Food safety is the assurance that food will not cause harm to the
consumer when it is prepared and/or consumed according to its
intended use. In other words protecting the food supply from microbial,
chemical (ie rancidity, browning) and physical (ie drying out,
infestation) hazards or contamination that may occur during all stages of
food production and handling-growing, harvesting, processing,
transporting, preparing, distributing and storing.
Currently world wide there is a substantial customer\consumer
pressure and regulatory compulsion to ensure that food safety practices
are adhered to during all stages of the food chain.
The emphasis on Food Safety is a well placed concern since around
the world more than 1.8 million people die as a result of Food and
Waterborne diarrhoeal diseases. In Australia, three
(campylobacteriosis, salmonellosis and Hepatitis A) of the ten leading
causes of morbidity are potentially food-borne diseases and authorities
estimate that approximately 5.4 million suffering a flood-borne disease
each year.
Even in Japan food poisoning is a significant cause for morbidity.
Simultaneously contamination of food with acrylamide, semicarbazide,
and chloropropanols and the presence of malachite green in fish and
fish products is becoming a new and evolving concern and has
brought attention of the consumers.
As described above food safety plays an important role in assuring
health and as a result of this acceptance more and more emphasis is
placed on food safety during all stages in the food chain.
