Publisher's Synopsis
The value of healthy food is underscored by the fact it is one of the few commodities that we cannot live without. Food safety is an increasingly important public health issue. Governments all over the world are intensifying their efforts to improve food safety. These efforts are in response to an increasing number of food safety problems and rising consumer concerns. Foodborne disease surveillance is dedicated to assessing the incidence and prevalence of pathogens associated with food and food products with the purpose of providing information to public health authorities that can be used to prevent and control food-related disease outbreaks and also to improve the safety and quality of food products. Such surveillance measures if used appropriately would save lives and reduce the costs associated with foodborne diseases. While these diseases possibly cause greater morbidity and mortality, foodborne diseases should not be overlooked nor should their significant contribution in decreasing the productivity. There is a significant paucity of information on health and the burden of disease, especially related to foodborne disease. Today greater value is placed on evidence based medicine, and information on the disease burden of foodborne pathogens can be used to foster change in the attitudes of health practitioners, agriculturalists, food manufacturers, policy makers and the public on issues of food safety and disease. It is therefore incumbent upon the institutions within the region to engage in research, especially translational research that would be directly applicable to the challenges faced. Food Safety and Foodborne Disease Surveillance Systems is a compilation of research and reviews on many surveillance systems used to provide information about the occurrence of foodborne and waterborne diseases. Including research studies examines the quality and safety of food available at small markets in the food desert environment indicates that small corner markets face unique challenges which may affect the quality and potential safety of perishable food. It will examine the current state of what is known about foodborne illness among, and food safety risks for, minority and low socioeconomic populations. Without adequate preventive measures in place, foodborne illnesses could pose a major threat to tourism and the economic output of the region, directly by the exposure of visitors to foodborne pathogens in contaminated foods and workers who do not report their illnesses or indirectly by causing visitor avoidance out of the fear of being exposed to disease pathogens.
