Food Quality and Food Safety Chapter Notes | Home Science for Class 12 - Humanities/Arts PDF Download

Introduction

• Food significantly impacts health, nutritional status, and productivity of populations, making it essential that consumed food is wholesome and safe.
• Unsafe food can cause numerous foodborne diseases, posing a major public health concern globally.
• Reports of health issues from contaminated or adulterated foods are common in media.
• In India, the National Family Health Survey (2015-2016) reported over 9 lakh children under five suffered from acute diarrhea due to foodborne issues.
• Foodborne illnesses can lead to mortality, damage trade and tourism, cause loss of earnings, unemployment, and litigation, impeding economic growth.
• Food safety and quality are critical worldwide due to their impact on public health and economic stability.

Significance

• Food safety and quality are vital at home but critical in large-scale food production, processing, and freshly prepared food services.
• Historically, many foods were processed at home, but technological advancements, higher incomes, better purchasing power, and consumer demand have led to a variety of processed and functional foods.
• Safety assessment of processed and health-focused foods is essential.
• Food quality, for both raw and processed items, is a public health concern requiring attention.
• Over the past decade, global and Indian food safety challenges have evolved, increasing the importance of food quality and safety.
• Changing lifestyles and eating habits result in more people eating out, where bulk food preparation and handling by multiple individuals increase contamination risks.
• Foods prepared hours in advance may spoil if not stored properly in commercial settings.
• The rise in processed and packaged foods necessitates stringent safety measures.
• Unlike earlier times when spices, condiments, and oilseeds were processed at home with assured purity, today’s pre-packaged spices, condiments, and mixes, especially in urban areas, require quality checks.
• Complex logistics in bulk food transport create a long gap between processing and consumption, making risk assessment and safety management critical.
• Microbial adaptations, antibiotic resistance, altered human susceptibility, and international travel contribute to the rising incidence of foodborne microbial diseases.
• Nearly half of known foodborne pathogens were discovered in the last 25-30 years, with many illnesses still of unknown etiology, posing a global public health challenge.
• There is a need for active surveillance networks to detect, identify, and recognize emerging pathogens nationally and internationally.
• India’s participation in the World Trade Organization (WTO) non-tariff agreement provides access to global markets, necessitating robust food standards to ensure the safety and quality of both domestic and imported foods.
• Effective food standards and control systems are required to protect domestic food production and facilitate international trade.
• Food manufacturers must meet quality and safety standards and regularly test their products.
• Environmental pollution (atmosphere, soil, water) and pesticide use in agriculture introduce contaminants, while additives like preservatives, colorants, and flavoring agents necessitate thorough food analysis for nutrients and contaminants.
• Growing consumer demand for safe, wholesome, and nutritious foods in a dynamic food business environment has expanded the scope and career opportunities in food safety and quality.

Basic Concepts

Food Safety 

• Assurance that food is acceptable for human consumption according to its intended use.
• Food safety understanding is enhanced by defining toxicity (a substance’s capacity to cause harm under any condition) and hazard (the probability of harm when a substance is not used as prescribed).
• Hazards are categorized as physical, chemical, and biological, all of which can adversely affect consumer health.

Physical Hazards: Foreign materials not normally found in food, such as wood, stones, pest parts, or hair, which can cause illness or injury.
Chemical Hazards: Deliberately or unintentionally added substances, including pesticides, chemical residues, toxic metals, polychlorinated biphenyls, preservatives, food colors, and other additives.
Biological Hazards: Living organisms, primarily microbiological (e.g., bacteria, viruses), known as foodborne pathogens, causing infections or poisoning.
Food Infection/Food Poisoning: Caused by ingesting live pathogenic organisms that multiply in the body, e.g., Salmonella, found in animals’ intestinal tracts, raw milk, and eggs.

• Salmonella is destroyed by heat, but inadequate cooking allows survival; cross-contamination (e.g., using the same cutting board for raw meat and salads without cleaning) spreads it.
• Salmonella can spread through infected food handlers who do not wash hands properly after using the bathroom.
• Salmonella reproduces quickly, doubling every 20 minutes, with symptoms including diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps.

Food Intoxication: 

• Caused by toxins produced by bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus, present even if the pathogen is killed.
• Toxins persist in food stored at improper temperatures and cannot be detected by smell, appearance, or taste, making seemingly good food potentially unsafe.
• Staphylococcus aureus is found in air, dust, water, and on the skin, hair, nasal passages, and throats of 50% of healthy individuals, contaminating food through improper handling.
• Diarrhea is a symptom of Staphylococcus aureus contamination.

