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 ...

What is food safety? Food Safety is the concept of handling, preparing, storing, and consuming foods in ways that best reduce the risk of individuals becoming sick. Its principles generally aim at preventing foods from becoming contaminated and causing food poisoning. Ensuring food safety is a shared responsibility among governments, producers, processors, distributors, retailers, and consumers. In the food supply chain, every component plays a major role in ensuring food safety. What is a food supply chain? A food supply chain is a sequence through which food moves systematically from producers (farmers) to processors to distributors to retailers and then to consumers who are the end users.  Who is a Consumer? : A consumer is a person who purchases goods and services for personal use. So you and I are consumers of all kinds of food products in the market. You may wonder if consumers have a role to play in ensuring food safety. The answer is yes, we do. Consumers have a...