Discussion of Food Safety Issues

Everyone can agree that food is essential to life because without it, a person will perish in a matter of days. Because of this, it is reasonable to call attention to the importance of ensuring that people consume wholesome foods. Even if the current world might astound with its great levels of progress, there are still many issues that degrade the quality of the food that people consume. Credible evidence thus shows that bioterrorism and tampering have a negative impact on this situation, while different quality requirements are insufficient to resolve all food safety difficulties in a global setting.

recognizing tampering

One of the things that affects the quality of food is tampering. This phrase specifically refers to the process when food goods are purposefully polluted to hurt, meaning a few unfavorable outcomes. On the one hand, it is clear that food tampering has a detrimental effect on the health of the populace. It happens because tainted items generally cause inside harm to bodies. On the other side, when people are reluctant to purchase certain foods for a while after tampering is discovered, public psychology suffers (Koku, 2017). It indicates that the phenomenon under study has a negative impact on society as a whole.

It is important to acknowledge that food tampering is a fairly common practice around the world and that there have been several well-known incidents in the United States. For instance, Koku (2017) recounts that a similar incident occurred in 1984 when cookies with needles and pins were discovered in 17 different states. Another instance is the 1989 Chilean grape scare, in which arsenic poisoning was discovered in imported Chilean grapes (Koku, 2017). These incidents show how both domestic and foreign methods can be used to tamper with food. Therefore, it is important to comprehend this hazard, raise awareness of its detection, and be prepared to take prompt action to reduce its effects.

What Is Bioterrorism?

Another technique that could have a negative effect on food safety is bioterrorism. It is the "planned use of germs, or toxins generated from living creatures, to create death or sickness in humans, animals, or plants," according to Nofal et al. (2021). (p. 1). Attacks by bioterrorism can damage people, communities, or even entire nations on a variety of sizes. Regarding the US, the anthrax attack of 2001 is regarded as the noteworthy incident that had the most impact on the country (Nofal et al., 2021). This sad incident prompted the United States and the European Union to create plans for how to deal with similar dangers in the future.

Furthermore, it is appropriate to discuss the relationship between food and bioterrorism. According to Nofal et al. (2021), goods and water are suitable for dispersing harmful biological or chemical agents. This research shows that ensuring food safety is one of the strategies that might be used to shield the populace from the threat. Other effective preventive methods consist of advancing humanitarian principles, creating emergency disaster response guidelines, and other such things (Nofal et al., 2021). Therefore, governments and other authorities must make the necessary measures to safeguard the populace against bioterrorism assaults, and enhancing food safety is a crucial part of this process.

Food Safety Guidelines

Given that the aforementioned data indicates that food can pose a concern, a number of safety standards are available to regulate this area. They cite legal documents outlining the conditions that food must meet in order to guarantee that nothing poses a threat to people's health. Because these rules control the distribution, preparation, and storage of food, it is difficult to overstate the importance of these rules. But it's important to realize that simply creating the rules won't ensure the safety of the food; you also need to make sure they're followed. To ensure that items and those using them comply with regulations, regular quality audits are conducted (Kotsanopoulos & Arvanitoyannis, 2017). This strategy appears effective at enhancing food safety and defending the general public's health.

The area of food safety is governed by a number of quality standards, and it is appropriate to comment on a few of them that need additional consideration. First, requirements for food merchant inspection are defined by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) standard (Kotsanopoulos & Arvanitoyannis, 2017). Its requirements center on the possibility that retailers may have an impact on whether products pose a threat. The Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) standard, which was developed to remove potential hazards during the preparation of food, is a second option (Kotsanopoulos & Arvanitoyannis, 2017). Thirdly, in order to identify and satisfy potential safety and quality criteria, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 22000:2005 focuses on client requests. Internationally, these regulations are used to safeguard people from several foodborne illnesses.