chemicals. Allergens should also be taken into consideration since it can lead to allergic reactions in consumers.
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Food safety is crucial in protecting consumers from health risks related to common allergens and food-borne illnesses. Food safety can be achieved by using proper processing and handling techniques, training all food handlers in the correct procedures and constantly ensuring that your facility and product meets a high quality standard. Food safety is affected by factors ranging from farm to table, picking, processing and packaging. This also includes agricultural practices, food handler practices and the use of preventative measures and controls to ensure food safety. At each stage of production and processing, hygiene is the most important factor to ensure high quality, safe, products. The hygienic quality of a product can be influenced negatively by, for example, poor storage conditions, mixing raw and cooked foods in storage, poor hygiene of food handlers and facilities.
Food safety should be a main priority in production and processing facilities, not only to ensure consumer health, but also to prevent loss of income and reputational damage caused by producing food that is not up to standard. In order to ensure food safety, collaboration with a trusted testing laboratory is essential. For all your food safety needs, contact us! We walk with you each step of the way!
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