Food safety is the proper handling, preparation, and storage of food in ways that prevent food borne illness. Food safety is a concern shared by consumers, industry and governments and involves the protection of the food supply from microbial, chemical and physical hazards or contamination that may occur during all stages of food production and handling (growing, harvesting, processing, transporting, preparing, distributing and storing).
Food safety has become a significant concern for consumers, regulators and food processors. Since 2006, North America has been faced with a rapidly increasing number of food safety recall issues ranging from E.coli in ground beef and spinach, to Salmonella in tomatoes, to Listeria in processed meats and Botulism in carrot juice.
The Food Safety and Inspection Services (FSIS) branch of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported in September of 2008 that an upward trend in FSIS positive test results in both ground beef and beef trimmings is an indication that more contamination is getting through current food safety systems. In 2007, the U.S. experienced twenty-one recalls due to E.coli affecting more than 30 million pounds of ground beef. That same year there were a total of 53 major recalls for E. coli, Salmonella and Listeria in beef, poultry and produce. So far in 2008 there have been several major recalls that have raised food safety concerns in both Canada and the United States. As a result of these events hundreds of individuals became ill, many more were infected but probably misdiagnosed, and a number of infected individuals actually lost their lives.