According to WHO, almost 1 out of 10 people in the world fall ill after eating contaminated food, resulting in the loss of an estimated 600 million deaths. Not only that, but foodborne diseases also impede socioeconomic development, harming national economies, tourism, and trade.

This brings us to the urgency of food safety, which has become a concern that needs to be emphasised even more. Knowing the basic principles of safety will assure safer and healthier life for your food, your business, your customers, and especially your family and loved ones.

This article will help you discover everything you need to know about food safety, and how to apply them to your everyday lives.

What is food safety?

The practice of food safety refers to the handling, preparing, and storing of food in a way that reduces the risk of individuals being exposed to foodborne illnesses. The main principle of food safety is to prevent food from becoming contaminated or causing food poisoning.

The conduct of food safety can be applied through a variety of methods, such as maintaining personal hygiene, correctly storing, freezing, and heating food, and even the proper maintenance of kitchen utensils. Food safety should also be observed right from the beginning when raw foods are produced up until the finished product reaches the consumer.

When done properly, food safety practices can even help detect and control food safety risks and contribute to economic prosperity, food security, and continuous and sustainable development. 

The goal of food safety is to emphasize the enjoyable experience of food while being sure that the food we get is safe. Whether you’re handling food as a part of your job or to cook at home, the application of proper food safety principles is highly important.

Importance of food safety

South East Asia region has the second highest burden of foodborne diseases, with more than 150 million cases and 175,000 death annually. This data should push policy-makers to prioritise the implementation of the right strategies to prevent, detect, and manage foodborne risks and improve food safety.

Here’s a list of why food safety is important:

• Safer food globalisation. There are laws designed to protect people from food safety hazards. If you are in the food business, you can make your products more competitive by adhering to the guidelines. And with proper food safety management systems, routes to a broader distribution channel will be open.
• A better way of living. Foodborne illness caused by food safety hazards may affect productivity and cause disruptions in everyday activities. In extreme cases, consumers may even need hospitalisation. By applying food safety practices, you can enjoy food safely and live a healthier life without the dangers of food hazards.
• Waste reduction. Bad foods are subject to disposal. And when contaminated foods enter production, this can lead to more waste. The use of proper food safety management systems can detect and control food hazards before they enter production, which leads to the prevention of more food waste.
• Cost reduction. Food product disposals usually lead to defective product recalls, which will affect profitability, cause business closure, and certainly cost companies more. Moreover, if the food safety issue is widespread, companies may be liable to pay for medical expenses or lawsuits. The consumption of unhealthy food may also lead to hospitalisation and a bigger cost of healthcare. These can be reduced with proper food safety practices.
• Sustainable food production. Proper food safety practices take into account the environment along with customer protection. Practices include reducing the use of synthetic fertilizers, assurance of clean drinking water, and the reduction of air, sewage, and other environmental pollutants.
• Protection from foodborne illnesses. Protecting consumers from foodborne diseases is the main objective of food safety. There are many causes of inadequate food safety which lead to foodborne illness, which we will discuss further.

Foodborne illnesses and their causes

Foodborne illnesses can be caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites, and even chemical substances. These can cause more than 200 diseases—from acute diarrhoea, and poisoning, to cancers. Here are some examples:

Bacteria

Salmonella and E. coli are some of the most common foodborne pathogens. Salmonella is associated with eggs, poultry, and other products of animal origin. Whereas E. coli is associated with unpasteurised milk, undercooked meat, and contaminated fruits and vegetables. Symptoms may include fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhoea.

Vibrio cholerae can even cause severe dehydration and possibly death by infecting people through contaminated water and food such as rice, vegetables, millet gruel, and various type of seafood.

Viruses

Norovirus is a common cause of foodborne infections that are characterized by nausea, explosive vomiting, watery diarrhoea and abdominal pain. Hepatitis A virus can also be transmitted by food and can cause long-lasting liver disease and spreads typically through raw or undercooked seafood or contaminated raw produce.

Parasites

Tapeworms like Echinococcus spp, or Taenia spp, may infect people through food or direct contact with animals. Other parasites, such as Ascaris, Cryptosporidium, Entamoeba histolytica or Giardia, enter the food chain via water or soil and can contaminate fresh produce.

