Is Food Safe?

At a recent scientific conference a Senior Official concerned with food safety raised the question in the title of this article: Is Food Safe? On thinking more about it I realized that it is a very interesting question but with only one possible answer: Food is not safe, furthermore, it never has been safe and it never will be safe. Perhaps for too many years too many Government Agencies have been afraid to say this. They have tried to convince us and we, as consumers, have wanted to be convinced that food is safe and that we have no responsibilities in this subject..

However, if you think about the basic processes of obtaining food and of eating, it should not really be a surprise if I conclude that food is not safe. After all I may dig something out of the earth such as a potato, but I know that soil is full
of various micro-organisms and maybe various toxic minerals. Perhaps I pick a plant growing outside, such as a cabbage which has received the attention of numerous birds and insects. I may
take a piece of a dead animal or a dead fish as a food item. Having chosen these various delightful food sources, I then transfer them deep into my body by the process of eating.

In addition to eating this food, I have to drink water in some form. However, there is only a finite amount of water on our planet, and it has been there for thousands of years. Consequently, we must drink water that has been recycled millions of times over thousands of years. The water I drink today may have been drunk by Julius Caesar in Roman Times and has certainly been drunk by many millions of other people before it reached me. Furthermore, this ancient water currently in lakes or rivers is full of a myriad of fish, insects and microorganisms such as algae and bacteria, and we have no
choice but to drink this stuff.

Perhaps, the most surprising thing is not that food and water are inherently unsafe, but that we have been able to organize systems of production, of storage, and of preparation that allows us to eat

the various materials we call "food" and to drink water without generally running any great risk. Through the scientific developments in agriculture, food science and water treatment, we can obtain regular supplies of inherently unsafe materials. Nevertheless, we must of necessity treat our food and drinks with due care and attention or they will rapidly reflect the original unsafe conditions found in nature. This means we must store our food properly. Dry material must be kept in dry cupboards free from attack by insects. Perishable materials are normally stored in the refrigerator but this only works for limited time. There are several species of moulds and bacteria which can survive and grow in refrigerators and convert safe food back into unsafe food. Fresh uncooked foods such as meats and vegetables should not be stored in direct contact with cooked or ready-to-eat foods. Baking, roasting or boiling fresh foods, even if contaminated by micro-organisms, will usually ensure that they are safe to eat.

Indeed in our modern world we have been able to elevate food preparation, eating and drinking to an art form, and it is certainly a favorite recreational activity of many people.
Still it is useful to reflect on the title to this article: "Is Food Safe ?" and the answer, which unavoidably must be NO. Nature is not a safe place, it has no interest in our health and welfare, and we must be alert to the dangers inherent in food and drink.

About the author:
Dr. Clifford A. Adams
B. Sc. University of Wales, Aberystwyth, UK
M. Sc. University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Ph. D. University of Illinois, USA
Post-doctoral Research, University of Adelaide, Australia.

Dr. Adams has also written a book: NUTRICINES, Food Components in Health and Nutrition. You may order your book through www.nup.com or visit his website.

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