Food quality not Food quantity.

What are 3 things about food safety?

To prevent foodborne illnesses, the CDC offers a four-step system: Clean your hands, separate raw products from other foods, cook foods to their specified temperature and chill foods promptly.

Why food safety is important nowadays?

Access to sufficient amounts of safe and nutritious food is key to sustaining life and promoting good health. Unsafe food containing harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances can cause more than 200 different diseases – ranging from diarrhoea tears are protected from any food-related issues.

Food safety is a collective effort from all the members of the food supply chain.

Food is one of the major necessities for a human being to survive. The nutrients we get from consuming food give us the energy and nourishment we use to sustain our daily activities. Foods also play a great role in the culture of society and give a certain identity to a community. Consuming food brings your different experiences through the sensations and flavors they give you. Together with, enjoyment, everyone should be entitled to food safety. With this, we ask ourselves, "Why is food safety important?"

All members of the food supply chain play a role in maintaining food safety. Whether you are a food supplier, a food business owner, a manufacturer, or a customer, you have a significant part in food safety. This aspect of the food supply chain aims to protect customers from food poisoning and foodborne illnesses that can affect human life and business performance for establishment owners.

Here are a few reasons why it is important to keep food safety controlled:

Protection from foodborne illnesses and other food-related injuries. The main objective of food safety is to protect consumers of food products from foodborne diseases or injuries related to food consumption. Foodborne illnesses are a major threat to food businesses and affect everyone all over the world as a result of inadequate food safety. These effects are mainly caused by foodborne pathogens that may include harmful bacteria, fungi, yeasts, parasites, or viruses. Additionally, chemical substances, heavy metals, and excessive additives can also cause foodborne illnesses and acute poisoning. Depending on the nature of your products, a pathogen is expected to thrive with inadequate food safety control measures. Foodborne infections and injuries can also arise as a result of physical hazards such as shards of glass, pieces of metals, or any hard objects that have contaminated your food in production. With proper food safety measures, you can assure that the food you serve safe food and that the chance of infection is low.

Reduced cost from food safety issues. Unsafe food with proven safety issues may be deemed unfit for consumption and may merit being disposed of. Defective product recalls cost companies more and will affect your profits and can even cause business closure. The cost of food recalls is not only seen in terms of profits. If the food safety issue has reached a widespread scale, you may be liable to pay for medical expenses or lawsuits concerning damages. On the side of consumers, proper food safety practices can reduce costly health care expenses from less risk of disease occurrence. Consuming unsanitary food may lead to hospitalization and contribute to the cost of health care.

Reduce waste. Food products that have been proven to have food safety issues may be subjected to disposal. Through the use of proper food safety practices, a food business can cut waste as a result of a better food production process. Food safety management systems are also designed to detect and control food hazards even before they enter production which can lead to more waste if processed further.

A better way of living. Any foodborne illness affects productivity in consumers. Once afflicted, consumers will be able to function well and may even need hospitalization in extreme cases. These events cause dramatic disruptions in everyday activities. If food safety practices are applied both in a food service establishment and at home, these cases can be prevented. Everyone can enjoy the delights that foods bring and healthy life without the inconvenience and dangers of food safety hazards.

Sustainable food production. Some food production practices have already received backlash from different communities because of the negative effects they contribute to the environment. Proper food safety practices include food manufacturing processes that not only protect the consumer but also take into account the environment. Practices such as reducing synthetic fertilizers that can leach into food products are controlled under food safety legislation. In addition, food safety practices include assurance of clean drinking water and the reduction of air, sewage, and other environmental pollutants, which significantly contribute to the environment. These practices go a long way. Contaminated water can easily affect all other ingredients and enter the human body since water is a key ingredient in almost all processes.

Safer food globalization. All laws about food safety are designed to protect consumers from food safety issues. Adhering to these comprehensive guidelines makes your products as competitive as possible, especially in the fast-paced globalization of the food industry. With proper food safety management systems, routes to a broader distribution channel become open for your food business.

How does food safety help to save lives?

Food safety plays a great role within the entire food chain more than we think it does. Food businesses are required to implement food safety management systems to protect the health of consumers from any foodborne disease. Beyond this concept, food safety contributes as well to important necessities in society as food security.