Parasites: 

• Can cause infestations, e.g., tapeworm in pork.
• Foods can also be infested by pests and insects.
• Biological hazards are a major cause of foodborne illnesses, with new pathogens emerging despite safety efforts.
• Factors contributing to pathogen emergence include human and animal hosts, their interactions, the pathogen itself, and environmental factors like food production, processing, handling, and storage.
• Changes in host susceptibility (e.g., due to malnutrition or age) allow new infections in vulnerable populations.
• Genetic mutations or exchanges in organisms create new disease-causing strains.
• Exposure to new pathogens occurs through changing eating habits, climate, mass production, food processing, and globalized food supply chains.
• Examples of pathogens include Norovirus, Rotavirus, and Hepatitis E, contributing to about 70% of foodborne illness cases.
• New pathogens require ongoing development of isolation, control, and detection methods.

Contamination: Presence of harmful or objectionable substances (chemicals, microorganisms, dilutants) in food before, during, or after processing or storage.
Adulteration: Lowering food quality by adding inferior materials, extracting valuable ingredients, or through biological/chemical contamination during growth, storage, processing, transport, or distribution.
Adulterants: Substances that make food unsafe for consumption.
Food Quality: Attributes influencing a product’s value to consumers, including negative aspects (spoilage, contamination, adulteration, safety hazards) and positive aspects (color, flavor, texture).

• Food quality is a holistic concept integrating nutritional traits, sensorial properties (color, texture, shape, appearance, taste, flavor, odor), social considerations, and safety.
• Safety is a prerequisite for quality, ensured through adherence to food standards set by governments and international bodies.
• Food service providers at all stages (pre-preparation, processing, packaging, service) must follow good manufacturing practices and ensure food safety by focusing on:
• Quality of raw materials and water.
• Cleanliness of premises, personnel, equipment, preparation, storage, and serving areas.
• Storage of food at appropriate temperatures.
• Food hygiene.
• Good service practices.

Food Standards

Four levels of standards exist, well-coordinated:

• Company Standards: Developed by companies for internal use, often based on national standards.
• National Standards: Issued by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
• Regional Standards: Developed by regional groups with similar geographical and climatic conditions through legislative standardization bodies.
• International Standards: Published by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC).

Food Standards and Regulations in India

Voluntary Product Certification: 

• Includes schemes like the ISI mark by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and Agmark for agricultural products.
• BIS oversees standardization of consumer goods, including food products, offering a voluntary ISI mark certification for processed foods.
• Agmark is a voluntary certification scheme for raw and processed agricultural products to safeguard consumer health.
• Multiple regulations previously made compliance complex, leading to the integration of laws under the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006.

Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006: 

• Consolidates food-related laws, establishing the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
• FSSAI regulates the manufacture, storage, distribution, sale, and import of food to ensure safe and wholesome food availability.
• The Act emphasizes maintaining hygienic conditions, scientific risk assessment, and management, unlike the earlier Prevention of Food Adulteration Act (PFA).
• FSSA aligns with international shifts from compositional to safety-based standards.

FSSAI Functions

• Framing regulations and guidelines for food standards and enforcement systems.
• Establishing mechanisms for accrediting certification bodies for food safety management systems and laboratories.
• Providing scientific advice and technical support to Central and State Governments on food safety and nutrition policies.
• Collecting data on food consumption, biological risks, contaminants, residues, and emerging risks, and introducing rapid alert systems.
• Creating a nationwide information network to provide rapid, reliable, and objective food safety information to the public, consumers, and local governance bodies.
• Offering training programs for individuals involved or intending to enter the food business.
• Contributing to international technical standards for food and sanitary/phytosanitary standards.
• Promoting general awareness about food safety and standards.

Other Regulations Consolidated Under FSSAI:
Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954 (PFA): Enacted to prevent food adulteration, amended over 200 times as needed.
Fruit and Vegetable Product Order: Specifies standards for fruit and vegetable products.
Meat Food Products Order: Regulates licensing for meat product processing.
Vegetable Oil Products Order: Sets specifications for vanaspati, margarine, and shortenings.

