Importance of safety in food safety

Objective: To present information that allows us to reflect on the importance of safety in food safety.

Food safety: Ensure that food consumption does not harm the health of consumers. Practices to reduce food contamination.

importance-of-food-safety

Food contamination hazard:

Biological

• Bacteria Viruses Fungi

Physical

Pieces of glass, wood, metals, hair, etc.

Chemicals

• Pesticides Antibiotics Mycotoxins

Most frequent pathogens

STAPHYLOCUS AUREUS

SALMONELLA

• CLOSTRIDIUM PERFRINGENSCAMPYLOBACTERBACILLUS CEREUSESCHERICHIA COLISHIGELLACOLERAYERSINIA ENTEROCOLITIC PARASITES

Food safety is a multidimensional problem

• Lack of an integrated and holistic approach without a long-term vision. (The sporadic efforts of different sectors do not create the critical mass) Epidemiological surveillance: training of human resources, especially health personnel for doctors, recruitment, notification of cases and outbreaks. Development of laboratories, their integration and linkage to the systems of surveillance - Research support

INSUFFICIENT INSTRUMENTS

• Modern inspection systems based on programs such as GMP, SSOP, HACCP Regulatory aspects - Codex Alimentarius - SFS - OMC. Education and communication to the population, promotion of citizen participation, empowering the subject and their health.

Attention to multiple factors that make the consumer should be more and more informed about food:

Market effects:

Globalization: Transformation of food markets - greater number of products on the market - Accelerated vertical and horizontal integration of the industry.

Eating habits: There is a variation due to several factors. On the one hand, the consumer seeks an easier diet, mostly processed, and packaged than before, and on the other hand, he realizes the need for a healthier diet.

C HANGES production : For many reasons, the production and processing (more intensive, more industrial, technological innovations, etc.) constant undergoes transformations

C HANGES distribution : due to exports and imports. (products from different countries).

Changes in composition : greater number of products with additives, ingredients little known by the consumer.

Consumer preferences : customs, religion… and

Our eating habits turned upside down throughout the 20th century.

In the first five decades and especially immediately after the Second World War, food was considered a mere source of energy. At present it constitutes a sensory, cultural, economic and social phenomenon.

There is a demand by consumers for high quality food that contributes to improving our health and well-being.

Exercise of the right to information and education as a basic human right.

Consequences of unsafe food

• RISK TO THE HEALTH OF CONSUMERS
  • Healthcare costs (individual / government) Productivity losses
  RETENTION, REJECTION AND DESTRUCTION ECONOMIC LOSSES AND COSTS COMMERCIAL LOSSES NEGATIVE EFFECTS ON TOURISM

What is the current situation of food safety systems?

WHAT IS CURRENTLY DONE, HOW IS IT CONTROLLED?

INSPECTION AND SAMPLING

LABORATORY ANALYSIS:

• FOOD BROMATOLOGICOMICROBIOLOGY

REINSPECTION AND SANCTION

OPERATION PERMIT

MUNICIPAL PATENT

What about the self-monitoring system?

Disadvantages for the success of HACCP (Underdeveloped Countries)

• Lack of skilled labor High implementation costs Lack of knowledge in how to apply it (education and training) Lack of understanding between government and industry Availability of documents in native language

Disadvantages of HACCP

In addition to the above reasons :

Lack of a legal framework that regulates or refers to HACCP (Current Control System)

Little information on the epidemiological control and monitoring of ATS

Lack of service companies that evaluate operationally and functionally the HACCP requirements in the food industry prior to its application (Prerequisite Program)

STRATEGIES

• 1- Hazard identification 2- Determination of critical control points 3- Establish control criteria 4- Application of monitoring 5- Corrective actions 6- Registration systems 7- Verification.

HOW DOES THE SANITARY EQUIPMENT WORK ?

EPIDEMIOLOGICAL SURVEILLANCE:

Immediate response capacity and problem solving

HEALTH EDUCATION:

• physical and sanitary infrastructure basic sanitation good manufacturing practices correct food hygiene practices hygiene and disinfection

SANITARY CONTROL:

HACCP plan audit - APCPC

SAMPLING Random sampling surveillance

Food bromatological analysis

Other questions we should ask ourselves

• Is there a monitoring of food safety? That is, monitoring the community, its eating habits and looking for the link between food contamination and disease? How is the information, education, communication, training found? How is the research for innovation situations found ? Do the warning systems work? How are the regulatory aspects and the degree of compliance with them?

Safety in the agro-industrial chain

• ATS persist and are of concern to public health agencies and consumers, although consumer attitudes are evolving; In developing countries, such as Chile, there is not a widespread culture of buying by quality but of buying by price. Food safety must be ensured at all links in the agro-industrial chain. Safety is the basis for entering the markets. In international markets it is not conceived that there is no safe food. Sanitary records have to be seen as obstacles, it is the minimum that a producer must offer a guarantee to a consumer. After achieving safety, and only after that, entrepreneurs in our countries can begin to implement marketing systems based on quality seals.

It is essential to educate the END consumer and the organized consumer in food safety.

And promote community participation to empower them with the problem and incorporate desirable behaviors that contribute to food safety into their health culture.

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