ABSTRACT
Food security and protection is the prevention of contamination of the food flow process by biological, chemical, physical agents, or radionuclear materials, intentionally or unintentionally. It is the prevention and control of the growth of microorganisms causing foodborne disease once the food stream has become contaminated and the prevention and control of the spread of foodborne disease when it has occurred. This chapter brings together considerable information about how to prevent and mitigate these problems by using a systems approach to the flow of the products and a determination of the hazardous points of contact and how to create appropriate interventions. To understand food protection at the local level, it is necessary to understand the entire flow of food from production to consumption and the special problems related to each part of the flow process. The food flow includes production, processing, packaging, transportation, storage, preparation, consumption, and disposal of the food and its byproducts.
