Food safety 101 - The journey of food safety from farm to table

Summary

The video script addresses the critical issue of food safety, highlighting that 600 million people fall ill and 420,000 die annually due to contaminated food. It outlines the types of contaminants—biological, chemical, and physical—and explains how they infiltrate the food supply chain at various stages, from production to preparation. The script underscores the severe health consequences, from fever and diarrhea to life-threatening diseases like cancer. It emphasizes the importance of global, national, and individual efforts to prevent foodborne illnesses, including international standards, government regulations, industry practices, and personal hygiene.

Takeaways

• 🍽️ Safe food is crucial for health, yet an estimated 600 million people fall ill and 420,000 die annually due to food contamination.
• 🦠 Food contamination can occur through biological agents like bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi, and prions, which can cause illness.
• 🌐 Chemical contamination can result from heavy metals, compounds like PCBs, and substances such as detergents.
• 🏭 Physical contaminants, including plastic, stones, or glass, can also make food unsafe.
• 🌱 The food supply chain, from production to consumption, involves multiple steps where contamination can occur.
• 🐄 Production contamination can happen through infected animals, pathogen-contaminated irrigation water, or improper pesticide use.
• 🔪 Processing contamination can occur during slaughtering or due to unsanitary conditions and improper handling.
• 🚚 Distribution issues include improper storage, pest infestations, and incorrect temperature management leading to pathogen growth.
• 🍽️ Preparation contamination can result from poor hygiene, cross-contamination, undercooking, and sick food handlers.
• 🌐 Globalization complicates food safety by increasing the diversity of ingredients sourced from various countries.
• 🏥 Contaminated food can cause over 200 diseases with symptoms ranging from mild to severe, affecting vulnerable groups more significantly.
• 🛡️ Preventive measures include international standards, national regulations, industry compliance, and individual practices like handwashing and proper food handling.

Q & A

What is the estimated number of people who get sick annually due to contaminated food?

It is estimated that 600 million people get sick annually due to contaminated food.

How many people die each year because of food contamination?

Approximately 420,000 people die each year as a result of food contamination.

What are the three main types of food contaminants mentioned in the script?

The three main types of food contaminants are biological, chemical, and physical.

Which diseases can be caused by prions, as mentioned in the script?

Prions can lead to severe neurological diseases.

What is the food supply chain and why is it important in food safety?

The food supply chain refers to the steps food takes from production to consumption, including production, processing, distribution, and preparation. It is important because contamination can occur at any of these steps.

How can contamination occur during the production step of the food supply chain?

Contamination during production can occur if animals are infected and transmit pathogens to their meat or animal products, if water used for irrigation contains pathogens or chemicals, or through the inappropriate use of pesticides.

What is food adulteration and how can it lead to food contamination?

Food adulteration is the fraudulent practice of adding unnecessary, inferior, or toxic compounds to food to improve its appearance, taste, reduce cost, or extend its shelf life, which can lead to food contamination.

What are some ways food can become contaminated during the distribution stage?

Food can become contaminated during distribution by being stored in unclean or unsafe areas, through pests like rats, insects, or birds, or if not stored at the correct temperature, leading to pathogen growth.

What are the potential health effects of consuming chemically contaminated food?

Chemical contamination can cause short-term or long-term effects on various organs in the body, including different types of cancers, usually due to repeated exposure over a long period.

Which groups are at a higher risk of being affected by contaminated food?

Elderly people over the age of 65, children under 5 years, pregnant women, and those who are immunocompromised are at a higher risk of being affected by contaminated food.

What preventive measures can individuals take to reduce the risk of foodborne diseases?

Individuals can reduce the risk of foodborne diseases by keeping hands and preparation areas clean, separating raw and cooked food, cooking thoroughly, keeping food at a safe temperature, and using safe water and raw materials.

Outlines

00:00

🍽️ Food Safety Overview

This paragraph introduces the criticality of safe food for health and the alarming statistics of foodborne illnesses and deaths. It outlines the types of food contamination, which include biological (micro-organisms, their products, and prions), chemical (heavy metals, compounds, and detergents), and physical (plastic, stones, or glass). The paragraph then delves into the food supply chain, detailing the stages of production, processing, distribution, and preparation where contamination can occur. Examples of contamination at each stage are provided, such as infected animals, improper use of pesticides, and food adulteration. The paragraph concludes with a mention of the complexity of the food supply chain and the potential for contamination at any point.

05:04

🛡️ Preventing Foodborne Illnesses

The second paragraph focuses on the consequences of consuming contaminated food, which can lead to over 200 diseases with symptoms ranging from mild to severe, including death. It discusses the groups most at risk, such as the elderly, young children, pregnant women, and immunocompromised individuals. The paragraph then addresses the broader impacts of unsafe food on the economy, food security, and the rise of antimicrobial resistance. It emphasizes the importance of prevention at all levels, from international agencies like WHO and FAO, to national governments, industry practices, and individual actions in homes and food establishments. The paragraph concludes with a brief overview of food safety measures, including maintaining cleanliness, proper food handling, and using safe water and raw materials.

