University Kuala Lumpur

Malaysian Institute of Chemical and Bioengineering Technology

Engineering Technologist in Society

CLB 40002

Current Technologist Challenges and Achievements on Food Safety

Lecturer
Ts. Dr. Siti Hartini Binti Hamdan

By

Muhammad Eizat Bin Abas

55218219016
Table of Contents

1. ABSTRACT 2

2. INTRODUCTION 2

3. CHALLENGES ON FOOD SAFETY 3

4. IMPORTANCE OF FOOD SAFETY 4

5. ACHIEVEMENT IN FOOD SAFETY 5

6. CONCLUSION 6

7. REFERENCES 6
 1. ABSTRACT

These days in twenty-first century, food technology is rapidly evolving into becoming an
important type of industry as it ensures the food that we are eating today is safe and
healthy. Back in World War II, countries like United States and other industrialized
countries had achieved a state where the people were generally having their food at a
better level. Varieties type of food technology happened back then such as home
refrigeration, frozen food, nutrient-fortified food, heat processing, and other type of
technologies which helps in minimizing spoilage of food while maintaining the taste and
flavour. Today, scientist and researchers had led the food technology industry to make
sure food industry will be more advance and safer in the future. Basically, this paper will
try to excavate about the challenges and achievements of human being based on the title
of food safety.

2. INTRODUCTION

Food technology is a foundation to food industry. It covers from how the raw material
been handled, how the food been processed, the packaging method and it also covered
with food act. Behind the process of food, food safety plays an important roles in
ensuring that the end product is safe for the consumers. While, food also can be a
malicious thread for us if too much unhealthy and processed been consumed. The
problem can be gradually encounter by providing knowledges about how to understand
the macronutrients of food. The government also can endorse a few acts which control
and sustain the safety of food for the consumers. The term contaminant covers harmful
substances or microorganisms that are not intentionally added to food. Contaminants
may enter the food accidentally during growth, cultivation, or preparation, accumu- late
in food during storage, form in the food through the interaction of chemical components,
or may be concentrated from the natural components of the food. There are three main
types of hazard: bio- logical, chemical, and physical [ CITATION RRo03 \l 1033 ].

2
 3. CHALLENGES ON FOOD SAFETY

Food industries will always poses with threat mainly about the food safety. It is
because food industries is a type of industry which cater the whole humanity across
the earth throughout the year. Threats may come in various sorts of ways that can
affect the whole humanity community. Today, human had come up with
sophisticated ways and advance detection tools, regulations, monitoring will increase
the report of foodborne illness outbreaks. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention reports that foodborne diseases cause an estimated 48 million illnesses
each year in the United States, including 9.4 million caused by known pathogens
[ CITATION Lar18 \l 1033 ].

Next, there are several changes in nature of food hazard which causes increases of
epidemiology of foodborne diseases. First of all is mainly about diet. Lifestyle and
cultural changes affect the way on how the food is prepared. It is because different
ethnic and diversity have their own way in preparing the food. Different type of
ethnics have their own personal view and concerns regarding their point of view about
food safety. This event will increase the risk of foodborne diseases. New food risks
can arise as immigrant populations adapt traditional preferences and practices to their
new environment. Food safety education programs should consider the food beliefs
and practices of various cultural groups [ CITATION Cou98 \l 1033 ].

On the other hand, food is collectives of complex naturally exist chemical process
which contained nutritive, organoleptic and pharmacological functions and usually
comes with toxic effects. Basically, seafood toxins and foodborne mycotoxins known
as natural toxicants. Chemical additives which were introduced into food such as
enzymes, food colours, additives, vitamins and minerals may lead to public concern as
it is known as synthetic chemicals. These additives also known as intentional
additives. Unintentional additives includes environmental and industrial contaminants
which is used during food production but supposedly not to be part of the food.
Examples include sanitizers used to keep food production surfaces safe, packaging
materials used to keep food safe and fresh, pesticides used on crops and drugs used in
animals to mitigate damage, disease, microbial toxin production, and general food

3
 losses. Environmental or industrial contaminants are not sanctioned but have the
potential to enter the food chain. Examples of chemical contamination incidents are
methyl mercury in fish, mistaken mixing of polybrominated biphenyls (a fire
retardant) into animal feed, and leakage of ammonia refrigerant into frozen
foods[ CITATION Cou98 \l 1033 ].

