INZ offers free Guide for improving food safety to producers

(Patria) - Access to sufficient amounts of safe and healthy food is key to sustaining life and promoting good health. Unsafe food containing harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances can cause more than 200 different diseases - ranging from diarrhea to cancer.

It is estimated that around 600 million people - almost one in 10 people - fall ill after consuming contaminated food each year, resulting in 420,000 deaths and the loss of 33 million healthy life years, according to the Institute for Health and Food Safety Zenica (INZ).

From farm to table

Because of this, experts from this Institute decided to make available to the public, food producers and all other interested parties the electronic edition of the “Guide for improving food safety”, a brochure with the basics that every potential or current food producer, as well as consumer, should know. The guide is published on the Institute's website, inz.ba.

- The importance given to food safety is also evidenced by the fact that at the level of the European Union, a whole set of regulations has been adopted aimed at regulating the area of handling, production, trade and storage of food, with the goal of preventing the occurrence of foodborne diseases and food poisoning. Food safety includes procedures that should be followed to avoid potentially serious health risks. Food can transmit diseases from one person to another, but it can also serve as a medium for the growth of microorganisms that cause food poisoning, emphasizes the quality manager at INZ, Benjamin Čaušević.

Risks of food contamination can be microbiological, physical or chemical, and can enter food at any stage of its journey "from farm to table". Therefore, already in the process of primary production and further processing, preparation, handling, storage, significant attention must be paid to the safety aspect of food, through the application of uniform procedures such as food safety standards based on the principles of good manufacturing practice, good hygiene practice, analysis and risk assessment for food safety in all stages of production, processing and distribution.

Care for food safety includes all processes starting with handling, storage and preparation of food to prevent infection and helps our food retain enough nutrients to have a healthy and complete diet. 

Čaušević, a master of food technology, reminds that bacteria such as Salmonella, Campylobacter and Escherichia coli are transmitted through food and affect millions of people annually - sometimes with severe and fatal outcomes.

- Examples of food involved in salmonellosis outbreaks are eggs, poultry and other products of animal origin. Cases related to Campylobacter food poisoning mainly arise from raw milk, raw or undercooked poultry meat, and drinking water. Escherichia coli is associated with unpasteurized milk, undercooked meat and fresh fruits and vegetables. However, parasites, viruses and chemical hazards such as residues of veterinary drugs and chemicals or environmental contamination can also be a source of disease, states Čaušević. 

HACCP with seven basic principles

The HACCP food safety system is based on seven basic principles recommended by the Codex Alimentarius commission: Hazard Analysis, Determination of Critical Control Points, Determination of Critical Limits, Establishment of a Monitoring System, Determination of Corrective Actions to be taken when monitoring indicates that a particular point is not under control, Establishment of Verification Procedures to confirm that the HACCP system is effective, and finally Establishment of Documentation concerning all procedures and records in accordance with these principles and their application.

Therefore, the Institute offered farmers, businesses, and producers a set of summaries of the Legislative Framework in the field of food safety in the European Union and Bosnia and Herzegovina, an explanation of the food safety and quality system, examples of food hazards and food contamination, a summary of the basics of personal hygiene, food hygiene and bacteria, and preventive measures/sanitation/, as well as the basics of the HACCP system.