Food safety is a scientific discipline describing handling, preparation, and storage of food in ways that prevent foodborne illness. This includes a number of routines that should be followed to avoid potentially severe health hazards. Food can transmit disease from person to person as well as serve as a growth medium for bacteria that can cause food poisoning. Debates on genetic food safety include such issues as impact of genetically modified food on health of further generations and genetic pollution of environment, which can destroy natural biological diversity. In developed countries there are intricate standards for food preparation, whereas in lesser developed countries the main issue is simply the availability of adequate safe water, which is usually a critical item.
Regulatory agencies
European Union
The parliament of the European Union (EU) makes legislation in the form of directives and regulations, many of which are mandatory for member states and which therefore must incorporated into individual countries' national legislation. As a very large organisation that exists to remove barriers to trade between member states, and into which individual member states have only a proportional influence, the outcome is often seen as an excessively bureaucratic 'one size fits all' approach. However, in relation to food safety the tendency to err on the side of maximum protection for the consumer may be seen as a positive benefit. The EU parliament is informed on food safety matters by the European Food Safety Authority.
Individual member states may also have other legislation and controls in respect of food safety, provided that they do not prevent trade with other states, and can differ considerably in their internal structures and approaches to the regulatory control of food safety.
United Kingdom
The UK Food Standards Agency is the body responsible for food safety policy and legislation, with enforcement carried out by 'Food Authorities' which are the local authorities and, in respect of imports, port health authorities. The Agency provides guidance and information to food businesses as well as enforcement bodies, and mounts publicity campaigns aimed at informing the public about food safety.
The official control of food is governed by criminal law, with the main primary legislation in the form of the Food Safety Act 1990. There is a raft of subordinate regulations, many of which implement European Union directives and regulations, prescribing requirements for hygiene, limits for contaminants, controls over the use of additives, and labelling requirements, together with other matters related such as food quality and authenticity.
Regulatory control by food authorities is based on inspection of premises supplemented by sampling of food for analysis by public analysts (chemical analysis for composition, contaminants, additives, food quality, labelling etc) and food examiners (microbiological examination for bacteria).
United States
Federal level regulation
The Food and Drug Administration publishes the Food Code, a model set of guidelines and procedures that assists food control jurisdictions by providing a scientifically sound technical and legal basis for regulating the retail and food service industries, including restaurants, grocery stores and institutional foodservice providers such as nursing homes. Regulatory agencies at all levels of government in the United States use the FDA Food Code to develop or update food safety rules in their jurisdictions that are consistent with national food regulatory policy. According to the FDA, 48 of 56 states and territories, representing 79% of the U.S. population, have adopted food codes patterned after one of the five versions of the Food Code, beginning with the 1993 edition.
In the United States, federal regulations governing food safety are fragmented and complicated, according to a February 2007 report from the Government Accountability Office. There are 15 agencies sharing oversight responsibilities in the food safety system, although the two primary agencies are the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), which is responsible for the safety of meat, poultry, and processed egg products, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is responsible for virtually all other foods.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service has approximately 7,800 inspection program personnel working in nearly 6,200 federally inspected meat, poultry and processed egg establishments. FSIS is charged with administering and enforcing the Federal Meat Inspection Act, the Poultry Products Inspection Act, the Egg Products Inspection Act, portions of the Agricultural Marketing Act, the Humane Slaughter Act, and the regulations that implement these laws. FSIS inspection program personnel inspect every animal before slaughter, and each carcass after slaughter to ensure public health requirements are met. In fiscal year (FY) 2008, this included about 50 billion pounds of livestock carcasses, about 59 billion pounds of poultry carcasses, and about 4.3 billion pounds of processed egg products. At U.S. borders, they also inspected 3.3 billion pounds of imported meat and poultry products.
State and local regulation
A number of U.S. states have their own meat inspection programs that substitute for USDA inspection for meats that are sold only in-state. Certain state programs have been criticized for undue leniency to bad practices.
However, other state food safety programs supplement, rather than replace, Federal inspections, generally with the goal of increasing consumer confidence in the state's produce. For example, state health departments have a role in investigating outbreaks of food-borne disease bacteria, as in the case of the 2006 outbreak of Escherichia coli O157:H7 (bad E. coli bacteria) from processed spinach. Health departments also promote better food processing practices to eliminate these threats.
