**3. Food safety and high-risk foods**

Food safety means ensuring consumer safety and protecting products from biological, physical and chemical hazards throughout the whole process starting from the field to processing, storing, distributing, preparing and cooking [21]. In many countries around the world, people started to have a more conscious perspective on food and environment. Consumers tend to prefer food that is more natural, less processed, environment-friendly, healthy and produced safely. This tendency makes up the basis of the "preventive/protective" (pro-active) approach for measurements to be taken towards food safety both nationally and globally. This approach based on risk analysis is the most appropriate and effective method for controlling foodborne hazards. It also necessitates the application of proper control systems in the production chain [22]. Foodborne diseases are a global subject. A common approach by all countries and related international organizations is a prerequisite for the detection and control of foodborne problems threatening human health and international trade. Despite their complicated biology, epidemiology and analyses, most foodborne diseases are preventable. Public health institutions, food industry and consumers must be devoted to prevent foods from getting

**91**

**Table 2.**

hygiene.

diseases.

*Four main areas of food safety [26].*

*Escherichia coli and Food Safety*

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.82375*

terizing and comparing the strains [23].

contaminated at farms, restaurants and homes. In outbreaks of foodborne diseases, continuous monitoring is vital for revealing the disease tendencies in foods, regions and associated pathogens. Genotype and subtype information obtained from contaminated strains are required for tracing the source of contamination, charac-

The food safety management systems with a classical basis that were once accepted for safe production and consumption of foods has proven to be inefficient and researchers/organizations proposed the "risk-based food safety" approach. Risk-based food safety approach is significantly different than the classical hazardbased approach. In this regard, a food safety management system aims at estimating the risks to human health as well as defining, choosing and implementing strategies to control and decrease these risks. According to Codex Alimentarius, risk analysis is a process consisting of three components: risk assessment, risk management and risk communication. Today, the new approach is considered as an approach enabling food safety issues to be diagnosed more accurately and define strategies required to decrease these issues more effectively [23–25]. The principles of riskbased food safety are defined with a four-step framework. The first step includes a series of initial risk managements such as defining the food safety issues, developing a risk profile, setting risk management goals, deciding on the need for a risk assessment, forming a risk assessment policy, creating a risk assessment and/or risk ranking commission and analysis of the results following the assessment. In the second step, different risk management options are defined and the options are chosen after the assessment. The third step includes the implementation of risk management precautions. Lastly, in the last step, observations are carried out in appropriate areas within the food chain and this step is utilized in reviewing the effectiveness of the risk management precautions. This step usually includes public health monitoring in order to collect data on changes. In summary, this approach aims at improving the food safety in high-risk food/hazard combinations, decrease

the burden of foodborne diseases and increase the consumer safety [25].

Billions of people in the world are under unsafe food risk. Each year, hundreds of thousands of people become sick or lose their lives due to consumption of unhygienic, high-risk foods. This is why safe food saves lives. In addition to improving the health of individuals and the public, safe food also boosts the economic growth in the regions where it is improved. Food safety covers four main areas, as shown in **Table 2** microbiological safety, chemical safety, personal hygiene and environmental hygiene [26].

**Microbiological safety:** the potential sources of foodborne diseases are bacterial agents. Diseases can range from mild gastroenteritis to neurological, hepatic or renal syndromes. Foodborne bacterial agents are primary cause of severe and fatal foodborne diseases. More than 90% of food poisoning diseases are caused by *Staphylococcus, Salmonella, Clostridium, Campylobacter, Listeria, Vibrio, Bacillus* and *E. coli* types. **Chemical safety:** foods may contain some non-food chemical additives such as coloring agents or preservatives and contaminants such as pesticide residues. Heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, mercury and copper can be found in some food products possibly because of kitchen appliances or inadequate food

**Personal hygiene:** inadequate personal hygiene in food processors or preparers can pose a great risk to public health. Simple activities such as hand washing and adequate washing facilities can prevent many foodborne

**Environmental hygiene:** inadequate or wrong recycling and lack of equipment for disposing of wastes lead to accumulation of spoiled and contaminated food. This situation than leads to the increase in the insect and bug populations contributing more to the risk of contamination and spoiling. For this reason, the hygienic

conditions of the areas where food is processed and prepared are very important.

