Food quality and food safety: the concepts
Food quality is the sum of features that make a food acceptable to the buyer. Food safety is the assurance that food will not harm the consumer.
What food quality means
Food quality is the sum of all the characteristics of a food that decide whether the buyer will accept it. Kramer and Twigg describe it as the group of characteristics that set one unit of a product apart and decide its degree of acceptability. ISO describes quality as the degree to which a product meets requirements, and Juran called it fitness for use. Quality is judged by three parties: the consumer, the law and the company's own specifications.
Quality attributes (Kramer and Twigg)
| Group | Attribute | Indian example |
|---|---|---|
| Sensory | Appearance: colour, size, shape, gloss, defects | Bright red tomatoes; long, unbroken basmati grains |
| Sensory | Texture (kinesthetic): firmness, crispness, thickness | Crisp murukku; soft, spongy idli |
| Sensory | Flavour: taste and aroma | Aroma of fresh ghee; no rancid smell in oil |
| Hidden | Nutritional value | Vitamin C in amla juice; protein in paneer |
| Hidden | Safety: freedom from microbes, toxins and residues | No aflatoxin in groundnuts; no non-permitted colour in sweets |
| Quantitative | Yield and net quantity | A 500 g pack of rava really holds 500 g |
What food safety means
Food safety is the assurance that food will not cause harm to the consumer when it is prepared or eaten according to its intended use (Codex). A hazard is a biological, chemical or physical agent in food, or a condition of food, that can cause an adverse health effect. Food hygiene means all the conditions and measures needed to keep food safe and suitable at every stage of the food chain. Safety is built from farm to fork: the farmer, processor, transporter, shopkeeper, cook and consumer all share it.
Types of food hazards
| Hazard | Examples | Common source |
|---|---|---|
| Biological | Bacteria (Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus), viruses (hepatitis A, norovirus), parasites (Giardia, tapeworm), moulds | Raw meat, unsafe water, unwashed hands, cooked rice left warm |
| Chemical | Pesticide residues, aflatoxin, lead and arsenic, cleaning chemicals, non-permitted colours such as metanil yellow | Farm sprays, groundnuts stored damp, careless use of detergents, adulteration |
| Physical | Stones, glass, metal pieces, hair, insect parts, staples | Poorly cleaned grain, broken equipment, careless handlers |
| Allergens | Peanut, milk, wheat (gluten), egg, soy, tree nuts, shellfish | Ingredients not declared on the label; shared equipment |
Food quality vs food safety
A safe food can be of poor quality, but an unsafe food can never be called good quality. Safety is the base on which quality is built.
In a hospital kitchen or a school noon-meal centre, safety comes first: no patient or child should ever fall ill from a meal. Quality (colour, taste, texture) then makes sure the food is actually eaten, so the nutrients reach the body.
2 marks: “Define food safety.” Food safety is the assurance that food will not cause harm to the consumer when it is prepared or eaten according to its intended use (Codex).
5 marks: “Distinguish between food quality and food safety.” Define both. Quality: many attributes, graded, partly preference. Safety: one essential attribute, not graded, set by law and science. Give an example of each and close with 'safety is the base of quality'.
10 marks: “Explain the concepts of food quality and food safety, with a note on food hazards.” Define quality (Kramer and Twigg, fitness for use); table of sensory, hidden and quantitative attributes; define food safety, hazard and food hygiene; table of biological, chemical and physical hazards and allergens; farm to fork; difference; kitchen example.
Quality attributes are S-H-Q: Sensory (appearance, texture, flavour), Hidden (nutrition, safety), Quantitative (yield). Hazards are B-C-P: biological, chemical, physical.