A Single Microbial Sea: Food Safety as a Global Concern

Foodborne disease is a significant public health problem worldwide, with enormous human and economic costs. Food safety systems designed to protect consumers face several challenges: the emergence of new pathogens and other hazards, the reemergence of pathogens and other hazards thought to be controlled, and the heightened threat of food as a vehicle for bioterrorism. Global food trade contributes to and magnifies these challenges through the introduction of contamination from one country to another; the multiplication of opportunities for contamination as food travels longer distances and over longer periods of time; the magnified impact of contamination as products reach more people over a wider area; and the difficulty of knowing the origin or history of a food that has been shipped through multiple countries. In responding to these threats, national governments and international bodies must answer a number of key questions. What are the gaps in existing food safety systems? What responsibility do developed countries have to improve systems in less developed countries? What is the role of international bodies? This article argues that global standards focused on public health outcomes, and national food safety systems based on those standards, are essential to protect public health and support the continued expansion of global food trade.