Thus, the challenges faced in food industry will always make sure the food safety is
always on top of the priority list before the food received by the consumer. Various
method of food safety must be incorporate before, during and after a specific food
prepared to ensure optimum result of food safety.

4. IMPORTANCE OF FOOD SAFETY

Food safety is mainly described on how the food handled, prepared and stored in
order to prevent illnesses. It is very important because foodborne illnesses can lead to
fatality to the person who consumed the food. According to the CDC, “three
pathogens, Salmonella, Listeria, and Toxoplasma, are responsible for 1,500 deaths
each year, more than 75 percent of those caused by known pathogens, while unknown
agents account for the remaining 62 million illnesses, 265,000 hospitalizations, and
3,200 deaths.” [ CITATION Foo09 \l 1033 ].

Another reasons why food safety is important because of the lack of time in today’s
life to look out on our health. In our daily schedule, we are always busy with our work
which makes us overlook about the quality of food consumed by us. So, food safety
awareness must be start by the consumer itself as they are going to choose either to
consume the food or not. Consumers must be provide with accessibility on food safety
knowledges such as choosing the right product for them.

Next, the manufacturer also play an important roles to make sure the making of a food
product from the beginning until the food is consumed by the consumers is safe. The
food chain process must always be observed and evaluate so that the food is safe. It is
because the risk of food contaminations might possibly occurred in between of the
food chains between manufacturer and distributor.

4
 Hence, it is important to make use the best available technology and method to
overcome the problem. Food safety is a shared responsibility among the manufacturer,
governments and consumers itself as it relying onto each other. Without it, our daily
food intake might be a disastrous for every humankind.

5. ACHIEVEMENT IN FOOD SAFETY

Among the achievement of food safety throughout the year was the Hazard Analysis
and Critical Control Point (HACCP) program. The program mainly about controlling
activities of food production systematically to make sure the food safety and
preventing any sort of changes in food. There are several pre requisites before the
implementation of HACCP such as GMP and SSOP. The prerequisite programs for
HACCP implementation in food industries are GMP and SSOP, which involve several
aspects of the food industry, such as physical structure and maintenance, water
supply, personal hygiene, pest control, sanitization techniques and equipment,
calibration of instruments, and quality control of raw material and ingredients,
among others [ CITATION Bar98 \l 1033 ]

The reason of HACCP system was applied throughout the system of food chain which
covered from the production of raw material until the final product. Basically, HACCP
aspects will calculate the hazard, risk, critical control point (CCP), critical limit,
validation and decision tree. These aspects will ensure optimum level of food safety
of a product. The implementation of the HACCP plan in each food-processing
operation involves different phases, which begin with hazard analysis. This stage is
the evaluation of all food production steps, from raw materials to the final consumer,
to identify the presence of hazards in raw materials; potential sources of hazards in
processing procedures; evaluation of the possibility of permanence or worsening of
the hazard during processing (e.g., survival or multiplication of microorganisms, or
entry of foreign matter) and, finally, evaluation of the severity of the hazards that
were identified [ CITATION CAF16 \l 1033 ]

5
 6. CONCLUSION

As conclusion, the challenges faced will always have its own solution. Food safety
should be an important roles in manufacturing a food product. It is because food is
one of the most important part of our live. Safe food product will ensure a healthy and
balance lifestyle as it will results to healthier and longevity life. As a technologist, it is
important to understand throughout the process of food safety so that current method
of food safety will be done in a right manners and hopefully there will be more
method to make sure the safety of food.

7. REFERENCES

1. R. Rooney, P. G. (2003). Food Safety. Encyclopedia of Food Sciences and Nutrition,

2682-2688.
2. Keener, L. (December/January, 2017/2018). Key New (and Not So New) Food Safety
Challenges. Food Safety Magazines.
3. Council, I. o., Medicine, I. o., Agriculture, B. o., & Consumption, C. t. (1998). Ensuring
Safe Food: From Production to Consumption. Washington, DC: Washington, DC: The
National Academies Press. .
4. Insight, F. (September, 2009). Back to Basics: The Importance of Food Safety.
Retrieved from https://foodinsight.org/back-to-basics-the-importance-of-food-
safety/
5. Barendz, A. W. (1998). Food Safety and Total Quality Management. Food Control 9,
163-170.
6. C. A. F. de Oliveira, A. G. (2016). Food Safety: Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP),
Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOP), Hazard Analysis and Critical Point
Control (HACCP). Food Safety: Antimicrobial Food Packaging, 129-139.

6
7