FOOD SAFETY AND HYGIENE : Intended for: L3 Food Biotechnology Students

Abstract

Food is, above all, a human concern. Every day, millions of people place their trust in the foods they consume, without being able to verify for themselves their safety, composition, or production conditions. This trust, however, is not accidental; it relies entirely on the work of those who shape the food chain: agronomists, technologists, engineers, inspectors, and other professionals such as yourselves. It is precisely this challenge that this course handbook seeks to address. Food safety is not an administrative constraint imposed on industry. It is a scientific discipline in constant evolution, built upon advances in scientific knowledge and the growing demands of consumers. From collective foodborne outbreaks to major health scandals, recent history has repeatedly demonstrated how failures in this field can have serious consequences for public health, national economies, and consumer confidence. Understanding the mechanisms that govern food quality and safety is therefore not merely an academic exercise; it is a professional responsibility. The content of this hand book is organized into two major sections. The first, devoted to the concept of quality, encourages students to develop a critical and methodical perspective in order to answer essential questions: What is food quality? How can it be defined, measured, and guaranteed? What are the institutional, nutritional, microbiological, and technological dimensions that constitute it, and how do they interact? The second section introduces the fundamental principles and management systems of food quality and safety, ranging from Good Hygiene Practices (GHP) and the HACCP system to the international standards ISO 9001 and ISO 22000.