ARTICLE
Food Health and Safety
All of us as food consumers expect to eat healthy, safe, and wholesome food that covers all of our needs. But have you ever heard of the concept of food health and safety and its importance in all of our lives without exception?
In this article you will find the answer…
The World Health Organization has defined the concept of food health and safety as: “All necessary conditions and standards during the production, manufacturing, distribution, preparation and eating of food, necessary to ensure that food is safe, of known source, healthy and suitable for human consumption.” Food health and safety is represented by following hygienic procedures during the food processing process to ensure that no health damage is exposed when eating food. Concern for the food production life cycle must start from farming to packaging and delivery of finished products to the consumer.
Controlling food health and safety requires knowledge of everything that puts food safety at risk. Food health and safety are negatively affected if contamination occurs at any stage of the food production cycle. These pollutants may be caused by biological, chemical, physical and radiological hazards. Without proper management and control of food health and safety, many problems such as foodborne diseases and food-related infections can occur.
Data recently released by the World Health Organization estimated that at least 600 million people worldwide contract foodborne diseases after consuming unhealthy foods. Of these people, at least 420,000 die each year.
Economic progress can be affected by lost productivity and medical expenses as a result of the burden of foodborne diseases. The consequences of non-compliance with food health and safety standards can be disastrous for food business owners and consumers alike. In addition to being very costly for food business owners who manufacture various products and manage food production processes, unhealthy food safety in the manufacturing field entails significant human cost and causes severe health damage.
Everyone who works in food production is responsible and has an important role in maintaining the health and safety of food. Whether you are a food supplier, a food business owner, a factory owner, or a consumer, you have a big role in food safety. If you are a food business owner, you can contribute to the health and safety of food by complying with all hygiene standards during the food processing process ensuring that there is no harm to health when eating food. If you are a consumer, you can participate in maintaining food health and safety by following the correct methods of eating, storing or preparing food, or by spreading awareness of food health and safety principles; Others, in turn, begin to take measures that can save them from any harm that may result from eating contaminated food. Consumers can also achieve food health and safety by requesting high-quality and safe products and submitting a complaint to the competent authorities in case they encounter any problems related to food health and safety.
Dr. Zaid Al Zaidi