The Importance of Food Safety

Food safety is a scientific discipline describing handling, preparation and storage of food in ways that prevent food-borne illnesses.

In various parts of the world, especially in rural areas people do not practice food safety. In such places street food trade is developing rapidly.

The street food is not well prepared in hygienic conditions. This is why there is a break out of food-borne diseases in rural areas like cholera.

The storage of food is very poor as well. People in the world especially in slums do not know the proper ways of storing food.

People just leave food around and expose them to pests and animals that transmit diseases. The lack of education has also led to the increase of diseases.

I have also been a victim of such cases. I had once taken food that was prepared the previous night and ate it without boiling it. I had a severe stomach ache for days. I had to rush to the toilet after every five minutes to relieve myself because I had a severe diarrhoea.

This experience taught me a very valuable lesson about food safety. I never took anything until being sure that it was safe for me to consume it.