Food Safety Goes Global

When I was asked to write a blog for Global Food Safety Resource, I was interested in addressing the aspect of global food safety issues.  After all, our world is a global village with many countries facing similar food safety issues.

Whether due to the lack of potable water, improper cooking of the food, an unsafe source, and poor personal hygiene, any of these risk factors can cause disease.  One of my students travelled in Vietnam and developed severe diarrhea from the local food or water. What saved him was rice water given to him by one of the local villagers. Far away from medical help and severely dehydrated, he managed to survive a severe illness.

Food safety affects us all.  Workers in restaurants, processing plants and supermarkets sometimes view food safety as dull.  However, if you were one of the people affected by the Listeria outbreak from Maple Leaf Meats last year in Canada, you would want food handlers to be educated in reducing the risks of foodborne illness.

Why is food safety so important to all of us?  It comes down to simple techniques that make all the difference.

In Haiti, after the earthquake hit, access to a safe, potable water supply was the only way to reduce disease spread.  This became almost impossible given the massive destruction that occurred.  During Hurricane Katrina, the water was filled with bodies, animals, sewage and debris and became non-potable water where disease spreads.  Only a small percentage of the world has access to safe drinking water vital to our survival and necessary for safe food handling.

Proper temperature control of the food is also important. As poultry can contain salmonella, every step from supplier to consumer must reduce the risk of bacterial overgrowth.  Other concerns include unsafe sources such as the E. coli outbreak that occurred in North America to packaged spinach. Cross-contamination of the irrigation water resulted in a massive outbreak in Canada and the United States.

At GFSR, our blog will be discussing global food safety issues with guest bloggers.

As a Registered Environmental Health Officer and Food Safety Consultant, Sally teaches courses on food safety, allergy awareness and HACCP or food safety plans. She has spoken at conferences in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Sweden and Australia. Clients include Starbucks Coffee Canada, Red Robin Canada, Whole Foods and Choices Markets.

Contact Sally at 1-604-988-4734
www.envirofood.net
www.globalfoodsafetyresource.com