Prions

Prions are infectious agents composed of protein. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, or so-called mad cow disease) is a prion disease in cattle, associated with the variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) in humans. Consuming meat products containing specified risk material, such as brain tissue, is the most likely route of transmission of the prion agent to humans.

Chemicals

Staple foods like corn or cereals can contain high levels of mycotoxins, such as aflatoxin and ochratoxin, produced by mould on grain. Long-term exposure can affect the immune system and normal development, or cause cancer.

Contamination of heavy metals such as lead, cadmium and mercury may cause neurological and kidney damage, which occurs mainly through pollution of water and soil.

Things you should know about food safety

While the risks of foodborne illnesses may seem so scary, everything is manageable so long as you follow the proper guidelines. Whether you are eating or cooking, engaging with food should be fun and highly rewarding.

So, here are some of the basics of food safety for you to follow:

A. Food storage rules

First of all, remember to clean your fridge regularly. Clean any spills or drips straight away. There’s no harm in having a good deep clean of your fridge every few weeks.

After that, you need to make sure your food is well-covered in the fridge in order to avoid cross-contamination of foods. When everything is clean and covered, you also need to stack your fridge correctly.

Store the highest-risk uncooked foods at the bottom so they don’t drip onto the lower-risk foods. Try to store poultry and seafood on the bottom shelf, meats above them, and cooked food and dairy above that.

B. Food handling rules

The most important thing in food safety is hygiene. Always wash your hands before and after handling any kind of food.

This also applies to kitchen utensils. Try not to use the same utensils for cooked food as you have for uncooked food. For example, don’t use the same knife to apply butter to a slice of raw meat, and then use that knife again to scoop the butter. This would mean that you just introduced a new batch of bacteria from the meat to the butter.

Likewise, try to use different cutting boards for cooked and uncooked foods, or you can turn them over. It’s also better if you have different cutting boards for vegetables and meats.

C. Temperature danger zone

The temperature danger zone is the range where foodborne bacteria multiply rapidly. It is between 4°C or 40°F and 60°C or 140°F. When food stays for more than four hours in this danger zone, it is most likely that the bacteria have multiplied to a dangerous level, and the food should be discarded.

That is why you need to set the refrigerator’s temperature below 4°C or 40°F to minimise bacterial growth. You can also opt to freeze the food, which would slow bacterial growth to almost a complete halt.

D. Freezing food and defrosting

It’s always better to freeze food sooner rather than later. So, if you know you aren’t going to use it right away, you should put it in the freezer right away. Freezing halts the growth of bacteria.

You should also use defrosted food within 36 hours. But keep in mind that if anything doesn’t look or smell right, you should discard it right away. And do not refreeze thawed foods under any circumstances.

Regarding defrosting, you can use a microwave or let it defrost in the fridge. Placing it at room temperature endangers the food by letting bacteria grow.

E. High-risk foods

It is common knowledge that raw meat, poultry, and seafood are high-risk foods. But there are other foods that you need to pay special attention to:

• Milk, cream, and soft cheeses. These are risky because of their high sugar and moisture content.
• Eggs. The risks will largely depend on the hygiene practice of where you live. However, cooked or half-cooked eggs are at a bigger risk and should be consumed as quickly as possible.
• Ice cream. With the ingredients consisting of barely-cooked eggs and milk, sometimes ice creams can induce a film of bacteria.
• Pasta and noodles. The high content of carbohydrates and moisture can make these foods an ideal breeding ground for bacteria.

F. Food went bad

You should always opt to throw away food that has gone bad. But how do you decide if food has gone bad or not? The easiest way is to rely on your five senses.

For example, with sight, you can see mould, discolouration, or foreign particles. With smell, you can check if food has an unpleasant or very strong odour. With taste, it’s much simpler. If it tastes bad, then it should be thrown out. With touch, you can check the firmness of fruits and vegetables. If it feels too squishy, perhaps it’s time to throw it out. And with hearing, you can check packages of grains or fruits and hear if there’s any insect activity.

Conclusion

Choosing, preparing, and handling foods are enjoyable activities. Especially eating them. And by having knowledge of food safety, you can have an even more enjoyable and healthy food experience.

When buying food, you should always look for conditions and packaging. Some people would choose canned foods for the sake of safety from contamination. Choosing canned foods is an excellent way to extend their shelf-life, which may eliminate food waste and allow you to grocery shop less frequently.

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