PREVEHTATIVE FOOD SAFETY

摘要

Microbial testing for product safety is one way to ensure that product being released to market is safe for consumption. So what are the options for food manufacturers and what else can be done to improve food safety? The food industry's responsibility for the manufacture of safe food products makes it particularly vulnerable when it comes to identifying the sources of foodborne contamination and illness. The finger is often pointed and the industry blamed for not implementing adequate testing measures, resulting in a loss of sales, loss of reputation and expensive court cases. However, as much as food can be tested before, during and after manufacture, other factors outside the processing plant are contributing to the rise in microbial contamination. Sandy Hume, industry sales and marketing manager at bioMerieux Australia, a microbial testing equipment supplier, says that despite the manufacturers efforts to provide safe food there is a need for public awareness of the risks from poor handling of food products, which can result in significant threats to food safety. "Microbial testing of food may offer security to large food manufacturers though, at the end of the day, if a consumer buys something from a supermarket and abuses it, it will hurt them," he explained. Dr Julian Cox, Associate Professor - Food Microbiology at the University of New South Wales agrees, saying food safety is the "shared responsibility" of everyone involved in the food supply chain.