Safe food is defined as food (which includes drink) that is free from contaminants and will not cause illness or harm. There are four categories of contaminants, namely, microbial, physical, chemical and allergenic. Microbial contamination is due to bacteria, parasites, protozoa, fungi, viruses. The most difficult contamination to detect as the organisms are microscopic. Bacterial food poisoning is responsible for 80% of all food poisoning outbreaks.
In 1996, 22 people died from E coli food poisoning in Scotland, UK In 2005, 156 people in South Wales, UK, suffered from E-coli food poisoning, 1 young child, Mason Jones, 5 years old, from Deri, died. In October 2007, verocytotoxin producing E coli 0145 and 026 swept through ice cream consumers in Antwerp. There was a recent outbreak of Salmonella food poisoning in the USA from fresh tomatoes.
Physical contamination is the presence of foreign objects in food or drink. Pieces of glass, wood, and insects from inside a food production kitchen. Nuts and bolts from machinery, such as mixers, mincers, food slicers. Machine oil from equipment. Inherent physical contamination from bones and shells being used as an ingredient. Objects from staff or customers such as pen tops, cigarette ends, plasters, pieces of tissue. Packaging materials, for example cardboard, rubber bands, staples, pieces of plastic.
Chemical contamination include such examples as excess additives/preservatives, agricultural residues such as antibiotics, pesticides, fertilisers, cleaning chemicals, strong aftershaves, perfumes, fuel fumes. Most contamination is accidental, albeit still illegal. However there have been examples of deliberate contamination during the past.
In 1997 aluminium sulphate was accidentally dumped into a reservoir in Camelford, Cornwall, UK. Twelve years later many relatives of people who had died from Alzheimer’s disease, claim that the contamination in 1997 caused their deaths. (Autopsies of Alzheimer victims have shown a large proportion of aluminium in their brain cells compared to people who have not suffered from dementia).
In the 1970s an Austrian wine company deliberately sweetened their produce with industrial anti-freeze. In the 1980s a Spanish company passed off used, industrial motor oil as virgin olive oil. Several hundred people died as a result of this scam.
In the late 1990s a company was found guilty of buying chicken meat from abattoirs that was considered unfit for human consumption. It contained diseased flesh with tumours and growths. The company cut off all extraneous growths, removed the decomposing smell with bleach and sold the meat on as fresh to major UK supermarket chains. It is thought the majority of the UK consumer market, who ate chicken products during that time, had consumed this contaminated batch. The owners of the company, who made millions of pounds from the deception, were all caught, found guilty and sentenced to considerable jail sentences. In 2008 a Chinese company deliberately added melamine to baby milk powder. Two of the main instigators of this deception, which killed 6 babies, were executed in 2009.
Allergenic contamination is a more recent addition to the contaminants. More people are suffering from allergic reactions to food than ever before. Some scientists think it is down to the decreased immunity of the population, especially the young, who are brought up in a sterile environment rather than let them play in insanitary conditions, such as in mud. We feed them highly processed food, which is totally devoid of bacteria. We are not allowing them to develop immunity to pathogens. The “Hygiene Hypothesis”, quoted by some scientists, states that if we subject our children to small amounts of pathogens during childhood, they will develop an immunity to them and be less likely to suffer from allergies or asthma, both conditions associated with bringing children up in a sterile world. Let them play outdoors (under supervision); feed them freshly prepared foods, especially raw foods.
