What is the primary goal of food safety?

The primary goal of food safety is to prevent foodborne illness and ensure safe food production and handling. This involves establishing and maintaining practices that minimize the risk of contamination and ensure that food is safe for consumption. Foodborne illnesses can result from improper handling, cooking, and storage of food, leading to serious health issues for consumers.

To achieve this goal, food safety protocols include proper sanitation, cooking foods to safe temperatures, maintaining appropriate storage conditions, and preventing cross-contamination. By focusing on these aspects, food safety initiatives aim to protect public health and provide assurance that the food supply is safe.

While enhancing the flavor of food, maintaining food appearance and texture, and promoting food advertising are all important aspects of the food industry, they do not directly address the critical need to safeguard health and prevent illnesses caused by unsafe food handling and production practices.