Microbial Safety of Foods in the Supply Chain and Food Security.
Globalization of the food trade is one of the factors responsible for the increased number of foodborne outbreaks caused by microbes. The presence of harmful bacteria on food surfaces can increase the risk of cross-contamination, causing food poisoning and/or food losses. Food safety in the manufacturing and production of foods is important to protect the consumer from potential health risks and to reduce food losses. Food safety and quality in the supply chains are crucial to achieving food security and allows food to flow from areas of surplus to areas of deficit in local, national and global markets. Emphasis as a priority is on microbiological quality throughout the food production chain, to minimize the risk of foodborne illnesses and, consequently to improve food security.
Compromised food safety can disrupt the supply of food at any time and create the condition of food insecurity. A supply chain strategy emphasizes the management of all food safety issues
that can arise due to improper transferring, handling and distribution of the product. In fact, when managing food safety, it is essential to implement proactive strategies to minimize the probability of delivering an unsafe product. Ensuring this will reduce food scares and food losses.
A food safety management system, therefore, is vital for ensuring the safety and quality of foods prepared for consumers. An improvement in food safety control systems can significantly
reduce microbial contamination of foods throughout the FSC. Therefore, it is necessary to understand how best to manage the FSC to improve microbiological food safety. Currently, different food industries apply different food safety controls in their food safety management systems, and the functioning of such systems is also variable.
Adv Food Technol Nutr Sci Open J. 2017; 3(1): 22-32. doi: 10.17140/AFTNSOJ-3-141