ABSTRACT
As agriculture and food technology advance and populations increase-the current global population is nearly 7 billion with 50% living in Asia-analytical and regulatory problems concerning food become very complex. Infections caused by food-borne pathogens are a frequent reminder of the complex food network that links us with animal, plant, and microbial populations around the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that some 2.2 million deaths occur annually due to food-and waterborne illnesses, and 1.9 million among them are children. Generally, the cooking process effectively kills pathogenic bacteria that are present in food; however, food styles have changed signicantly in recent years, and more processed and ready-to-eat packaged foods are available, which increases the chance of exposure to pathogenic contamination. Although the safety of food has dramatically improved overall, progress is uneven and food-borne outbreaks from microbial contamination, chemicals, and toxins are common in many countries.
