FOOD-BORNE illnesses affect everyone. Every year approximately 600 million persons suffer from a food-borne illness and of that number an estimated 430,000 persons die. Children are especially affected as the global estimates demonstrates that 200 million of the reported cases are children.

Campylobacterosis, salmonellosis, coli infections, vibriosis, hepatitis as well as toxin-related illnesses such as those associated with seafood’s and immature plant products are amongst the leading causes of food-related death and diseases reported each year .Contrary to popular opinion, many of these food-borne illnesses have been associated with long-term debilitating effects in humans.

Common food-borne pathogens and their effects on humans

There are about 250 food-borne pathogens as well as chemicals responsible for the annual incidence of food-borne illnesses reported. Clostridium botulinum often associated with canned food products produces a neurotoxin which can lead to long-term facial paralysis as well as paralysis of other muscles in the body; E coli 0157:H7 commonly affiliated with undercooked beef products causes hemolytic uremic syndrome and kidney failure; some strains of non-thyphoidal salmonella has been implicated in Reiter’s syndrome and reactive arthritis; listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium affiliated with colds foods in particular deli meats and milk, has been a major cause of spontaneous abortion in pregnant women. Other organisms such as toxoplasma gondii and hepatitis E virus has also affected pregnant women in a similar manner. Nitrates and nitrites in cured meats has been implicated in oesophageal, thyroid cancers and other cancers. Staphylococcus aureus, an organism found on the skin of humans, has been associated with symptoms such as diarrhoea, vomiting and retching in humans within a few minutes after consuming a contaminated meal.

Whose responsibility is food safety?

While governments globally have a responsibility to ensure a safe food supply for the people of a nation, food safety, which is the act of safeguarding food for human consumption, is a multifaceted responsibility where the government, the food handler, the food producer, the food retailer, the food distributor, the farmer and the consumer is responsible along the food value chain.

Every food production system involves a series of complexed steps to ensure that food is kept safe from the “farm to the fork”, associated with these steps are roles and responsibilities as well as practices which are necessary to ensure that food is protected to reduce the likelihood of contamination.

Government’s responsibility for food safety

According to the United Nations Charter for Human Rights, each person has a right to safe food. Governments must, therefore, must implement laws and policies which are modern yet harmonised so that the health of the population can be protected. Government regulatory agencies must develop laws and enforce standards that govern the production, handling, storage and distribution of food. Regulatory inspections carried out by arms of government should not be cumbersome, as complicated food regulatory systems often lead to inefficiency. The establishment of systems for food borne disease surveillance, food recalls, food handler’s certification as well as the provision of modern and efficient laboratory services for food testing are also the responsibility of governments.

Consumers responsibility for food safety

To determine the safety of food, consumers often use organoleptic skills such as the appearance or taste of food. In light of the many food production challenges and growing food safety concerns, consumers must become more vigilant of food safety requirements, by ensuring that, food safety standards along the value chain is not disregarded. Consumer responsibility for food safety includes awareness of the potential risks associated with certain food handling practices, as well as ensuring that the food they buy and consume is safe. Food labels are a contract between the food supplier and the consumer: Information such as expiry dates, used by dates, and allergen disclaimers must be given due attention by consumers. Foods that look good and smell good is not always safe, as the safety of the food being consumed depends also on the environment in which it was prepared, the ingredients used in the preparation, as well as the practices and attitude of the individual preparing the food. It is therefore the within the rights of the consumer to reject unsafe food and to become more vocal on food safety violation issues, whilst at the same time ensuring that their own practices do not contaminate food.

Food handlers responsibility for food safety

Just over 60 per cent of all food-borne illnesses are caused due to food handlers malpractices.

Hand washing with soap and water reduces incidence of infectious illness; the food handlers must understand their role in food protection by wearing proper protective clothing and keeping foods at the correct temperatures. For example, hot foods must be kept hot and cold foods must be kept cold. If food handlers are keen on their role in preventing food-borne illnesses, hot foods should never be allowed to become cold while on display to the point where reheating is necessary .

Throughout the food value chain much responsibility for food safety is with the food handler. Food handlers must therefore ensure they are free from communicable illnesses and any associated symptoms such as diarrhoea and vomiting whilst handling food.

Food business operators responsibilities for for food safety

Food handling and preparation must be carried out in a safe and hygienic manner to ensure that food is kept safe. Facilities for washing of hands, preparation of foods and proper storage of food are all important requirements to ensure that food is protected and kept safe. Pest such as rodents are known carriers of the leptospirosis bacteria which results in a global incidence of 60,000 deaths annually. Flies have also been implicated in cases of salmonellosis. Allergen management should be a part of food safety strategies implemented by food business operations; hence, policies that ensure the communication of risk from cross contact between food allergens such as nuts, wheat, soy, shellfish and gluten and non-allergen foods must be communicated to the consumer by food business operations.

The environment of food service establishments must also be kept sanitary to prevent the growth and spread of harmful microorganisms as well as pest infestation: the provision of facilities such as adequate and suitable toilets for staff, equipment for cleaning and sanitising, adequate and suitable equipment for food preparation and protection as well as hand washing are important responsibilities of food business operators. Food business operators must also ensure that employees are skilled in the area of work but even more important, food establishment employees must certified for handling food under the applicable regulations.

Food producers, supplier and distributors responsibility for food safety

Malpractices relating to the growing of agriculture crops as well as slaughtering of animals has been an increasing public health concern. Food producers, such as farmers in particular, have a crucial role in ensuring that pesticides and other chemical used in growing agricultural crops are those designed for such purposes and when used prudence is required to ensure that withdrawal periods are observed as not to adversely affect human health. Animal farmers must also adhere to good animal husbandry practices so that the risk of antimicrobial and growth enhancing agents used in livestock production does not adversely affect human health.

Food distributors are responsible for having suitably designed and maintained, equipment and vehicles to store, handle and protect food products during distribution and transportation. Food distributing vehicles should be used for such purposes only and should be and cleaned and disinfected accordingly. The role suppliers in ensuring a safe food supply is also paramount, as the safety of raw materials is a key factor in the production of safe foods. It is therefore the responsibility of food suppliers to ensure that raw materials and even finished goods are free from food safety hazards.

Next week we will explore who is responsible for food safety in Jamaica.

Dr Karlene Atkinson is a public health specialist and lecturer at the School of Public Health, University of Technology, Jamaica.