How safe is our food supply? Each year the media report what appears to be growing concern related to illness caused by the food consumed by Americans. These food borne illnesses are caused by pathogenic microorganisms, pesticide residues, and food additives. Recent actions taken at the federal, state, and local levels in response to the increase in reported incidences of food borne illnesses point to the need to evaluate the food safety system in the United States. This book assesses the effectiveness of the current food safety system and provides recommendations on changes needed to ensure an effective science-based food safety system. Ensuring Safe Food discusses such important issues as: What are the primary hazards associated with the food supply? What gaps exist in the current system for ensuring a safe food supply? What effects do trends in food consumption have on food safety? What is the impact of food preparation and handling practices in the home, in food services, or in production operations on the risk of food borne illnesses? What organizational changes in responsibility or oversight could be made to increase the effectiveness of the food safety system in the United States? Current concerns associated with microbiological, chemical, and physical hazards in the food supply are discussed. The book also considers how changes in technology and food processing might introduce new risks. Recommendations are made on steps for developing a coordinated, unified system for food safety. The book also highlights areas that need additional study. Ensuring Safe Food will be important for policymakers, food trade professionals, food producers, food processors, food researchers, public health professionals, and consumers.

The field of food quality assurance has evolved substantially over the past decade, and certain key developments have become widely accepted. These include Quality Systems (e.g., ISO 9000) and HACCP. Consequently, it has become essential for undergraduate Food Science and Food Technology students preparing for careers in the food industry to have some basic training in these systems as part of the curricula in their university or college programs. Food Quality Assurance: Principles and Practices integrates the latest principles, practices, and terminology of food safety systems with those of quality management systems to provide an understanding of a single food quality management system. Chapters define industry terminology, review the differences and components of food quality and food safety, explain Quality Programs and Quality Systems, and thoroughly examine Good Manufacturing Practices and HACCP. Written primarily as an undergraduate-level text for Food Quality Assurance and Food Quality Management courses, the book combines the fundamentals of food safety and quality systems with the latest data from recognized international and national organizations. This is an essential guide for teaching food quality assurance to students.

Food Safety and Quality Systems in Developing Countries, Volume 2: Case Studies of Effective Implementation begins with a general overview of some of the issues and considerations that impact effective implementation of food safety and quality systems and put this in the context of some of the more noteworthy foodborne illness incidents in the recent past.This book is a rich source of information about the practical application of food science and technology to solving food safety and quality problems in the food industry. Students, researchers, professionals, regulators and market access practitioners will find this book an irreplaceable addition to their arsenal as they deal with issues regarding food safety and quality for the products with which they are working. - Explores the keys to effective implementation of Food Safety and Quality Systems (FSQS), with a focus on selected, specific food safety and quality challenges in developing countries and how these can be mitigated - Provides a treasure trove of information on tropical foods and their production that have applicability to similar foods and facilities around the world - Presents case studies examining national, industry-wide or firm-level issues, and potential solutions

Even though the perception of food quality may depend on its hedonic and often subjective attributes, it is essential to quantitatively evaluate its quality and safety. Fortunately, the advent of sophisticated systems, including nondestructive testing techniques, has made it possible to definitively evaluate food quality. Reflecting these advances,

Recent outbreaks of illnesses traced to contaminated sprouts and lettuce illustrate the holes that exist in the system for monitoring problems and preventing foodborne diseases. Although it is not solely responsible for ensuring the safety of the nation's food supply, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversees monitoring and intervention for 80 percent of the food supply. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's abilities to discover potential threats to food safety and prevent outbreaks of foodborne illness are hampered by impediments to efficient use of its limited resources and a piecemeal approach to gathering and using information on risks. Enhancing Food Safety: The Role of the Food and Drug Administration, a new book from the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council, responds to a congressional request for recommendations on how to close gaps in FDA's food safety systems. Enhancing Food Safety begins with a brief review of the Food Protection Plan (FPP), FDA's food safety philosophy developed in 2007. The lack of sufficient detail and specific strategies in the FPP renders it ineffectual. The book stresses the need for FPP to evolve and be supported by the type of strategic planning described in these pages. It also explores the development and implementation of a stronger, more effective food safety system built on a risk-based approach to food safety management. Conclusions and recommendations include adopting a risk-based decision-making approach to food safety; creating a data surveillance and research infrastructure; integrating federal, state, and local government food safety programs; enhancing efficiency of inspections; and more. Although food safety is the responsibility of everyone, from producers to consumers, the FDA and other regulatory agencies have an essential role. In many instances, the FDA must carry out this responsibility against a backdrop of multiple stakeholder interests, inadequate resources, and competing priorities. Of interest to the food production industry, consumer advocacy groups, health care professionals, and others, Enhancing Food Safety provides the FDA and Congress with a course of action that will enable the agency to become more efficient and effective in carrying out its food safety mission in a rapidly changing world.

