A Taste of Wellness for Savoury and Snacks
Givaudan
As quickly as mangoes and sushi have won a spot in the world's hearts and supermarkets, the way food safety is - or isn't - ensured across the globe has changed radically, a Michigan State University scientist reports this week.
. According to Lawrence Busch, director of the Institute for Food and Agriculture Standards, governments are no longer the primary gatekeepers of the safety of a food supply that has grown internationally more diverse and exotic. But instead, consumers will increasingly rely on those selling the food to keep it safe.
"We are importing far more food and a far greater range of more exotic and ethnic foods than ever before, and this poses issues," said Busch."We have a very safe food supply, but foodborne illness still is a major concern. The ability to lower the incidents is real."
In the United States, only about 2 per cent of imported food is inspected by the Food and Drug Administration. The inspections are not random. Rather, they largely focus on products known to be risky, such as seafood, and on companies that have had problems in the past, reports Busch. He adds that the growing volume of food traded globally has not been met with an equal growth in staffing of public food safety agencies, either in the United States or abroad.
Growing dependence on the private sector is a good news/bad news proposition, according to Busch. On the plus side, international supermarket chains have tremendous motivation to sell food that is free of contamination by foodborne illnesses and pesticide residues. Outbreaks of sickness and publicity about violating food standards damage a retailer's reputation and its bottom line. Liability concerns also can strengthen a company's commitment to food safety.
Increasingly, that commitment has translated into reliance on procedures and processes to ensure that food makes it to market in good shape, he continues.
"In many areas, the emphasis on keeping the food supply safe has shifted from replacing government inspection with private compliance," added Busch. "It has often meant scrutinising processes and paperwork rather than scrutinising product, and it's conceivable you can conform to all the processes and still have a terrible product."
Linking profits to food safety also can make shortcuts and even fraud seem like viable business decisions, Busch continued. While outbreaks of foodborne illness are a concern, other violations of standards can produce long-term health concerns that are more subtle. For example, allowing fruit with unacceptably high levels of pesticide residues to go to market could have financial benefits that exceed the low risk of detection.
Busch was speaking at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting this week in Denver in a symposium entitled "Social Dimensions of Food Safety: A Comparative Perspective."