News Releases

Dr Schlundt

Food Safety Risks – Myth or Reality

18 November 2002

Consumers’ confidence in food safety has been shaken by the recent number of food scares. These scares should not be underestimated, but other developments are likely to have an even greater influence in the future, both on the public and in the political attention to food safety issues. In the 29th Bawden memorial lecture, which opened the BCPC Conference – Pests & Diseases 2002 in Brighton on 18 November, Dr Jørgen Schlundt, Co-ordinator of the Food Safety Programme, World Health Organisation (WHO), Geneva, discussed these issues and assessed different crop protection strategies and their relation to health.

“Food scares do not reflect the real picture of food-borne risk” warned Dr Schlundt. “Some diseases regularly hit the press, whilst sporadic disease cases, which constitute the majority of the disease burden, almost never reach the press. There are also some hazards in food which cause no human health hazard because the concentrations are so low they do not represent a health risk.”

Pesticides are used extensively to control agricultural pests, with two-thirds of all pesticide applications world-wide being in Europe. While the effects of pesticide residues is topical, the major disease burden related to pesticide use world-wide, comes from the number of poisoning cases, 3,000,000 (WHO 1990) with the bulk of associated deaths (200,000) being attributed to intentional poisoning (suicide).

Risk analysis in food safety
“Risk” explained Dr Schlundt, “is a function of the probability of an adverse effect and the magnitude of that effect, consequential to a hazard in food. The risk assessment provides a scientific description of food-borne risks related to the occurrence of hazards in the food chain.”

The FAO/WHO risk analysis framework and principles are currently being implemented in different national and international settings. The aim is to evaluate risks associated with food and preventative measures that could be used to lower such risks. Decision systems modelled on the WHO/FAO risk analysis framework are likely to be the tools for food safety managers in the future. They will enable all interested parties or stakeholders in food safety to be more actively involved in the management and communication process.

Organic and GM crops
“It is generally agreed that organic is not a health claim, rather it is a process claim,” said Dr Schlundt. “There are some important health related issues with organic food production, such as the level of mycotoxins and in particular, aflatoxin in milk. Land usage is another important factor, with data showing that there is a marked decrease in grain-equivalent yields from what could be regarded as ‘successful organic farming’. Although market share of organic food in Europe is currently low (up to 4%) the market is likely to increase further in the future.”

Genetically-modified (GM) crops aim at increasing the level of crop protection by introducing resistance against insects, viruses and herbicides. Current applications appear to have resulted in benefits in some areas, for example in the future non-allergenic peanuts, corn with increased fatty acid content, rice with vitamin A and traditional crops with improved draught resistance, may offer significant advantages over non-modified counterparts. The negative attitudes towards GM foods which seem to prevail in some areas could result in problems for future potential ‘public good’ developments.

Managing food safety risks in the future
So what of the future? A new risk-based approach to food safety will be introduced globally and particularly in developing countries which are likely to play an increasingly important role in future global food production. These countries have the potential to leap forward into preventative systems focusing on risks. The benefits of improved food safety amount to a win-win situation for them with improved national health plus improved export potential.

The continued effort to lower food-borne risk will result in new developments in food production techniques, producing safer foods and more efficient food production. New technologies, such as biotechnology, will be used for safety and nutrition improvement but the scientific basis for this will need to be communicated to all interested parties.

Development in crop protection chemicals will also contribute to future safety improvements, and a more holistic approach adopted for evaluating problems relating to pesticide use which focuses on the risk of poisoning through poor handling or disposal practices.

“Industry and non-governmental organisations are becoming increasingly aware that a real debate needs to relate to real issues,” said Dr Schlundt, “hopefully the myths and exaggerated claims of food-borne risks can be avoided.”

For further information contact:
Frances McKim, BCPC Press Manager
Tel: +44 (0) 1509 233219, Fax: +44 (0) 1509 211932.
Email: edpress@bcpc.org