#### *Escherichia coli and Food Safety DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.82375*

*The Universe of Escherichia coli*

ETEC Small

EPEC Small

EHEC Large

EIEC Large

**Table 1.**

**Site of infection**

intestine

intestine

intestine

intestine

EAEC Intestine Watery

**Associated disease**

Traveler's diarrhea, chronic childhood diarrhea (in developing countries)

Hemorrhagic colitis (HC), hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS)

diarrhea with or without blood in the stool, acute and chronic

**Incidence Target** 

16 U.S. outbreaks (1996–2003); prevalence 1.4% in patients with diarrhea; 79,420 cases of travelers' diarrhea each year (in the USA)

Infant diarrhea Hundreds of

Dysentery Low in

thousands of deaths world wide

110,000 cases and 61 deaths annually in the USA

developed countries

Developed and developing countries

**population**

International travelers and children in developing countries

Children in developing countries

Children in developing countries

Children and adults, travelers

All ages Food (beef

**Significant transmission route**

Food (raw produce, street vendors) and water

Water, infant formula

produce), person-toperson, water, animals

Water (rare), person-toperson

Food, water, person-toperson

**Pathogenic**  *E. coli*

**3. Food safety and high-risk foods**

*Summary of incidence and epidemiology of E. coli serotype [6].*

Food safety means ensuring consumer safety and protecting products from biological, physical and chemical hazards throughout the whole process starting from the field to processing, storing, distributing, preparing and cooking [21]. In many countries around the world, people started to have a more conscious perspective on food and environment. Consumers tend to prefer food that is more natural, less processed, environment-friendly, healthy and produced safely. This tendency makes up the basis of the "preventive/protective" (pro-active) approach for measurements to be taken towards food safety both nationally and globally. This approach based on risk analysis is the most appropriate and effective method for controlling foodborne hazards. It also necessitates the application of proper control systems in the production chain [22]. Foodborne diseases are a global subject. A common approach by all countries and related international organizations is a prerequisite for the detection and control of foodborne problems threatening human health and international trade. Despite their complicated biology, epidemiology and analyses, most foodborne diseases are preventable. Public health institutions, food industry and consumers must be devoted to prevent foods from getting

**90**

contaminated at farms, restaurants and homes. In outbreaks of foodborne diseases, continuous monitoring is vital for revealing the disease tendencies in foods, regions and associated pathogens. Genotype and subtype information obtained from contaminated strains are required for tracing the source of contamination, characterizing and comparing the strains [23].

The food safety management systems with a classical basis that were once accepted for safe production and consumption of foods has proven to be inefficient and researchers/organizations proposed the "risk-based food safety" approach. Risk-based food safety approach is significantly different than the classical hazardbased approach. In this regard, a food safety management system aims at estimating the risks to human health as well as defining, choosing and implementing strategies to control and decrease these risks. According to Codex Alimentarius, risk analysis is a process consisting of three components: risk assessment, risk management and risk communication. Today, the new approach is considered as an approach enabling food safety issues to be diagnosed more accurately and define strategies required to decrease these issues more effectively [23–25]. The principles of riskbased food safety are defined with a four-step framework. The first step includes a series of initial risk managements such as defining the food safety issues, developing a risk profile, setting risk management goals, deciding on the need for a risk assessment, forming a risk assessment policy, creating a risk assessment and/or risk ranking commission and analysis of the results following the assessment. In the second step, different risk management options are defined and the options are chosen after the assessment. The third step includes the implementation of risk management precautions. Lastly, in the last step, observations are carried out in appropriate areas within the food chain and this step is utilized in reviewing the effectiveness of the risk management precautions. This step usually includes public health monitoring in order to collect data on changes. In summary, this approach aims at improving the food safety in high-risk food/hazard combinations, decrease the burden of foodborne diseases and increase the consumer safety [25].

Billions of people in the world are under unsafe food risk. Each year, hundreds of thousands of people become sick or lose their lives due to consumption of unhygienic, high-risk foods. This is why safe food saves lives. In addition to improving the health of individuals and the public, safe food also boosts the economic growth in the regions where it is improved. Food safety covers four main areas, as shown in **Table 2** microbiological safety, chemical safety, personal hygiene and environmental hygiene [26].

**Microbiological safety:** the potential sources of foodborne diseases are bacterial agents. Diseases can range from mild gastroenteritis to neurological, hepatic or renal syndromes. Foodborne bacterial agents are primary cause of severe and fatal foodborne diseases. More than 90% of food poisoning diseases are caused by *Staphylococcus, Salmonella, Clostridium, Campylobacter, Listeria, Vibrio, Bacillus* and *E. coli* types.

**Chemical safety:** foods may contain some non-food chemical additives such as coloring agents or preservatives and contaminants such as pesticide residues. Heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, mercury and copper can be found in some food products possibly because of kitchen appliances or inadequate food hygiene.

**Personal hygiene:** inadequate personal hygiene in food processors or preparers can pose a great risk to public health. Simple activities such as hand washing and adequate washing facilities can prevent many foodborne diseases.

**Environmental hygiene:** inadequate or wrong recycling and lack of equipment for disposing of wastes lead to accumulation of spoiled and contaminated food. This situation than leads to the increase in the insect and bug populations contributing more to the risk of contamination and spoiling. For this reason, the hygienic conditions of the areas where food is processed and prepared are very important.
