School Of Food Science & Technology

In the contemporary world, management of food safety poses huge challenges to the food industry. Over and above the need to provide products that meet consumer preferences (organoleptic quality, convenience, price, etc.), it also has to control a plethora of chemical and microbiological hazards that may have found their way into food at any stage of a long and complex food supply chain.

In addition, other concerns include: nutritional, physical (plastic, wood) hazards, religious acceptability, etc. With urbanization and international trade the food supply chain has also become longer and more intricate than ever. The complexity of the situation calls for a comprehensive and science-based food safety management system, designed to control food safety risks from raw material to final consumption, including the hygienic conditions of the production environment.

With a focus on microbiological aspects, this chapter gives an overview of the elements of a modern food safety management system, including the principles of incident and crisis management for the occasions when food safety management fails. Special attention is also given to human factors, management commitment,
and change management, three critical factors contributing to most food safety failures.