Animal Health and Safe Food Production

The safety of the food purchased from a supermarket or local independent supplier is a minimum expectation of the consumer. Divorced from the source of production by modern lifestyles and city living, the majority of consumers have little interest in, or understanding of, the processes involved in the transition from food production on the farm to food purchased in restaurants and shops. Most consumers in countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States are regarded as being "cash rich" but "time poor", and this contributes to a fast-food culture with ready-meals and a diminished interest in food preparation. Although traditionally much better informed with regards to food quality, this trend is also apparent in other European countries. Most consumers would be shocked to discover that the consequences of foodborne illness or disease might be life-threatening and it is perhaps the unexpected nature of this threat to health from such a fundamental, basic component of life, that accounts for the heightened media interest associated with any food scare which might arise in the modern world.

While food is generally assumed to be "safe" and therefore viewed as being uninteresting, headlines reporting instances of unsafe food are regarded as highly newsworthy and attract political attention. Adverse publicity involving food affects one of the largest industries in the world, and any association of a particular food item, source or supplier with a food safety issue is of major significance affecting global corporations, with financial implications running into millions of dollars. International trade in foodstuffs is highly regulated by governments under the auspices of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Governments are closely involved in the imposition of tariffs and border controls, which may have the effect of protecting home production in the face of cheap imports; often at the same time as finding ways and means with which to effectively subsidise their own producers to enable export of food products at highly competitive low prices.

Globalisation of the supply industries means that a disease can spread rapidly around the world. A problem originating in one region, such as South East Asia, can affect consumers elsewhere, perhaps Western Europe for example, within the time frame of a single air flight. Increased industrialisation of food production and centralisation of food supply through decreasing numbers of distributors, such as the giant supermarket chains, also means that the spread of contamination can be greater and the potential numbers of people at risk of exposure (to infection, contaminants or residues) are higher than ever before, posing very real risks to the health of large numbers of consumers if production processes are uncontrolled.

This report examines the risks that may be present in the food we eat and considers the key factors in each production step involved in the preparation and distribution of food from the farm to the plate. Measures currently employed to achieve safe production are examined and new or developing technologies evaluated for their potential contribution towards minimising the inherent risks. Food safety is a vast and complex area of different factors, the interplay of which continually changes, making prediction of future problems difficult. The importance of food to the trade balance of countries is enumerated to provide context of risk of losing a market following an unforeseen accident or catastrophic occurrence. However, not only do consumers expect their food to be safe as a right, they also demand that it is cheap. Consequently the additional costs of heightened food safety measures fall as direct cost on the producer or supplier, that usually cannot be recouped through higher prices. Oddly, consumers may be prepared to pay extra for food produced in what is deemed more traditional or "old-fashioned" methods. Whilst such products are thought to be of a higher quality with better flavour and absence of additives, such as pesticides, they may not be recognisably advanced in trends of technology or aspects of safety. Indeed the premium priced organic sector, which may be perceived, possibly inaccurately, as "healthier", is one of the few growth areas of the food sector in terms of profit margin.

The report provides a concise summary of the key issues that affect the production of safe food, enabling managers with an interest in this area to quickly grasp the fundamentals of this topic. It is focused on primary production of products of animal origin, and explores the threat of existing and newly identified disease risks, and the market potential offered by control methods. In addition, the potential impact of negative publicity arising from adverse events in any sector is discussed and reference made to previous examples of foodborne disease to provide context and historical precedent. For example, analysts have estimated that the cost to Cadbury-Schweppes of their recent recall of chocolate products following the identification of potential contamination with Salmonella Montevideo as being 30 million (€44.5 million), even though no actual direct link to instances of foodborne illness has been proven, the immediate consequences of the bad publicity has been reduced profitability.

Improvements in the traceability of food, from better identification of animals and farm sources, through to DNA-testing of meat products, and better labelling of the final product have a number of benefits. Improved monitoring of disease status in countries of origin and vaccination of animals and birds specifically to target foodborne pathogens should assist in the prevention of future incidents. Changes to hygiene regulations, together with improved enforcement of legislation concerning processes in abattoirs and packing plants have helped to provide a clearer understanding by producers of their responsibilities. Finally, supermarket quality standards including production facility audits and minimum animal welfare standards are all intended ultimately to improve food safety.