Safe Food for All

Have you heard about " Food Product Claims" , how often do you see it on food products, which products can have this claim, and what does it really mean or maybe what is it actually claiming (smiles)? Well, relax and learn from  Chidinma Ezinne Ochulor,  a Food Quality Assurance Specialist at Promasidor Nigeria Ltd as she throws more light on this. It has become prevalent to find bold 'claims' on the packaging material of food products. Claim in this context is to declare, affirm or avouch. Food product claims may be in the form of health claims, nutrient claims or structure/function claims. You may have seen something similar to these:  "...contains 5 vitamins and minerals" "... no sugar"  "... can help lower cholesterol"  "... energy booster"  "... calorie-free"  "... low sodium"  "... heart-friendly"  "... contains calcium for strong bones"  The list is endless.  A  health claim  on a ...

In a very simple sentence , a food label  is a   panel found on a package of food which contains a variety of information about the nutritional value of the food item. There are many standard pieces of information on most  food labels , including serving size, the amount of calories and other key nutrients, a list of ingredients, the production dates and the best date to be used or discarded.  Even though food labels are just one of the many boring pieces of writing struggling for our attention daily, it is important to note that practicing food safety starts by reading and understanding the labels on a food package.  All details in the food label are very important if you must make a healthy choice. However, this article explains some of the common terms seen on the seemingly confusing food labels. Those common terms are the  USE BY, BEST BEFORE AND SELL BY  dates.  Use by "Use by" dates are the most important date to consider, as ...

Photo credit: FAO Today the 16th of October 2019 is the World Food Day and a very important day of action dedicated to tackling the global hunger in a world of growing population. On this day, different people, leaders and organisations from around the world come together again to declare their commitment to eradicate worldwide hunger. The main aim is to create awareness of the importance of food as a basic human right.  The Theme of World Food Day 2019 is  “Our Actions Are Our Future. Healthy Diets for a Zero-Hunger World” . According to the United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), people need to eat healthy diets for a zero hunger world.  It is evident from the theme that the FAO identified the current problem in the world and seek to address it. Due to urbanization and our growing busy schedules, our diets and eating habits have changed. Instead of the usual well-prepared vitamin and fibre rich foods and/or plant-based foods, we h...

Becoming food safe is achieved by adopting proper methods of handling, storing and preparing foods to prevent foodborne diseases and infections. Being conscious of what we eat is a good behavior towards food safety. Foods or any eddible product must be safe before consuming. Unsafe food or water means that it has been contanated, exposed to dirt and germs, or may even be rotten, which can cause infections or diseases, some of which leads to life threatening experiences.  Food poisoning can be prevented by avoiding the 4 food conditions in the inforgraphic. Stale foods: Stale foods are food that are no longer fresh and good for consumption. The process of staling is a chemical or physical process that reduces the palatability of food, thus making it unpleasant for consumption. Such can be seen in breads and cake. Although stale foods are not actually categorized as unhealthy, they can be vehicles for microorganisms.  Spoiled products: Food spoilage is a process...