Keywords

💡Food safety

Food safety refers to the practice of handling, preparing, and storing food in a way that prevents foodborne illnesses. It is crucial for public health, as the video script highlights the significant number of people who fall ill or die due to contaminated food. The video emphasizes the importance of food safety by discussing various contaminants and the steps in the food supply chain where contamination can occur.

💡Contaminants

Contaminants are substances that can make food unsafe to eat. The script categorizes them into biological, chemical, and physical contaminants. Biological contaminants include micro-organisms like bacteria, viruses, and parasites, which can cause illness. Chemical contaminants might include heavy metals or toxic compounds, while physical contaminants could be foreign objects like glass or plastic. The video underscores the role of these contaminants in foodborne diseases.

💡Food supply chain

The food supply chain encompasses all the stages through which food passes from production to consumption. This includes production, processing, distribution, and preparation. The video script uses the food supply chain as a framework to explain where and how contamination can occur, emphasizing the complexity of ensuring food safety across this chain.

💡Biological contaminants

Biological contaminants are living organisms or their byproducts that can cause foodborne illnesses. The script mentions bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi, and prions as examples. These can lead to a range of illnesses, from mild to severe, and are a significant focus of the video's discussion on food safety.

💡Chemical contaminants

Chemical contaminants are substances that can be harmful when ingested, such as heavy metals (lead, mercury, arsenic), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and detergents. The video script discusses how these substances can enter the food supply, either through environmental contamination or improper handling, posing a risk to consumer health.

💡Physical contaminants

Physical contaminants are non-organic materials that should not be present in food, such as plastic, stones, or glass. The video script points out that these contaminants can cause injury or introduce other harmful substances into the food, emphasizing the need for vigilance throughout the food production process.

💡Foodborne diseases

Foodborne diseases are illnesses caused by consuming contaminated food. The video script lists over 200 different diseases that can result from such contamination, ranging from mild symptoms like nausea to severe conditions like kidney failure or even death. The video uses these diseases to illustrate the serious consequences of unsafe food.

💡Food adulteration

Food adulteration is the deliberate addition of inferior or harmful substances to food to improve its appearance, taste, or shelf life, or to reduce costs. The video script describes this as a fraudulent practice that can introduce dangerous contaminants into the food supply, highlighting the importance of regulatory measures to prevent such acts.

💡HACCP

HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point, a systematic approach to food safety that identifies potential hazards in the food production process and establishes measures to control them. The video script mentions HACCP as an example of a food safety management system that can be used to prevent contamination and ensure food safety.

💡Globalization

Globalization is the increasing interconnectedness of the world's markets and economies, which has implications for food safety. The video script notes that globalization can complicate the food supply chain by sourcing ingredients from multiple countries, increasing the potential for contamination and the difficulty of tracking and managing food safety risks.

💡Vulnerable populations

Vulnerable populations are groups that are at a higher risk of experiencing severe health consequences from foodborne diseases. The video script identifies elderly people, young children, pregnant women, and immunocompromised individuals as particularly vulnerable. This highlights the need for extra precautions in food handling and preparation for these groups.

Highlights

600 million people get sick and 420,000 people die each year due to contaminated food.

Food can become unsafe due to biological, chemical, or physical contamination.

Biological contaminants include bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi, and prions.

Chemical contaminants can be heavy metals like lead, mercury, or arsenic, and compounds like polychlorinated biphenyls.

Physical contaminants might be plastic, stones, or glass.

The food supply chain includes production, processing, distribution, and preparation steps.

Contamination can occur at any stage of the food supply chain.

In production, contamination can come from infected animals or the use of pesticides.

Processing contamination can occur during slaughtering or due to improper cleaning.

Food adulteration is the fraudulent addition of harmful substances to food.

Distribution contamination can happen through improper storage or pest infestation.

Preparation contamination can result from not washing hands or cross-contamination.

Globalization complicates the food supply chain, increasing the risk of contamination.

Unsafe food can cause over 200 different diseases with symptoms ranging from mild to severe.

Elderly, children, pregnant women, and immunocompromised individuals are at higher risk from contaminated food.

Unsafe food can strain economies and impact food security.

International agencies like WHO and FAO work on food safety initiatives.

National governments are responsible for food standards and surveillance of foodborne illness.

The industry must comply with food safety legislation and have robust quality assurance programs.

Individuals can reduce foodborne disease risk by following simple food safety practices.

Transcripts

Safe food is essential for our health and well-being

But each year, it is estimated that 600 million people get sick and 420,000 people die because

of contaminated food.

Let’s take a quick look at food safety, an important public health issue

We’ll look at what makes food unsafe, how it happens, what it leads to, and how we can

prevent it Food can become unsafe when it gets contaminated

Contaminants can be: Biological - due to micro-organisms or their

products This includes bacteria……., viruses……,

parasites……. or fungi.