International Organisations and Agreements in the Area of Food Standards, Quality, Research and Trade

• Governing authorities historically developed food standards to protect consumer health and prevent dishonest practices in food sales.
• Several international organizations and agreements enhance food safety, quality, security, research, and trade, including:

Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC):

• An intergovernmental body formed to establish international standards to protect consumer health and facilitate food and agricultural trade.
• In 2017, CAC had 187 member countries and one member organization (European Community), with India represented through the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• CAC is a key international reference for food standards, publishing the Codex Alimentarius (“Food Code”).
• The Codex Alimentarius includes standards, codes of practice, guidelines, and recommendations to protect consumers and ensure fair trade practices.
• Countries use Codex Standards to develop national standards.

International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO):

• A non-governmental federation of national standards bodies promoting global standardization to facilitate the exchange of goods and services and cooperation in intellectual, scientific, technological, and economic activities.
• ISO’s work results in international standards, with ISO 9000 serving as a reference for quality management, voluntarily adopted by organizations.

Differences Between Codex and ISO:

• Codex is used to develop national regulations, changes slowly, and describes minimal acceptable practices.
• ISO standards are voluntary, reviewed regularly, and describe current standard industrial practices.

World Trade Organisation (WTO):

• Established in 1995 to ensure smooth, free, fair, and predictable trade by administering trade agreements, settling disputes, and assisting countries with trade policies.
• The WTO Agreement covers goods, services, and intellectual property.

Food Control System Requirements
Food Inspection:

• Verifies product conformity to standards, ensuring compliance with regulations during production, handling, processing, storage, and distribution.
• Government or municipal authorities appoint food inspectors to assess quality conformity in laboratories.

Analytical Capability: 

• Requires well-equipped, accredited laboratories and trained personnel knowledgeable in laboratory management and physical, chemical, and microbiological food analysis.
• Analytical capabilities are needed to detect food contaminants, environmental chemicals, biotoxins, pathogenic bacteria, foodborne viruses, and parasites.

Food Safety Management Systems

• Food safety and quality issues extend beyond avoiding pathogens, chemical toxicants, and hazards, requiring control throughout the food chain.
• Food safety and quality are ensured through:

Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP):

• Part of quality assurance, ensuring manufacturers take proactive steps to produce safe products.
• Minimizes or eliminates contamination and false labeling, protecting consumers from misleading or harmful products.
• Serves as a business tool to refine compliance and performance for manufacturers.

Good Handling Practices (GHP):

• A comprehensive approach from farm to consumer to identify and minimize contamination risks.
• Ensures good hygiene practices among all food handlers.

Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP):

• A preventive approach to ensure food safety by evaluating raw materials and each process step for potential hazards.
• Involves identifying hazards, assessing their likelihood at each stage (procurement, manufacturing, distribution, usage), and defining control measures.
• Unlike end-product inspection, which is time-consuming and detects issues post-occurrence, HACCP identifies hazards during processing to ensure high-quality end products.
• Enables efficient, cost-effective resource use by producers, processors, distributors, and exporters to assure food safety.
• FSSA, 2006, mandates HACCP, GMP, and GHP for producers and suppliers, enhancing consumer protection and international trade.
• Ensures consistently high-quality products.

Scope

• India’s food processing industry accounts for 26% of GDP and is poised for significant growth, driving international trade and increasing the need for sanitary and phytosanitary protection.
• The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, reflects a shift in food laws, prioritizing consumer protection by ensuring safety and wholesomeness across the food chain.
• This evolving scenario has expanded career opportunities in food safety and quality.

Professional Requirements:

• Knowledge and expertise in Food Chemistry, Food Processing and Preservation, Food Analysis, and Quality Control.
• Desirable skills in Food Microbiology, Food Laws, and Sensory Evaluation.

Career Roles:

• Food legislators, food safety officers (inspectors), and food analysts/public analysts in regulatory and public health agencies.
• Professionals in voluntary agencies like Agmark and BIS.
• Quality control roles in large food industries, flight kitchens, and quality control laboratories.
• Food auditors (after required training).

Job Opportunities in Food Industry:

• Analysts or managers in quality control laboratories.
• Various positions in public and private food testing laboratories, including food inspectors.
• HACCP specialists.
• Food auditors.
• Quality certification professionals (e.g., ISO).
• Teaching and academic roles.
• Research positions.
• Scientific writers.
• Roles in voluntary organizations.

Self-Employment and Entrepreneurship:

• Opportunities in analytical food laboratories, food safety consultancy, and food safety and sanitation education.
• Emerging placement options in regulatory and health agencies at various levels.
• Home Science curricula, particularly in Food Science and Nutrition, provide integrated knowledge to improve safety and quality, equipping students to manage food safety hazards.