Food safety is a regulation describing handling, preparation, and storage of food in ways to prevent food-borne illness. Food can transmit pathogens which results in the illness. The principles of food hygiene, according to WHO, are:
- Prevent contamination of food with pathogens.
- Must not mix up raw and cooked foods to prevent the contamination of the cooked foods.
- Must cook foods for the appropriate time and temperature to kill pathogens.
- Store food at the proper temperature.
- Use safe water and safe raw materials.
The food label carries and provides information that helps us make good choices about food and also about the ingredients and nutrients in foods. It will also let us know if the food has any Additives added to it and also the information about the same. The nutrition information section helps us to compare the nutrient profile of similar products and choose the best that suits your needs.
The Label provides the three primary Functions;
- It provides us the Product Information that includes a common name, list of ingredients, net quantity, manufacturing Date, etc.
- It provides health, safety, and nutrition information such as allergen information, instructions for safe storage and handling, quantity of fats, proteins, carbohydrates; vitamins and minerals present per serving of stated size of the food
- It acts as a tool for food marketing, promotion, and advertising
Food Quality is the quality characteristic of food that targets the reliable paths to detect, identify, quantify, characterize, and monitor the quality issues occurring in food. This also includes external factors such as appearance, texture, and flavor; and internal factors such as chemical, physical, and microbial. Food quality also deals with product traceability, whenever required. It also targets the labeling issues to ensure the presence of correct ingredient and nutritional information.
Food Adulteration is a food product that fails to meet legal standards. The main cause of adulteration is the addition of another substance to a food item to increase the quantity of the food item, which may result in the loss of the actual quality of food items.
A food safety agency or food administration holds responsible for the food-related issues, mainly ensuring the safety of food sold or distributed to the consumer and also the information of the origin, health qualities & risks associated with the food being sold.
