Food Safety

When it comes to the responsibility of food safety it is the consumer who is ultimately responsible. It is up to each and every person to do the research that will protect them from the microbial world of food-born diseases. People should take a microbiology class, or at least read about food safety on a government website. Upon taking a microbiology class, I went from being ignorant about the causative agents of disease, to knowing how microbes cause disease and how to prevent microbial growth. The average person remains ignorant to the invisible world of microbes, so is unknowing as to why someone gets sick.

Fortunately for the general public, our government has organized several different departments that overlook the food industry and keep a sharp eye out for any potential outbreaks of food-borne illnesses. The United States government has organizations that regulate the actual food industries themselves. Additionally, it has organizations that detect and keep records on food-borne illnesses, and finds ways to control and prevent outbreaks. The United States Department of Agriculture is responsible for inspecting meat, poultry, and egg products; while the Food and Drug Administration is responsible for testing all other foods. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention work on finding ways to treat problematic pathogens, and preventing future spreading and outbreaks of food-borne diseases. Our government is working hard at preventing food-borne illnesses by inspecting the food before it reaches the consumer, and it is also protecting us by researching ways to control a food-borne outbreak when it occurs.

Before food reaches the consumer, its safety is in the hands of a number of different entities. First, it is the producer who has the responsibility of providing a sanitary conditions for the food to be grown/raised. Next it is the processor's responsibility to process the food under sanitary conditions. The government officials should also be doing their best to discern whether or not the food is being prepared under the proper conditions. But in the end it is up the consumer to make sure that the food they are about to consume has been prepared safely. The consumer can do so by conducting his or her own research on the subject. It is up the consumer to make sure that they clean, separate, cook and chill their food properly.