Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
e C of in of m i C C o s t s
Specific economic costs are discussed in each section of this chapter. In industrial-
ized nations, the economic costs include the cost of litigation/insurance, loss of prod-
uct from recalls, cost of investigation of outbreaks, medical expenses, and time lost
from work. Economic costs are also a burden when food trade is banned or prevented
due to unsafe product or a lack of regulatory oversight.
food sAfety by RegIon
s o u t h e a s t a s i a r e g ill- of in
It is estimated that 1 million children under the age of 5 die annually in the Southeast
Asia region due to diarrhea from consumption of contaminated food and water
(WHO, 2002a). Cholera is a major concern and is spread not only through water, but
also through food (WHO, 2000). Lack of education is a major contributing factor to
food safety concerns in this region. A lack of regulatory authority also plays a major
role in the spread of food-borne disease.
In this area, many are migrating from rural to urban environments and living in
extreme poverty and in conditions of poor sanitation (WHO, 2002). Many are home-
less and malnourished and obtain food from street vendors, who have been identified
as a significant source of food-borne illnesses. Most of the government structures in
Southeast Asia have no written policies on food safety. Food is most commonly pur-
chased with little or no processing, and hazards associated with these foods need to
be evaluated and controlled. There is a need for an organized government structure
and a need for food-handling laboratories to assess the hazards associated with foods
in question to identify hazards, develop regulations, and control them.
w e s t e r n P a C i f i C r e g ill- of in
In the western Pacific region, there is a contrast in food safety issues, depending on
the country. New Zealand and Australia are industrialized and have food safety poli-
cies in place. However, in Australia, there are an estimated 11,500 illnesses daily,
which costs the country AU $2.6 billion (ANZFA, 1999). Due to limited surveillance
in many countries in this region, accurate estimates of costs and the number of ill-
nesses is difficult.
A recent report indicated that the outbreaks associated with food-borne patho-
gens are increasing. EHEC, Cyclospora , Listeria , and Campylobacter are among the
pathogens causing recent outbreaks (WHO, 2003a). There has also been an increase
in antibiotic-resistant Salmonella isolated from outbreaks (OZfoodnetwork, 2003,
Government of China, 2004).
In less-developed areas, there is less oversight of the food industry, and surveil-
lance is limited. It is speculated that rapid urbanization, poor sanitation, lack of edu-
cation, and lack of food labeling regulations contribute to food safety issues in the
western Pacific region (Center for Science in the Public Interest [CSPI], 2005).
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