Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
12.2
Sustainability and Consumers' Perception
The globalization of the food trade offers many benefi ts to the consumers and it
results in a wide variety of high quality foods. The global food trade provides oppor-
tunities for food-exporting countries to earn foreign exchange, which is indispensable
for the economic development of many countries (Alpas and Kiymaz
2012
).
However, the integration and globalization of the foods are changing the food
production and distribution patterns. Foods are now distributed over greater distances,
thus it is creating the possibility for widespread outbreaks and foodborne illness.
Increasing urbanization also leads to greater requirements for transport, storage and
food preparation (Fresco
2009
). Nowadays, consumers possess higher expectations
than ever before. They want their foods to be more nutritious and safe, with ade-
quate variety and longer shelf life (Spence
2006
). However, these changes also pres-
ent new challenges to produce safe foods. The food safety programs are increasingly
focusing on a “farm-to-table” approach and it is an effective means of reducing food
born hazards. Although signifi cant progress has been made in many countries in
making food safer, millions of people get sick each year for eating contaminated
food products. The public is increasingly aware of the risks of pathogenic microor-
ganisms and chemical substances in the food supply. Furthermore, ever-increasing
consumer interest in dietary supplements offers special challenges to guarantee the
safety of food products (Akkerman et al.
2010
). Finally, unexpected contamination
of food and cosmetics, whether by familiar or previously unrecognized agents, will
continue to occur despite of new emphases on their prevention (Barbosa-Cánovas
et al.
2003
; FDA
2013
).
The demand of minimally processed foods have increased in recent years. Today,
the consumers are more health conscious and they are interested on healthy foods.
This means low thermal treatment without additives and/or artifi cial fl avors (Moses
et al.
2014
). Unfortunately, in some instances, a treatment can cause changes in
chemical composition, physical and biological changes, thus it can reduce their
acceptance of products and become susceptible to microbial contamination.
12.2.1
Food Safety
Food safety has become a major food security challenge. It is a well known fact that
foodborne microbial hazards are a constant threat across the supply chain. As con-
sumers are demanding high quality minimally processed foods, manufacturers are
facing new challenges to develop safe and nutritious products (Moubarac et al.
2014
; CSIRO
2012
). The approach to control the risks involves the consideration of
every step in the chain (i.e. from raw material to fi nal product). Hazards can enter in
the food chain during their farming and can be introduced or exacerbated at any
point in the chain (Rosegrant and Cline
2003
).
In this context, achieving food security continues to be a challenge not only for
the developing countries, but also for the developed nations. Food security is affected
