Substandard Food Research Articles

Different Food Color Used in Food Samples: A Chemical Analysis Study in Kishoreganj District, Bangladesh

Background: One of the most important organoleptic characteristics that influences consumers' acceptance and choice of food is color. However, food coloring pigments are typically unstable and change during processing, so food products all over the world contain colorants to preserve or restore product’s color uniformity. This research study was conducted to find out the percentage of consumption of adulterated or substandard food color by general public particularly young school children. Methods: Qualitatively using a UV-visible Spectrophotometer (PharmaSpec UV-1700 Series, Shimadzu Corporation) utilizing Pearson's Composition & Analysis of Foods (1989) and the AOAC (2000) method. By making a neutral dye solution at a concentration appropriate for spectrophotometric analysis (0.001-0.01%), the colors' purity was tested. In total 68 food samples and 11 beverage samples of various foods and drinks were gathered from several educational institutions, the neighborhood market, and stores situated in various parts of Kishoreganj district, Bangladesh. This study was carried out from 12 August to 21 October 2023. Results: The majority of branded food items contained permitted colors however most of the foods manufactured locally, contained non-permitted colors. The use of prohibited food coloring was more common among local food producers. Conclusion: To make sure that the local manufacturers are adhering to the laws governing food colors, both with regard to the prohibited and restricted food colors, constant monitoring is required. Furthermore, educating the public about the harmful effects of food coloring can help reduce the consumption of colored food items.

Damage Liability Insurance as an Alternative Means of Food Quality and Safety Management

Introduction: Widespread violations of mandatory requirements entails administrative measures that cause economic damage to both consumers and economic entities. In the context of the development of integration processes and harmonization of legislation, new, more effective approaches to the governmental control (supervision) and food quality and safety management based on prevention of violations and reduction of damage risks are being introduced. The objective of our work was to substantiate the necessity of damage liability insurance for producers and retailers as an instrument of improving quality and safety of foodstuffs and reducing risks of damages to consumers and economic operators. Materials and methods: We analyzed data of the Sverdlovsk Regional Rospotrebnadzor Office, the Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology in the Sverdlovsk Region, the Federal Service of State Statistics, the Regional Solid Household Waste Management Operator, the Yekaterinburg Municipal Unitary Enterprise “Spetsavtobaza”, as well as provisions of the Code of the Russian Federation on Administrative Offenses, using comparative and time-series methods. Results: We established factors accounting for the cumulative economic damage to consumers and economic operators from circulation of substandard food products and found that they contributed differently in terms of the amount of property damage and health damages to consumers. Administrative penalties are the main reason for the property damage to economic operators. Intestinal infections cause most physical and material losses to consumers and these damages are inevitably shared with the state. Dairy and meat industries with extremely high risks incur the greatest financial losses. The use of various approaches to food safety management, including damage liability insurance, will help minimize risks, prevent their consequences, and protect consumers and economic operators. Conclusion: Violation of regulations poses significant risks of damage to consumers and economic losses to economic operators. Insurance may be considered as an alternative means of risk management motivating businesses to ensure food quality and safety, protect consumers and help maintain their health, and reduce economic losses.

Food Safety Supervision System Based on Hierarchical Multi-Domain Blockchain Network

The traditional food supervision system has problems such as lack of industry chain and data fragmentation, which has caused the phenomenon of field regulation to be uncomprehensive in the existing regulatory system and the disposal of response lag. Combining the characteristics of blockchain such as distribution, transparent, and collegiality with the actual needs of regional autonomy, we propose the hierarchical multi-domain blockchain (HMDBC) network structure and the secondary-check mechanism, which can support timely correction and replacement of the malicious supervision nodes by regional nodes co-governance, auxiliary verification of supervision nodes, and arbitration of superior regions. In order to optimize the supervision nodes election, we proposed fuzzy comprehensive evaluation model of credibility, which can be used to objectively and fairly evaluate the comprehensive reputation of each node in that region by considering various influencing factors of node performance indicators. Furthermore, we designed the data block structure model, which can support the supervisor node replacement. Our system can perform automatic food quality detection and warning of substandard food in the entire industrial chain, with the use of smart contracts combined with the food industry standards. Finally, comparing the complexity of the traditional blockchain system with PBFT consortium, our system is more secure, with lower broadcast complexity.

