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As
the World Heath Organisation (WHO) has succinctly put it, food safety
is a shared responsibility. Ensuring consumers can enjoy safe quality
food is not just the job of the food industry, but depends on the
efforts of everybody in the complex chain of food production, processing,
transport and retailing and not least consumers themselves.
Ensuring Safety
To guarantee that food reaches the consumer in a healthy and unspoiled
condition, it has to go through several processes. One of the reasons
why we process food is to eliminate and/or prevent the microbes -
present in all foodstuffs - from multiplying and spoiling food and
potentially causing disease.
Processing also aims to prevent food spoilage by deactivating enzymes
and preventing oxidation. Enzymes are natural biological agents which
break down proteins, fats and carbohydrates. If left uncontrolled,
enzymes would continue to break down the food itself. Fats in food
have to be prevented from reacting with oxygen in the air which can
make them go rancid. The best known processing methods used to improve
food safety are heat treatments such as pasteurisation and sterilisation,
where foods are heated to destroy any hamful microbes and enzymes.
Processing also includes refrigeration and freezing which slow down
enzyme action and stop harmful microbes growing. Drying food products
such as pasta and cereals deprives microbes of the water they need
to multiply. Food additives have an important role in food processing.
Anti-oxidants prevent fats and oils from becoming rancid, while stabilisers
and emulsifiers stop ingredients like oil and water separating and
altering the quality of a product.
Quality Management
To ensure that food processing consistently delivers the desired level
of food safety and quality, manufacturers use modern quality management
systems. Good manufacturing practice guarantees that procedures are
followed which deliver consistent quality and safety. Hazard Analysis
Critical Control Points (HACCP) focuses on preventing flaws in the
manufacturing process itself so that any potential contamination risks
are prevented in advance.
Food processors also adhere to quality management standards laid down
by the International Standards Association (ISO). But the quality
of food products also depends on the quality of raw materials and
the quality of transport, storage, and conditions at the point of
sale. Ensuring quality therefore involves working with suppliers,
such as farmers and wholesalers, transporters and retailers to make
sure that their quality assurance procedures are adequate. Processors
brief suppliers on their requirements for raw materials to ensure
that ingredients meet their quality standards. Processors often provide
technical assistance to transporters, wholesalers and retailers and
carry out checks to ensure that factors like temperature and moisture
are being controlled and that sell-by dates are being observed.
Packaging plays an important role in ensuring that food reaches the
consumer in peak condition. It increases the shelf life of products
by acting as a barrier against water vapour, air and microbes while
preserving the freshness of products. Packaging also conveys important
information such as cooking information nutrition and ingredient or
use-by dates which help the consumer store and prepare products safely.
Safety is a Role for Everyone
Product safety cannot be guaranteed by food processors alone.
The responsibility for food safety and quality must be shared by everyone
in the chain of food production from farmers, food transporters and
retailers. At a time when food safety standards have never been higher,
it is vital that consumers also play their part in ensuring that the
food they consume is safe, by praticing good food hygiene, proper
food preparation and safe storage.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has confirmed that diseases borne
by bacteria are the greatest threat to food safety. Public opinion
surveys show that consumers are increasingly aware of the danger of
microbial contamination.
"Outbreaks of foodborne diseases can be reduced if both professional
and domestic food-handlers understand the importance of correct hygienic
food practices. Health education is one of the most effective means
of reducing the problem", said WHO.
Good Hygienic Practices - the basics:
- hands and dish and kitchen cloths should be washed frequently,
and kitchen surfaces should be kept clean to prevent cross-contamination.
- insects,
rodents and other pests should be kept away from foods as well as
pets, which are a little known but frequent source of food contamination
in the home.
- to
prevent contamination from raw foods, cooked foods should be kept
separate from uncooked foods while preparation surfaces and utensils
should be washed between uses for different foods.
- particular
care should be taken when preparing meat and poultry to prevent
the spread of salmonella e-coli, etc.
- storage areas and surfaces should be kept dry so microbes do not
have the moist environment they need to breed.
Food
Storage
A key step to ensure food safety is maintaining the correct temperature
during storing and cooking. Frozen and chilled foods should be selected
at the end of shopping and placed in a freezer or refrigerator as
soon as possible. Consumers should not forget that refrigerators and
freezers need to be kept at the correct temperatures to do a proper
job of storing food safely: +5oC for refrigerators and - 18oC for
freezers. As microbes need time to multiply to reach dangerous levels,
consumers should observe 'best before' and 'use by' dates. Out-of-date
products in shops should be reported to the store manager. If packaged
food has gone off before the 'best before' date it should be returned
to the store.
Food Preparation
Consumers must take care when preparing foods in order to prevent bacteria
multiplying. Instructions must be closely followed on how long and at
what temperature foods must be cooked while leftovers should be heated
until piping hot.
Conscientious
Consumers
Consumers can also play an important role in ensuring food safety
in public places as well as at home. If food in a restaurant or other
public place smells, looks or tastes odd, it should be returned. If
they spot safety problems in foodstuffs they should report them to
retailers or caterers who can take measures to prevent this in the
future. In addition, extra care needs to be taken to ensure food safety
for people whose natural defences to microbes are lower than average
such as pregnant women, young children, or the elderly.
SOURCE
"From Farm to Fork" EUFIC
For a copy of the 'From Farm to Fork' paper send a fax to: 33.1.40.20.44.41
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