Some of these produce toxins that can lead to illness

Prions are protein molecules that have the potential to cause severe disease.

Contamination could also be due Chemicals - like heavy metals….. for example:

lead, mercury or arsenic; compounds such as polychlorinated biphenyls, and detergents…or

Physical - such as plastic, stones or glass

Let’s have a look at how these contaminants get into the food.

Getting food from where it is produced to where it is consumed requires several steps

This is called a food supply chain.

Production involves raising animals or growing the plants that we use for food, although

some could be caught or harvested from the wild

The processing step is where plants, animals or their products are converted and packaged

into a form that we buy as food.

The distribution step is where the food gets from the farm or processing plant to the consumer

usually through retail stores And….the preparation step involves getting

food ready to eat.

Contamination can happen at any of these steps.

Let’s take a look at some examples

At the production step, contamination can happen

If animals are infected and transmit pathogens to their meat or to animal products such as

eggs or milk.

If the water used to irrigate fruits and vegetables contains pathogens or chemicals.

Or if there is inappropriate use of pesticides which can lead to toxic pesticide residues

in food

In the processing step, contamination can happen:

During the slaughtering process if pathogens from the animal’s gastrointestinal system

contaminates the meat product During processing, where pathogens, chemicals,

or even physical contaminants such as glass could enter food.

For example, when contaminated water is used or when surfaces are not cleaned properly

Food adulteration is the fraudulent practise where unnecessary, inferior or toxic, chemical

or physical compounds are intentionally added to food to improve its appearance, taste,

reduce cost or make it last longer.

Examples of how food can get contaminated at the distribution stage include

Storing food in areas that are not clean or are unsafe, which can lead to the introduction

of biological, chemical, or physical contaminants.

Pests like rats, insects or birds that can introduce pathogens or physical contaminants

like hair or droppings into food.

And food that is not stored at the right temperature, which could lead to the growth of pathogens.

Contamination at the preparation stage could be due to:

Not washing hands before food preparation Cross contamination- for example if the same

knife is used for cutting raw meat and to prepare food that is not going to be cooked

not cooking food to the right temperature Or from sick food handlers

The food supply chain can be quite complex.

Contamination can happen at any number of points in this chain.

To add to this complexity is increased globalisation, which means that food may contain ingredients

sourced from many different countries.

Besides contamination, other ways that food could be potentially harmful are:

If it is not labelled properly - this is of concern for people who have food allergies

Or potentially, from consuming food past its expiry date

Let’s have a look at what happens when people eat contaminated food.

Contaminated food can lead to over 200 different diseases, depending on the type of contaminant

There can be a range of symptoms, from asymptomatic illness to severe disease, and sometimes even

death.

Biological contaminants typically cause fever, abdominal pain, nausea or vomiting and diarrhoea

These tend to occur hours to days after exposure.

There could be a range of complications such as kidney failure, arthritis or miscarriage.

Exposure to toxins, not only cause gastrointestinal disease but lead to a variety of health effects

such as paralysis or cancer Prions can lead to fatal neurological disease.

Chemical compounds can cause short term or long-term effects affecting almost any organ

in the body including causing different types of cancers.

It is usually due to repeated exposure to the chemical over a long period of time

Physical contaminants can cause injuries or serve as a way of introducing other types

of contaminants

Although anyone can be impacted, there are some groups at higher risk.

They include: Elderly people, especially those over the

age of 65 years Children under 5 years

Pregnant women and…

Those who are immunocompromised

At a broader level, unsafe food can: Strain economies due to the cost of illness

and reduced productivity Have an impact on food security - which is

availability and access to sufficient, nutritious and safe food.

And… contribute to the growing issue of antimicrobial resistance

Let’s talk about prevention…

Food safety is a complex problem that requires action at all levels.

At a global level, there are international agencies like the World Health Organization

and the Food and Agriculture Organisation that work on initiatives like the “Codex

Alimentarius” This a collection of international standards,

guidelines and codes of practice INFOSAN is a global network of national food

authorities that shares information and collaborates on food safety issues.

At a national level, governments are responsible for the implementation and enforcement of

food standards and codes and ensuring good agriculture and manufacturing practises.

They are also responsible for the surveillance and management of foodborne illness and outbreaks.

Industry has a crucial role in ensuring food safety at all stages of the supply chain

These include compliance with food safety legislation, regulations and standards, having

robust quality assurance programs, staff training and having food safety management systems

like “HACCP” - Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point which can be used to identify

and control potential food hazards.

And….

at an individual level - at home or food establishments, there are simple steps that can be taken to

reduce the risk of foodborne disease.

These include keeping hands and preparation areas clean, separating raw and cooked food,

cooking thoroughly, keeping food at a safe temperature, and using safe water and raw

materials

And that’s a quick introduction to food safety…

We’ve had a look at the major groups of food contaminants, examples of some of the

diseases they cause, how contamination may occur across the food supply chain and ways

to prevent unsafe food.