& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Food safety and food-borne illness

Star Health Desk
Food safety is an increasingly important public health issue. Food-borne illnesses are defined as diseases, usually either infectious or toxic in nature, caused by agents that enter the body through the ingestion of food. Every person is at risk of food-borne illness.
Major food-borne diseases from microorganisms
x Salmonellosis is a major problem now-a-days. Salmonellosis is caused by the Salmonella bacteria and symptoms are fever, headache,nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhoea. Examples of foods involved in outbreaks of salmonellosis are eggs, poultry and other meats, raw milk and chocolate.
xCampylobacteriosis is a widespread infection. It is caused by certain species of Campylobacter bacteria and the reported number of cases surpasses the incidence of salmonellosis. Food-borne cases are mainly caused by foods such as raw milk, raw or undercooked poultry and drinking water. Acute health effects of campylobacteriosis include severe abdominal pain, fever, nausea and diarrhoea. In two to ten per cent of cases the infection may lead to chronic health problems, including reactive arthritis and neurological disorders.
xInfections due to enterohaemorrhagic (causing intestinal bleeding) E. coli, (e.g. E.coli 0157) and listeriosis are important food-borne diseases which have emerged over the last decades. Although their incidence is relatively low, their severe and sometimes fatal health consequences, particularly among infants, children and the elderly, make them among the most serious food-borne infections.
xPathogenic Escherichia coli strains, (such as E. coli 0157), which produce a potent (vero-) toxin cause haemorrhagic infections in the colon, resulting in bloody diarrhoea or lifethreatening complications such as kidney failure. E. coli 0157 outbreaks have been mainly related to beef, but sprouts, lettuce and juice have also caused outbreaks.
kListeria monocytogenes is the cause of listeriosis which has a fatality rate of up to 30 percent. The most frequent effects are meningitis and miscarriage or meningitis of the foetus or newborn. Many types of foods have been implicated in listeriosis cases. Often a long refrigeration period seems to have contributed to outbreaks.
xCholera is a major public health problem. The disease is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. In addition to water, contaminated foods can be the vehicle of infection. Different foods, including rice, vegetables, millet gruel and various types of seafood have
been implicated in outbreaks of cholera. Symptoms, including abdominal pain, vomiting and profuse watery diarrhoea, may lead to severe dehydration and possibly death, unless fluid and salt are replaced.
severe intoxications. Mycotoxins, such as aflatoxin and ochratoxin A, are found at measurable levels in many staple foods; the health implications of long-term exposure of such toxins are poorly understood.
Other food safety problems: Some major examples are: xNaturally occurring toxins, such as mycotoxins, marine biotoxins, cyanogenic glycosides and toxins occurring in poisonous mushrooms, periodically cause
xUnconventional agents such as the agent causing bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, or "mad cow disease"), is associated with variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob (vCJD) Disease in humans. Consumption of bovine products containing brain tissue is
the most likely route for transmission of the agent to humans.
xPersistant Organic Pollutants are compounds that accumulate in the environment and the human body. Known examples are Dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls. Dioxins are unwanted byproducts of some industrial processes and waste incineration. xMetals such as lead and mercury, cause neurological damage in infants and children. Exposure to cadmium can also cause kidney damage, usually seen in the elderly. These may contaminate food through pollution of air, water and soil.
Challengesand developments in food safety
The safety of food derived from biotechnology needs to be carefully assessed. The assessment should consider health benefits as well as possible negative health implications. Crops modified to resist pests, foods with allergens removed or food with an increase of essential nutrients are possible examples of the former, while anti-microbial markers in some genetically modified foods have been suggested to be an example of the latter. The weighing of potential risks and benefits is an important aspect of assessment of foods derived from biotechnology that has not received much attention in the past. Likewise, clear communication of the basis for safety
assessment in this area is generally lacking at national and international levels.
If not properly monitored and assessed, changes in animal husbandry practices, including feeding, may have serious implications for food safety.
Adding low levels of antibiotics to animal feed in order to increase growth rate has raised concern about the transfer of antibiotic resistance to human pathogens from this practice.
Modern intensive agricultural practices contribute to increasing the availability of affordable foodstuffs and the use of food additives can improve the quality, quantity and safety of the food supply. However, appropriate controls are necessary to ensure their proper and safe use along the entire food chain. Pre-market review and approval followed by continuous monitoring are necessary to ensure the safe use of pesticides, veterinary drugs and food additives.
Other challenges, which need to be addressed to help ensure food safety, include the globalisation of trade in food, urbanisation, changes in lifestyles, international travel, environmental pollution, deliberate contamination and natural and man-made disasters. The food production chain has become more complex, providing greater opportunities for contamination and growth of pathogens.