Food safety: System approach from farm to plate

Abstract

Food safety problems may arise at any stage from food production to consumption: on the farm, at the processing facility, at the retailer, or in the hands of consumers. Food and farming are interdependent however the cyclic nature of numerous factors like soil, irrigation, insecticide, pesticide, weedicides, farm implements, transport vehicles, harvesting yard, storage, etc., determines the safety of food from farm to plate.Farmers need to be aware of microbiological hazards that food can cause. Just as farmers, processors are expected to implement Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) that are designed to prevent or minimize contamination.Periodically, these practices need to be revisited to allow for consideration of newly emerging food safety issues. Clean markets are primary insurance to food safety. The retailer must keep in mind the shelf life of the food products and ensure sale of the products within the safe time period.Lesser the time lag from harvest to consumer, better is the quality of produce. Another approach to ensure food safety is organic farming in which reliance on external inputs whether chemical or organic is reduced as much as possible.The ill-effects of the conventional farming system are felt in India in terms of the unsustainability of agricultural production, environmental degradation, health and sanitation problems, etc. and thus, organic agriculture is gaining momentum as an alternative method to the modern system.