Abstract
Foodborne diseases affect human health and cause significant economic loss. Among the proposed mitigating strategies to prevent, or at least, to reduce foodborne diseases were the enactment and proper enforcement of food legislation. In Mauritius (MU), many outbreaks have been reported since the enactment and enforcement of the Food Act 1998 (MU) and Food Regulations 1999 (MU). Therefore, it was high time to re-evaluate the impact of the food law on the pattern of foodborne diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate how the introduction of the Mauritian food legislation had influenced the pattern of foodborne diseases and its suitability in recent years. Data were collected from the website of the Ministry of Health and Quality of Life of Mauritius from 1990 to 2015 and analysed using nonparametric statistical methods, where required. Results showed that more foodborne disease cases occurred during enforcement of the food legislation than before. The study also found that the food law was consistently enforced over the years, except during epidemics of chikungunya fever and dengue fever. Furthermore, several strengths and weaknesses were identified in the current legislation related to the risk of foodborne diseases. Comparing the Mauritian with the Australian food laws revealed some similarities and differences between the two legislations. This review showed that overall foodborne diseases in Mauritius increased and were not affected by the food law enforcement. Therefore, a revision of the law and its enforcement is necessary to make them more efficient in preventing foodborne diseases.
Highlights
Foodborne diseases can be defined as those conditions, which are usually communicated through consumption of food
This review showed that overall foodborne diseases in Mauritius increased and were not affected by the food law enforcement
The higher number of inspections carried out by the Public Health and Food Safety Inspectors (PHFSIs) (+6.58%, +38.25%, +0.47%, +40.19%, +44.53%, +30.03%), as well as, contraventions established (+12.74%, +9.13%, +21.23%, +88.44%, +70.40%, +20.67%) during that period did not prevent the occurrence of major foodborne disease outbreaks in Mauritius
Summary
Foodborne diseases can be defined as those conditions, which are usually communicated through consumption of food. They include a wide range of illnesses caused by enteric pathogens, parasites, chemical contaminants and toxins, adulterating food at different points in the food supply [1]. In the United States of America (USA), around 9.4 million cases of foodborne diseases are reported each year due to the consumption of contaminated food [4]. Every year, approximately 2.2 million people die from diarrhoeal diseases worldwide, among which a large proportion is caused by the ingestion of contaminated food [5] [6]. If patients, those with mild symptoms, do not report to health institutions, the cases will not be recorded
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