Prevalence and associated factors of intestinal parasitic infections among asymptomatic food handlers working at Haramaya University cafeterias, eastern Ethiopia

BackgroundIntestinal parasitic infections are major public health problems worldwide, with high prevalence in low income countries where substandard food hygiene practices are common. Asymptomatic food handlers with poor personal hygiene could be potential sources of parasitic infections. This study was aimed to assess the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections and associated factors among asymptomatic food handlers working at Haramaya University cafeterias, eastern Ethiopia.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among asymptomatic food handlers working at Haramaya University cafeterias from August 2015 to January 2016. Population proportion to size allocation and systematic random sampling techniques were used to identify the study participants. Stool samples were collected and examined simultaneouly using direct and modified formol ether concentration wet smear techniques. Data were entered and analyzed using SPSS version 20.0 software. Logistic regressions were applied to assess association between independent variable and intestinal parasitic infections. Statistical significance was declared at a p-value less than 0.05.ResultsA total of 417 asymptomatic food handlers were enrolled in this study. Of these, females comprised 79.4%. Large proportion (39.3%) of food handlers were in the age group of 31–40 years. The overall prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections was 25.2% (95% CI: 18.3, 29.6). Entamoeba histolytica/ dispar (46.7%) and A. lumbricoides (14.3%) were the most frequent isolates. Having no formal education [AOR: 2.13, 95% CI: 1.24, 3.67], monthly income of less than 45.7 USD [AOR: 3.86, 95% CI: 1.62, 9.20], lack of hand washing after the use of the toilet with soap [AOR: 2.43, 95% CI: 1.22, 4.86] and untrimmed fingernails [AOR: 3.31, 95% CI: 1.99, 5.49] have significant association with intestinal parasitic infections.ConclusionsThe high prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections in this study highlights the importance of food handlers as probable sources of parasitic infections. Public health measures and sanitation programs should be strengthened to control the spread of intestinal parasitic infections.

Confucian thought and China’s moral crisis

Mainland Chinese society is in a moral crisis. A general lack of concern and sympathy for fellow citizens has become normal social behavior in a country where substandard food products are marketed for profit and injured individuals on the street are ignored by fellow pedestrians. Such phenomena are often ascribed to China’s recent economic development, which has proven too rapid for society’s moral and spiritual growth. This paper argues that there is a more fundamental reason for such problems, and that is the traditional Confucian ethical system. Confucian ethics provides ample wisdom to guide our actions in the context of specific social roles and relationships. It is conspicuously silent, however, in matters dealing with complete strangers and the anonymous public at large. The result is that the Confucian ethical system allows for serious lapses in public morality and social responsibility while permitting the individual to still be considered a very moral agent in all his fixed social roles.

What a Waste! A Study of Food Wastage Behavior in Singapore

ABSTRACTThis study focuses on analyzing food wastage behavior of consumers in Singapore. Qualitative research with experts from food waste management organizations and restaurant operators indicated key reasons for food wastage to be food spoilage, risk of hurting brand due to substandard food, lack of appropriate methods for sorting food, reverse logistics for proper waste collection/disposal, and appropriate recycling facilities. High costs of waste disposal, lack of government incentives or regulations governing service providers, and lack of awareness among consumers also contributed to solid food waste in Singapore. A survey with consumers recorded their habits with regard to planning food purchases, food wastage while cooking, and wastage during consumption of cooked, canned, and ready-to-eat products. A stepwise multiple discriminant analysis done on a key categorical variable “How much effort do you take to minimize amount of uneaten food you throw away?” yielded two groups that differed significantly along several attitudinal/behavioral dimensions.

Measures ensuring the food quality on retail markets: experimental perspective

Due to the ongoing problems with the quality of foods in European markets, the public authorities try to take some measures, which would reduce the amount of substandard food products offered to consumers in retailing. Three such measures – the higher frequency of quality checks conducted by public authorities, the imposition of some import barriers on the foodstuffs from countries known for their frequent breaches of quality standards in the food industry and the establishment of an information platform serving for the public pillorying of poor quality food – are studied in this paper. The experimental policy analysis was used as the research method. The results obtained show that only the higher frequency of quality checks can improve the situation of consumers. This measure is also effective in punishing the dishonest retailers, while not harming the honest ones.  

