Food Quality and Food Safety

Food safety and quality are of global concern because unsafe or low-quality food can cause food-borne diseases, illness and even death. The chapter notes that food-borne illness is a major public health problem worldwide and can also damage trade and tourism, cause loss of earnings, unemployment and litigation, and hinder economic growth. In present times, concern has increased because more people eat outside their homes, food is prepared in bulk, many foods are processed and packaged, transport and distribution are complex, new pathogens are emerging, and contamination can occur from pollution, pesticides, additives and poor handling. Since foods are also traded internationally, countries need effective standards and control systems to ensure that both locally produced and imported foods are safe and wholesome.

- Hazard: The relative probability that harm or injury will result when a substance is not used in a prescribed manner and quantity. Hazards may be physical, chemical or biological.
- Toxicity: The capacity of a substance to produce harm or injury of any kind under any conditions.
- Contamination: The presence of harmful or objectionable foreign substances in food such as chemicals, micro-organisms or dilutants before, during or after processing or storage.
- Food quality: The attributes that influence a product’s value to consumers. It includes negative attributes like spoilage, contamination and hazards, as well as positive attributes like colour, flavour and texture.
- Adulteration: The process in which the quality of food is lowered by addition of inferior material or by extraction of valuable ingredients; it also includes intentional addition/substitution and contamination during growth, storage, processing, transport and distribution.

Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) is described in the chapter as an intergovernmental body formed to establish international standards that protect the health of consumers and facilitate food and agricultural trade. The document it publishes is called Codex Alimentarius, meaning “Food Code.”