Critical Food Safety Issues Facing the Food Industry

Food safety is a global concern. It is estimated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that around 3,000 die annually from foodborne diseases in the U.S. alone, and another 48 million people fall ill. These statistics highlight the importance of food safety research and how it connects to public health, politics, and the overall economy. Many different aspects come together in the area of food safety research: microbial and chemical contamination, food adulteration, misuse of food additives, mislabeling, genetic modifications, issues related to dated food and so forth. In this post I share research findings from work conducted in collaboration with the University of Georgia Center for Food Safety (CFS). Specifically, we developed a framework to conceptualize food safety issues to focus efforts and improve food safety across the food industry. These efforts were in conjunction with a strategy project helping the UGA CFS define their purpose as an organization (see similar efforts with University of Georgia Extension)

The Role of Consumer Trust and Knowledge

The perceived safety of food plays a huge role in consumer purchasing decisions. It also impacts how consumers feel about the health benefits of different food items on store shelves. These same perceptions can also have an impact on food handlers and production workers. It is up to everyone involved in the food system, including policymakers, food safety leaders, and industry stakeholders to ensure safe food products are delivered to consumers.

Key Insights and Recommendations

The study identified seven key thematic categories related to food safety:

1. Contamination: General

2. Contamination: Detection

3. Contamination: Outbreaks

4. Contamination: Prevention

5. Governmental Oversight

6. Consumer/Employee Education & Communication

7. Globalization

A range of different food safety issues were subsumed within these important critical issue themes. From our research it was evident that these issues are often interrelated and feature plenty of overlap from one to the next. A strong focus exists on the various contamination categories, but the study shows that governmental oversight is critical in managing food contamination challenges.

Looking Ahead: Challenges and Opportunities

Hopefully there are valuable insights to be gained from this study; however, there is still much work to be done. Food safety remains a complicated, global concern. By bridging the gap between consumers and industry experts, trust can be built with regulatory agencies and ongoing, evolving challenges can be addressed. Please be sure to share your thoughts and feedback in the comments section. I've included the full manuscript if you are interested in reading more.

FoodSafetyCriticalIssues.pdf

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Lamm, K. W., Randall, N. L., & Diez-Gonzalez, F. (2021). Critical food safety issues facing the food industry: A delphi analysis. Journal of Food Protection, 84(4), 680-687. https://doi.org/10.4315/JFP-20-372