Quality and Safety in the Food Industry

This chapter provides an overview of the concepts and practices correlate with safety and quality in the food industry that is based on: government regulations, and requirements and expectations of customers and consumers. These regulations and requirement impacted the changes in food industry operations including significant developments in food quality and food safety activities. The continual efforts to the basic need of food quality and food safety influenced by numerous factors including technological changes, irradiated foods, and food security issues. The requirements in food quality and food safety are addressed through the use of quality management systems and programs that include quality assurance, quality control, and the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point system, Good Manufacturing Practice, British Retail Consortium and Food Safety System Certification. Within a particular food company, the food quality and food safety activities are likely to be covered by some combination of these programs or systems.