The Importance of Food Safety
By Eng. Carla Zuria Jordan
Did you know that there are more than 250 different diseases that are transmitted by contaminated food and beverages? How many times a year do you get sick to your stomach? Do you know what was the mistake that caused that annoying illness?
The WHO estimates that every year some 600 million people - almost 1 in 10 of the world's population - fall ill and 420,000 die from contaminated food.
It is essential that people know about the subject, we all eat about three times a day, but many times we do not know the correct handling of food.
This is especially important for the food industry and food service, as contaminated food causes losses in the millions in shrinkage, recalls, lost productivity and medical expenses. One case of food poisoning can make thousands of people sick.
The reputation of a company and its brand can be lost in minutes due to a case of food poisoning that its customers or diners share on social networks and goes viral. In addition, businesses can be fined and shut down.
But enough of the bad news. Now let's talk about the solution. PREVENTION is the key, i.e. not allowing food or its ingredients to become contaminated in the first instance, with well-designed and implemented control measures.
Fortunately, there are nowadays food safety management systems designed specifically for the food sector, which provide us, so to speak, with a step-by-step recipe to ensure that food companies never have intoxicated customers.
These systems have been improving practices over time in the food industry, from Good Manufacturing Practices, HACCP and systems approved by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI). They have incorporated new Prerequisite Programs such as Allergen Control and Food Fraud prevention, and have evolved in accordance with the needs of society and the global challenges that arise. Nowadays it is essential to be updated and take care of food safety throughout the food chain for the protection of consumers.
The University of Celaya, in conjunction with Innoqua Consultancy and Training in Food Safety, will soon offer a Diploma in Food Safety, for which you can request information by writing to fernanda.alfaro@udec.edu.mx and WhatsApp: 4614237773