Food quality, food-borne diseases, and food safety in the Brazilian food industry

• Published in: Food quality and safety 2017-03, Vol.1 (1), p.13-27
• Main Authors: Camino Feltes, Maria Manuela, Arisseto-Bragotto, Adriana Pavesi, Block, Jane Mara
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2399-1399; 2399-1402
• DOI: 10.1093/fqsafe/fyx003

INTRODUCTIONIn the recent decades, a global effort from food suppliers, industries, and governments has ensured that food production would meet the high quality required by the sanitary authorities, minimizing public health implications and economic losses caused by food-borne diseases.BACKGROUNDSeveral programmes and initiatives have been developed worldwide both by government agencies and the private sector to achieve this goal. Food-borne diseases, caused by pathogens, natural toxins, and chemical contaminants, remain a global public health challenge, since new threats are continuously emerging while others are being controlled. Also, in many countries, the consumption of food prepared outside the home increases the exposure to the risks posed by poor hygiene in food service. In this context, a reliable sanitary surveillance system is urgently needed to identify potential hazards, conduct risk analysis, and control food-borne diseases outbreaks worldwide.BRAZILIAN SAFETY POLICIES AND REGULATORY FRAMEWORKSBrazil national agencies are tasked with controlling the hazards in the food chain by means of federal regulations based on a set of global sanitary authorities’ guidelines.CONCLUSIONThe occurrence of food-borne diseases, control measures, policies, and regulatory frameworks in Brazil drawn to ensure the quality and safety of food are presented in this paper.