People have the right to expect the food they eat to be safe and suitable for consumption. Food-borne illness and food-borne injury are at best unpleasant; at worst, they can be fatal. Outbreaks of food-borne illness can damage trade and tourism, and lead to loss of earnings, unemployment and litigation. Food spoilage is wasteful, costly and can adversely affect trade and consumer confidence. Effective hygiene control, therefore, is vital to avoid the adverse human health and economic consequences of food-borne illness, food-borne injury and food spoilage. Everyone, including farmers and growers, manufacturers and processors, food handlers and consumers, has a responsibility to ensure that food is safe and suitable for consumption. The Codex basic texts on food hygiene lay a firm foundation for understanding how rules and regulations on food hygiene are developed and applied. The General Principles of Food Hygiene cover hygiene practices from primary production through to final consumption, highlighting the key hygiene controls at each stage. This compact volume also contains the most internationally used description of the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) System and guidelines for its application; principles for the establishment and application of microbiological criteria for foods, and principles and guidelines for the conduct of microbiological risk assessment. The texts will be of use to government authorities, food industries and all food handlers, and consumers as well as teachers and students of food hygiene.