When properly implemented, food safety practices can help detect and control food safety risks, and contribute to economic prosperity, food security, and continuous and sustainable development. By providing safe food for consumption, a continuous supply of food for everyone can be ensured. The many benefits of food safety in various aspects of life prove why is food safety important for everyone.

The concept of farm-to-fork (or farm-to-table) food safety is well-known in the food industry. This concept tells us that food safety should be observed right from the beginning when raw foods are just being produced up until the finished product reaches the consumer. Standard food safety practices for growing produce have been established in laws such as the Food Safety Management Act in the United States. The farm-to-fork concept emphasizes how food safety hazards can occur at any point in the food supply chain.

The ultimate goal of food safety is to create a sustainable and secure food supply for everyone. This goal aims to emphasize the enjoyable experience of food while being sure that the food we get is safe. When all participating parties in the entire food chain, manufacturers, suppliers, the government, and consumers, play their role in food safety, this goal can be achieved.

Your responsibility to food safety

Each member of the food supply chain has a role to play in the food safety concept. All roles are vital and invaluable in the process. Whether you are a food business owner, government personnel, or a customer, your role cannot be replaced. Food safety is everyone's responsibility.

Here are some ideas on the roles of major food industry players in the management of food safety:

Government regulatory bodies establish standards and laws for food safety...

Food regulatory bodies are responsible for establishing food safety standards on food handling, food and personal hygiene, and distribution. Some of the well-known regulatory agencies include the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in the United States and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in the UK. These agencies, together with the presiding government, create food laws and regulations that aim to prevent food safety issues such as foodborne illnesses or infection.

They are also responsible for monitoring the implementation of these laws to ensure the food safety compliance of food retailers and other businesses for the interest of consumers. Government food safety regulatory bodies also prepare appropriate sanctions for non-complying food businesses to uphold any international standard. In this light, some food agencies conduct food safety inspections and external compliance audits of food manufacturing companies. They similarly provide certification programs and auditing services to update food businesses with the new laws and regulations.

The manager's most important food safety responsibility is training you to...

As food business operators who manage manufacturing operations, some of your biggest tasks in managing food safety include orienting, implementing, and reminding your team members about food safety hazards and how to control them. You are similarly responsible for building an effective food safety protocol for the welfare of your food business to show your concern for health care. Your installation of a food defense plan must follow international and domestic food safety standards and laws related to the industry you are in. As such, you have to research and update the knowledge of your team about food safety regulations.

Food business operators play a great role in maintaining food safety. Effective food safety management is achieved by applying a proactive approach to identifying the food safety hazards of your business and establishing control measures for all of them. To achieve these responsibilities a food handler must disclose its company information to the food safety regulatory bodies for proper assessment and gain consumer trust. To further prove commitment to the health and safety of consumers, a food business owner can acquire certification for food manufacturers.

Customers must be knowledgeable about food safety...

Although unusually emphasized, consumers also have a great role they should play to maintain food safety. The first responsibility of a consumer is to demand safe foods from food manufacturing companies and food handlers. Consumer opinions and demands emphasize the task of food business owners to uphold high food safety standards. In addition, it is also the responsibility of the consumer to be educated and aware of food safety practices and foodborne illnesses. Once the products arrive at your households safely, the responsibility to keep the product safe for consumption becomes partly yours.

Some reports about foodborne illnesses have been linked to the consumer's lack of knowledge and awareness about any proper food safety practices. Customers are required to know how to properly handle, process, and store the products they buy as instructed by the producer as these are based on international standards. The information about food safety that customers must possess does not need to be very advanced. Basic knowledge about cross-contamination, risks of hazards, and proper preventive measures would do great. Some activities that easily go unnoticed but are vital to maintaining food safety may include proper handwashing, sanitizing the working area, and proper segregation of fresh produce and cooked foods.

Food safety is a concept that only becomes effective if all food industry players work together. Food laws and regulations may be present, but without complying with them, food safety will not be effective. In the effort to control food safety within the whole food supply chain, education about food safety hazards, proper training, and certified food handlers are keys.