Food Safety & Quality

This chapter explores the broad issue of food safety. It reviews basic industry practices designed to reduce food safety risks and general food safety concerns related to animal products, grains, nuts and produce. And although food safety problems are often thought of as biological in nature, contamination can also come from chemical or physical sources. In 2011, the Food Safety Modernization Act gave the Food and Drug Administration the authority to issue food recalls and strengthened its inspection capabilities. Numerous examples of successful coordination between government agencies exist with regard to food safety. China’s State Food and Drug Administration was reorganized and renamed the National Medical Products Administration (a ministerial-level agency) but retains its multiple roles in food safety. Producers and distributors may leverage longstanding manufacturing concepts—such as Total Quality Management and Six Sigma—to achieve high safety and quality standards.