Chapter 12 – Food Safety and the Global Food Supply
Chapter 12 Summary
Foodborne Illnesses and the Agents that Cause Them
The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) top item of concern with regards to the food supply is foodborne illness, because it is a frequent threat to people who consume food that has been contaminated by toxic microorganisms during production, processing, packaging, transport, storage, or preparation. Food poisoning can be fatal, and consumers must learn to avoid common food safety mistakes.
Safe Food Storage and Preparation
Safe food preparation tips include using proper temperatures for storage, not allowing cooked food to come in contact with the same surfaces on which it was prepared raw, cooking at high enough temperatures to kill organisms, and using hot, soapy water for cleaning utensils, among others.
Pesticides and Other Chemical Contaminants
Chemical contaminants are increasingly present in the environment. Unlike pesticides, they are not regulated, but find their way into foods by accident. Among the most serious contamination problems of recent years have been those involving heavy metals such as lead and mercury. Pesticides are poisonous substances, but are used intentionally to protect foods against insects or other harmful pests. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), FDA, and other agencies are charged with establishing residue tolerances for pesticides and monitoring their presence in foods.
Food Additives
From a safety standpoint, food additives rank among the least hazardous substances in food. Intentional food additives enhance the color, flavor, texture, or stability of foods or even improve the nutritional value of certain items. The FDA requires that additives be safe and imposes a specific set of testing procedures on manufacturers. Many food additives appear on the GRAS (generally recognized as safe) list that is reviewed periodically as new facts or concerns arise. Major classes of food additives include the artificial colors, artificial flavors and flavor enhancers, artificial sweeteners, antimicrobial agents, antioxidants, and nutrient additives. FDA also regulates incidental additives in foods. These substances find their way into food by accident as the result of some phase of production, processing, or storage.
Should You Buy Organically Grown Produce or Meats?
In order to minimize exposure to pesticides, some consumers opt for organically grown foods, which are now regulated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). USDA has created a national reference standard to define what is and what is not organic.
New Technologies on the Horizon
Public health organizations striving to feed a fast-growing world population while ensuring a safe food supply debate the benefits and risks associated with new ways of doing so. New food technologies under consideration as alternatives to help improve the safety of our food supply and to maintain the nutritional value of the foods available in the marketplace include irradiation and genetic engineering. Irradiation involves exposing food to low doses of radiation, which destroys insects and several types of bacteria. With genetic engineering, scientists can alter a plant’s genes in an effort to make a particular trait more desirable. Despite many concerns, some scientists are hopeful that careful use of genetic engineering will confer long-term benefits, such as the development of insect- and disease-resistant plants that allow farmers to grow crops with fewer chemicals.
Spotlight: Domestic and World Hunger
The phenomenon of hunger is today being discussed in terms of food security. Food insecurity was once viewed as a problem of overpopulation and inadequate food production, but now many people recognize it as a problem of poverty. Poverty is much more than an economic condition and exists for many reasons, including overpopulation, greed, unemployment, and the lack of productive resources such as land, tools, and credit. The chapter concludes that the practical suggestions offered throughout the book for attaining the ideals of personal nutrition are the very suggestions that support the health of the whole earth.