In addition to the US Food and Drug Administration, several states that are major producers of fresh fruits and vegetables (including California, Arizona and Florida) have their own state programs to test produce for pesticide residues.
Restaurants and other retail food establishments fall under state law and are regulated by state or local health departments. Typically these regulations require official inspections of specific design features, best food-handling practices, and certification of food handlers. In some places a letter grade or numerical score must be prominently posted following each inspection. In some localities inspection deficiencies and remedial action are posted on the Internet.
China
Main article: Food safety in the People's Republic of ChinaFood safety is a growing concern in Chinese agriculture. The Chinese government oversees agricultural production as well as the manufacture of food packaging, containers, chemical additives, drug production, and business regulation. In recent years, the Chinese government attempted to consolidate food regulation with the creation of the State Food and Drug Administration of China in 2003, and officials have also been under increasing public and international pressure to solve food safety problems. However, it appears that regulations are not well known by the trade. Labels used for “green” food, “organic” food and “pollution-free” food are not well recognized by traders and many are unclear about their meaning. A survey by the World Bank found that supermarket managers had difficulty in obtaining produce that met safety requirements and found that a high percentage of produce did not comply with established standards.
Traditional marketing systems, whether in China or the rest of Asia, presently provide little motivation or incentive for individual farmers to make improvements to either quality or safety as their produce tends to get grouped together with standard products as it progresses through the marketing channel. Direct linkages between farmer groups and traders or ultimate buyers, such as supermarkets, can help avoid this problem. Governments need to improve the condition of many markets through upgrading management and reinvesting market fees in physical infrastructure. Wholesale markets need to investigate the feasibility of developing separate sections to handle fruits and vegetables that meet defined safety and quality standards.
Australia
Australian Food Authority is working toward ensuring that all food businesses implement food safety systems to ensure food is safe to consume in a bid to halt the increasing incidence of food poisoning, this includes basic food safety training for at least one person in each business. Smart business operators know that basic food safety training improves the bottom line, staff take more pride in their work; there is less waste; and customers can have more confidence in the food they consume. Food Safety training in units of competence from a relevant training package, must be delivered by a Registered Training Organization (RTO) to enable staff to be issued with a nationally-recognised unit of competency code on their certificate. Generally this training can be completed in less than one day. Training options are available to suit the needs of everyone. Training may be carried out in-house for a group, in a public class, via correspondence or online. (To find Food Safety Training available search Google or contact the local Health Department ) Basic Food Safety Training includes
Dog Food Storage - PetFoodDirect
Dog Food Storage Pet, Stack-N-Stor ... Need a place to put your dog's food? Try one of these pet food storage containers.
Distributed Pet Food Storage Containers - stack-n-stor, pour-n-stor ...
Pet products from feeding and watering to travel carriers with style. We offer a broad range of products to satisfy all of your pet needs.
PetFoodDirect Search Results for - food storage
Van Ness Plastic Pet Food Storage Container
Pet Food Storage: Food Containers: Storage Bins and Dispensers
Keep your pet’s food fresher longer with sealable pet food storage containers and bins.
Walmart.com: Pet Food Storage Container: Dogs
Shop Low Prices on: Pet Food Storage Container : Dogs
Walmart Pet Food Storage Container Customer Ratings & Reviews - Top ...
Walmart customers' reviews and ratings for Pet Food Storage Container. Read and compare experiences real customers have had with the Pet Food Storage Container.
Food Containers: Airtight 3 Gallon Pet Food Storage by Iris
Store your pet food in Airtight 3 Gallon Pet Food Storage bins, airtight storage, plastic container, canister, food canister, food container from Organize.com
Pet Food Storage Containers : Cabela's
Crafted of handsome Northern white cedar, these half barrels keep your dog's food safe from mice and other pests. And unlike...
Shop Kitchen > Food Storage > Pet at The Container Store
©2009 The Container Store ® Inc. All rights reserved. Use of this site signifies your acceptance of The Container Store ® Website Privacy Policy.
Top Paw® Airtight Pet Food Storage Container - Food Storage - Bowls ...
PetSmart: Buy Top Paw® Airtight Pet Food Storage Container - Keeps pet food fresher, longer Includes rolling casters Available in a variety of sizes ...