Food Safety and Quality Systems in Developing Countries: Volume III: Technical and Market Considerations is a practical resource for companies seeking to supply food products from developing countries to developed country markets or to transnational business located in developing countries. It explores practical approaches to complying with food safety and quality systems requirements, backed by the science-based approaches used in the major markets applied in a developing country context. It explores the topic from the perspective of agribusiness value chains and includes deconstructions of regulatory and market channel-specific technical requirements in North America, Europe, and other major markets. Volume III builds on the platforms laid by the previous two volumes, providing guidance from industry-leading experts on addressing regulatory and market-specific microbiological, chemical, packaging and labelling, supply chain, and systems-related food safety and quality compliance requirements. This book addresses technical and market-determined standards that value chain participants in developing countries face supplying developed country markets or transnational firms, including hotels, major multiples, and quick serve restaurant brands. Provides detailed, scientific, and technical information to assist food safety and marketing professionals operating in the global market Helps farmers, processors, exporters, food scientists and technologists, regulators, students, and other stakeholders in the global food industry understand and apply tailored technical and scientific information to their food industry sector Uses specific real-world examples of systems implementation, supported by case studies and the required scientific and marketing inputs in a range of product categories including fruits and vegetables, sauces and spices, beverages, produce staples, dairy products, seafood, and others

Food Safety Management: A Practical Guide for the Food Industry with an Honorable Mention for Single Volume Reference/Science in the 2015 PROSE Awards from the Association of American Publishers is the first book to present an integrated, practical approach to the management of food safety throughout the production chain. While many books address specific aspects of food safety, no other book guides you through the various risks associated with each sector of the production process or alerts you to the measures needed to mitigate those risks. Using practical examples of incidents and their root causes, this book highlights pitfalls in food safety management and provides key insight into the means of avoiding them. Each section addresses its subject in terms of relevance and application to food safety and, where applicable, spoilage. It covers all types of risks (e.g., microbial, chemical, physical) associated with each step of the food chain. The book is a reference for food safety managers in different sectors, from primary producers to processing, transport, retail and distribution, as well as the food services sector. - Honorable Mention for Single Volume Reference/Science in the 2015 PROSE Awards from the Association of American Publishers - Addresses risks and controls (specific technologies) at various stages of the food supply chain based on food type, including an example of a generic HACCP study - Provides practical guidance on the implementation of elements of the food safety assurance system - Explains the role of different stakeholders of the food supply

Food safety awareness is at an all time high, new and emerging threats to the food supply are being recognized, and consumers are eating more and more meals prepared outside of the home. Accordingly, retail and foodservice establishments, as well as food producers at all levels of the food production chain, have a growing responsibility to ensure that proper food safety and sanitation practices are followed, thereby, safeguarding the health of their guests and customers. Achieving food safety success in this changing environment requires going beyond traditional training, testing, and inspectional approaches to managing risks. It requires a better understanding of organizational culture and the human dimensions of food safety. To improve the food safety performance of a retail or foodservice establishment, an organization with thousands of employees, or a local community, you must change the way people do things. You must change their behavior. In fact, simply put, food safety equals behavior. When viewed from these lenses, one of the most common contributing causes of food borne disease is unsafe behavior (such as improper hand washing, cross-contamination, or undercooking food). Thus, to improve food safety, we need to better integrate food science with behavioral science and use a systems-based approach to managing food safety risk. The importance of organizational culture, human behavior, and systems thinking is well documented in the occupational safety and health fields. However, significant contributions to the scientific literature on these topics are noticeably absent in the field of food safety.

The safety of food products is fundamental. The value of an effective and well-defined, -implemented, and -maintained management system is priceless. When it is integrated into a process, it supplies the necessary foundation and structure to help provide the consumer with a safe product of the highest quality. Food Safety Management Programs: Applications, Best Practices, and Compliance presents the insight and shared experiences that can be applied to the development, implementation, and maintenance of an effective food safety management system. The text supplies useful tools that can be applied according to the particular needs of an operation, adding value to its processes and aiding in the establishment of a successful management-based food safety system. The author also encourages the development of a quality management system. The text begins by summarizing Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) food safety schemes (eight as of the writing of this text). These include FSSC 22000, Safe Quality Food Code (SQF), British Retail Consortium Global Standard for Food Safety (BRC), International Featured Standards (IFS), Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) Seafood Processing Standard, Global Red Meat Standard (GRMS), CanadaGAP, and PrimusGFS. It also lists websites for additional information and updates. Although this text focuses on food safety management systems (FSMS), it also includes references to ISO 9001, along with the quality requirements of some of the food safety management standards. It offers information that can be applied to whichever standard is chosen by an organization. With insights from experts in a variety of food industry-related sectors, the text explains the requirements of the standards, methods for their integration, and the process for identifying and addressing gaps in a manner that is both compliant and beneficial for the organization. The book provides experience-based information that can be integrated into any operation, which is essential for the development of an efficient, value-added, and sustainable management system.

This book chooses important agricultural products of vegetables, pork and aquatic products as the subjects investigated. From an "integrated" vertical perspective of the supply chain and according to the degree of industrialization of different products, this book focuses on the key links of quality and safety control of vegetables, pork and aquatic products.