Food
safety is a scientific discipline describing handling, preparation, and storage
of food in ways that prevent foodborne illness or better known as food
poisoning. The majority of foodborne illnesses are caused by harmful bacteria
and viruses. Some parasites and chemicals also cause foodborne illnesses. Food
is the most common medium for the growth of bacteria and parasites. Thus consumption
of can transmit the disease from a person to another.
More than 250 different
foodborne diseases have been identified. Food can be contaminated at any time
either during growth, harvesting or slaughter, processing, storage, and
shipping. Raw foods such as raw meats, unpasteurized milk and raw vegetables are
most associated with foodborne diseases. This is because they have been
contaminated with the pesticides and chemical fertilizers in order to keep the
freshness of the foods. In fact, some of the farmers and retailers would inject
the food with antibiotics to prevent and control common disease events, and to
enhance animal growth.
Apart from that, the antibiotic is used to improve the
quality of the product, with a lower percentage of fat and higher protein
content in the meat. However, the over usage of antibiotics in agriculture has
led to the emerging public health crisis of antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic
resistance is a looming public health crisis.
Antibiotic
resistance occurs when an antibiotic has lost its ability to effectively
control or kill bacterial growth. In other words, the bacteria are becoming
more "resistant" to the antibiotic designed to cure or prevent
infection. The resistant-bacteria can have a greater chance of survival as they
will find ways to survive in the human body and continue to multiply, causing
more harm. Antibiotic resistance poses health risk to human health in two ways
either directly or indirectly. Direct effects, are through the consumption of
the food which is infected with the antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Indirect
effects are those that result from contact with resistant organisms that have
been spread to various components of the ecosystem such as water and soil.
Bacteria
can travel in any medium so people could transmit the antibiotic-resistant
bacteria to others by coughing or contact with unwashed hands. Antibiotic-resistant
bacteria can spread to family members, schoolmates, and co-workers. Overall it
may even threaten the community. Antibiotic resistance has become one of the
world most pressing public health problems as it may cause illnesses that were
once easily treatable with antibiotics to become dangerous infections,
prolonging suffering for children and adults. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are
often more difficult to kill and need an expensive treatment. In some cases,
the antibiotic-resistant infections can lead to serious disability or even
death.
There
are few important ways that can be taken to protect from antibiotic resistance
through the consumption of food infected by antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
- · Identify the restaurants that serve poultry injected with antibiotic;
- · Avoid consume fast food regularly as most of the fast food restaurants serve poultry, fish and vegetables injected with antibiotic routinely;
- · Inform the authorities if there any retailers who inject drugs or antibiotic on vegetables, fruits and meat to make them last long.
Antibiotic
resistance is present in all parts of the world thus making it a serious threat
to global public health that requires action across all government sectors and
society. Foodborne disease and antibiotic resistance are mostly transmitted via
food thus keeping food clean and safe should be a priority to all food
manufactures, government and consumers.