Summary

In this study session, you have learned that:

1. Food is any nutritious substance eaten to maintain vital life processes. Food is important for human beings and affects human physiological activity, growth, repair and energy, and psychological and social relations.
2. Food hygiene and safety issues are not separate from human health concerns or from community health issues. Good food hygiene practices can protect the community from foodborne illness.
3. Different food safety terminologies like food hygiene, wholesomeness of food, food contamination and misbranding are important for understanding food safety issues.
4. Categories of unsafe food include misbranded food, adulterated food, unwholesome food and contaminated food.
5. Important principles for safe food preparation include having clean hands, clean surfaces, adequate cooking time and the correct conditions for food storage, among others.
6. Producing safe food must be considered as a continuum and attention needs to be given to the safety of food from ‘farm to fork' or ‘farm to table'.
7. Food laws and regulations are designed to provide a high level of protection against food contamination.
8. The objective of a food control system is to regulate the food supply industry and enforce food laws.