Introduction
Food safety is very important since it involves protecting human health. In considering food safety in the commercial industry, it is important to consider this seriously since food production is carried out on a large scale to serve many people. Lack of food safety in this industry can lead to putting many lives at risk. Food safety in the commercial industry can only be realized when a combination of some measures is put in place which involves having a high level of responsibility by the parties in the commercial food production industry, putting in place a formal food safety management system, and having a well thought out commercial food production.
Food safety in the commercial industry
Moral and legal responsibility
Having high moral and legal responsibility by the concerned parties ensures food safety in the commercial industry. Any minor error related to hygiene made in the course of food production may bring about a negative health effect on a large number of people. Few pathogenic micro-organisms coming in contact with food at the starting point of the error in the course of food production bring about the multiplication of these organisms into large numbers. According to Heldman and Hartel (1997), regardless of the level of commercial food production, there is a need for knowing the microbial pathogens. This knowledge is supposed to be in regard to the source where they come from, the way they can be disseminated, and also the knowledge about the fact that they thrive well in various kinds of foods. This knowledge about the pathogens should also be in regard to the food processing conditions that may facilitate the killing or control of these microorganisms. Moreover, a company that is involved in the production of food for selling has a legal responsibility to engage in the production of the food which is safe. Therefore, this implies that the organization involved in commercial food production is supposed to be aware of the laws and the practices that are linked to food production and ensure that these laws are abided by (Pawsey, 2002).
Formal safety management system
Putting in place a formal safety management system in the commercial food production industry ensures efficient coordination of activities related to food safety. In this industry, there is the involvement of many workers in carrying out the production of food. These workers’ failure in regard to food production will bring about compromising the safety of the food they produce. According to (Pawsey, 2002), “implementation of food production management systems is not necessarily easily achieved, yet the HACCP system, which is a proactive preventive system of food production management, is increasingly being demanded worldwide. Modern food safety management requires the understanding of HACCP” (Pg, 198).
Well thought out plan
Food safety in commercial food production is easily realized where there is the setting up of a well-thought-out plan. There is a need to have a well-set up plan because commercial food production follows a series of events in order for it to be carried out. More so, the space within which the production of food is undertaken is supposed to be designed in such a way that there is minimizing of contamination in the course of bringing about the efficient workflow (Redman, 2007). This is contrary to domestic food production in which there is no involvement in large-scale production and there is no need for a series of many events and there is no elaborate designing of space within which production is carried out (Schmidt and Rodrick, 2005).
Conclusion
Food safety in the commercial industry requires taking a combination of various measures. There is a need to have a high level of moral and legal responsibility which is realized through trying to avoid errors as much as possible and observing relevant laws in order to ensure food safety. More so, since food production in the commercial industry involves many workers and a series of events, putting in place a formal system will ensure that activities are well-coordinated and there will be the easier realization of food safety. More so, there is a need to have plans that are well thought out in food production which facilitate food safety.
Reference List
- Heldman, Dennis and Hartel Richard. 1997. Principles of Food Processing. New York: Chapman & Hall.
- Pawsey, Rosa. 2002. Case studies in food microbiology for food safety and quality. Cambridge: Royal Society of Chemistry.
- Redman, Nina. 2007. Food safety: a reference handbook. 2nd Edition. California: ABC-CLIO.
- Schmidt, Ronald and Rodrick, Gary. 2005. Food Safety Handbook. New Jersey: John and Sons.