불량식품 사범의 단속방안 개선에 관한 연구

현 정부에서는 국민의 쾌적한 삶을 영위하는 데 방해가 되는 4대악을 척결함으로써 사회적 약자를 보호하고 국민생활의 안전을 보장하기 위한 정책을 추진하고 있다. 4대악에는 성폭력, 학교폭력, 가정폭력, 불량식품이 포함된다. 반추해 보면 4대 사회악은 한국사회의 급속한 환경변화에서 발생하는 다양한 범죄의 한 유형으로 볼 수도 있다. 그런데 4대악으로 인한 피해는 그 파장이 본인에게만 국한되지 않고 나아가 가정 및 사회전반에 주는 해악의 중대성과 지속성으로 인해 국민생활을 현저히 불안하게 하는 범죄이다. 특히 4대악 피해자에게 사회적 침묵이 부당하게 강요되어 피해자 스스로 해결하기 어려운 범죄이기도 하다. 따라서 문제의 심각성을 경시하지 말고 해결의 방안을 모색하여야 함은 당연하다고 하겠다. 뿐만 아니라 이는 사전 예방 국가의 과제이기도 하다. 본 글에서는 4대악 중에서 인간이 생존하기 위한 기본적 요소이며, 국민건강권을 보장하는 차원에서 식품범죄의 개념 및 특징과 유형을 살펴보고, 단속의 문제점 지적과 함께 법제적 개선방안 즉, 식품위생법에서도 결과범에 대한 가중처벌의 조항 신설 등과 같은 개선방안을 제시하고자 하였다. Recently, this government is implementing the "eradication of four social evils" policy to root out social evils which includes sexual violence, school violence, domestic violence and substandard food. In retrospect, these social evils are the crimes that have sprung from rapid social changes in Korea. These main four crimes not only badly affect certain victims but also spread their viciousness to broad population. Moreover, the prevention of the occurrence of the crime and the problem solving as an individual unit are hardly possible. Due to their critical effects and continuity, governmental safety policy enforcement is achieving higher support. As an alliance with the calling from the public for happier and safer life, this paper especially focus on regulating substandard food issue, according to the idea that food safety is an essential prerequisite for the healthy and happy life of the people. Through the reviewing, definition of the substandard food will be cleared and specified substandard food crimes will be introduced as well. And the paper will also pose questions in order to propose improved legal measures against the existing regulations, such as newly adding additional penalty article to food sanitation law.

Food Safety Practice and Associated Factors of Food Handlers Working in Substandard Food Establishments in Gondar Town, Northwest Ethiopia, 2013/14

Introduction: Food borne illnesses comprise a broad spectrum of diseases and are responsible for substantial morbidity and mortality worldwide. The global incidence of food borne disease is difficult to estimate, but it has been reported that 2.1 million people died each year from diarrheal diseases and contaminated food contributes to 1.5 billion cases of diarrhea in children each year, resulting in more than three million premature deaths. In developing countries, up to an estimated 70% of cases of diarrheal diseases are associated with the consumption of contaminated foods. Approximately 10 to 20% of food-borne disease outbreaks are due to contamination by the food handler. Objective: This study was conducted to assess food safety practices and associated factors of food handlers working in substandard food establishments of Gondar town, Northwest Ethiopia, 2013/14. Methods: Institution based cross sectional study design was conducted to assess food safety practices and associated factors of food handlers. Four hundred three food handlers were taken randomly as study subjects and data were collected by observation by using standardized questionnaire and observational check lists. Ordinal logistic regression model was fitted to analyze the predictor variables. Results: The overall level of food safety practices (good-30.30%, fair- 47.60% and poor-22.10%) was reported. Of a number of predictor variables analyzed age, marital status, service year, monthly income, food hygiene and safety training, attitude, knowledge and depth of knowledge were identified as factors affecting food safety practices. Conclusion and recommendations: Compared to other similar studies, Low level of food safety practice (good-30.30%, fair- 47.60% and poor-22.10%) was reported. Therefore, Environmental health practitioners, the local Medias and the managers should do a lot to improve food safety practices of the food handlers. They should also design and implement food safety awareness creation programs.