Food safety

Key Facts

Food safety, nutrition and food security are inextricably linked. Unsafe food creates a vicious cycle of disease and malnutrition, particularly affecting infants and young children, the elderly and the sick.
It is estimated that 600 million people, or almost one in 10 people on the planet, become ill every year from the effects of eating food contaminated with microorganisms or chemicals, resulting in the loss of 33 million healthy life years (DALYs).
Each year, in low- and middle-income countries, the economic cost of lost productivity and medical costs resulting from the consumption of unsafe food is $110 billion.
Forty percent of the burden of foodborne diseases occurs in children under 5 years of age, and every year these diseases claim the lives of 125,000 children.
Foodborne diseases are a hindrance to social and economic development as they overburden health systems and damage the national economy, tourism and trade.

Major foodborne illnesses and their causes

Generally, foodborne illnesses are infectious diseases or intoxications caused by bacteria, viruses, or chemicals that enter the body through contaminated water or food.

Foodborne pathogens can cause severe diarrheal or disabling infectious diseases, including meningitis.

Contamination of food with chemicals can lead to acute poisoning or the development of chronic diseases such as cancer. Foodborne illness can cause long-term disability and death. Types of unsafe food include raw animal foods, fruits and vegetables contaminated with faeces, and raw shellfish containing marine biotoxins.

Viruses

Norovirus infections are accompanied by nausea, severe vomiting, watery diarrhea, and abdominal pain. The hepatitis A virus can cause long-term liver damage and is usually spread through raw or undercooked seafood or contaminated fruits and vegetables. Often the sources of infection are virus-infected people who work with food.

Parasites

Some parasites, such as fish flukes, are only transmitted through food. Others, such as Echinococcus spp or Taenia solium, can infect humans through food or direct contact with animals. Other parasites such as Ascaris, Cryptosporidium, Entamoeba histolytica or Giardia enter the food chain through water or soil and can contaminate fresh fruits and vegetables.

Prions

Prions are protein-based infectious agents that are unique in their ability to cause certain forms of neurodegenerative disease. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, or “mad cow disease”) is a prion disease that affects cattle and has been linked to the human variant, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). The most likely route of human infection with prions is the ingestion of some by-products of cattle, such as brain tissue.

Chemical substances

The greatest threat to health are naturally occurring toxins and environmental pollutants.

Natural toxins include mycotoxins, marine biotoxins, cyanogenic glycosides, and toxins found in poisonous mushrooms. Mycotoxins, such as aflatoxin and ochratoxin, can be found in high concentrations in staple foods such as corn or other cereals. Chronic exposure to these toxins can impair the immune system or normal development of the body, and cause cancer.
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are substances that accumulate in the environment and in the human body. Notable examples include dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which are unwanted by-products of industrial production and incineration. They are present in the environment throughout the world and tend to accumulate in the animal food chain. Dioxins are highly toxic compounds and can cause developmental and reproductive disorders, immune system disorders, hormonal disruptions, and cancer.

Heavy metals such as lead, cadmium and mercury cause damage to the nervous system and kidneys. Contamination of foodstuffs with heavy metals occurs mainly as a result of contamination of air, soil and water.

The burden of foodborne disease

The burden of foodborne disease on the health and well-being of populations and economies is often underestimated as a result of underestimated incidence rates and difficulties in establishing causal relationships between food contamination and subsequent illness or death.

The 2015 WHO report on the global burden of foodborne disease presented for the first time estimates of the burden of disease caused by 31 foodborne pathogens (bacteria, viruses, parasites, toxins and chemicals) at the global and regional levels.

According to the World Bank’s 2018 Economic Burden of Foodborne Disease report, the cumulative economic cost of lost productivity due to foodborne disease in low- and middle-income countries is estimated to be $95.2 billion , and the annual cost of treating foodborne diseases is estimated to be as high as US$15 billion.

Five principles for improving food safety

1. Keep clean

– Wash your hands before handling food and often during food preparation.

-Wash your hands after going to the toilet

– Wash and disinfect any surfaces and utensils used in the food preparation process

-Protect kitchen and food from insects, rodents and other animals

WHY?

Although most microorganisms do not cause any disease, many of them found in soil, water, and human and animal bodies are still dangerous. They are transmitted through dirty hands, household rags, and especially through cutting boards. One touch can be enough to transfer them to food and cause a foodborne infection.

2. Separate raw foods from cooked foods

– Separate raw meat, poultry and seafood from other foods

– Use separate kitchen utensils and utensils such as knives and cutting boards to handle raw foods

– Store food in a sealed container to prevent raw food from coming into contact with cooked food.

WHY?

Raw foods, especially meat, poultry, seafood and their juices, can contain dangerous microorganisms that can be transferred to other foods during food preparation and storage.

3. Cook food thoroughly

– Subject food, especially meat, poultry, eggs and seafood, to thorough cooking

-Bring soups and stews to a boil to make sure they reach 70°C. Remember that the juice of cooked meat or poultry should be light, not pink. Use a thermometer whenever possible

– Thoroughly reheat cooked food

WHY?

– With careful heat treatment, almost all dangerous microorganisms die. Studies show that the heat treatment of products with

temperature of 70°C makes them safer to consume. Foods to watch out for include minced meat, meatloaf, large cuts of meat, and whole poultry.

4. Keep food at a safe temperature

– Do not leave cooked food at room temperature for more than two hours

– Refrigerate all cooked and perishable foods without delay (preferably below 5°C)

– Keep cooked meals hot (above 60°C) until serving

– Do not store food for too long even in the refrigerator

– Do not defrost food at room temperature

WHY?

At room temperature, microorganisms multiply very quickly. At temperatures below 5 °C or above 60 °C, the process of their reproduction slows down or

stops. Some dangerous microorganisms can still multiply at temperatures below 5 °C.

5. Use safe water and safe raw foods

– Use clean water or purify it

– Choose fresh and healthy foods

– Choose products that have been processed to improve their safety, such as pasteurized milk

– Wash fruits and vegetables, especially when eaten raw

– Do not use products after their expiration date

WHY?

Raw foods, as well as water and ice, may contain dangerous micro-organisms and chemicals. Toxins can form in spoiled or moldy foods. Carefully selected and well-washed or cleaned foods are less hazardous to health