Food security is a condition that related to the supply of food. In another words, food security mean that everyone is able to get enough healthy food to be well and active. If everybody want to get enough healthy food, then they need a food system that works well.
There are 5 important parts that cover everything from making food (production) to taking care of the waste (disposal). Each part of the food system is connected.
There are some important things that makes the food system function well.
Ë It protects land, water and air so that we can producing the food.
Ë It supports people and businesses to make enough money to keep working in the food system.
Ë It also make sure that everyone is able to get enough healthy foods.
Food security analysis looks at the combination of 3 main elements:
v Food availability:
The food should always have enough amount in the storage for all the citizens in the area.
v Food access:
The people must be able to regularly acquire the adequate quantities of food through purchase, home production, borrowing or food aid.
v Food utilization:
The consumed food must have a positive nutritional impact on people. It includes the cooking, storage and hygiene practices that might affect the human health.
FOOD SECURITY CHALLENGES
World Food Day offers the opportunity to strengthen national and international solidarity in the fight to end the hunger, malnutrition and poverty. There are some challenges:
T Rising the population
T Rising incomes, changing diets
T Falling water tables
T More foodless days
T Slowing irrigation
T Increasing soil erosion
T Climate change
T Melting water reserves
T Flattening yields
T Little time to prepare
Food safety is a scientific discipline describing handling, preparation and storage of food in ways that prevent foodborne illness. Food safety is concerned with safe resources of all foods and avoid the food from the chemical and microbial contamination.
The concerns of food safety:
v Foodborne illness:
Foodborne illness is still the most prevalent risk with food. It made many by high-density, low sanitation livestock facilities among other factory farm practices which can spread the disease rapidly and frighteningly at everywhere.
v Food contaminants:
The bacterial and viral contamination that cause foodborne illness are most people’s primary concern. There are variety of other substances such as lead and mercury in the food that cause the health issue example Minamata disease from the mercury substances.
v Pesticide Exposure:
Pesticides are the food contaminant that warrant special mention and are used in many agricultural operation from fruit and vegetable production to the animal feeding operation. The exposure to pesticides has linked to infertility, birth defects, poisoning and maybe is cancer.
v Antibiotic Resistance:
The widespread of antibiotics can cause the development of antibiotic resistant disease and infections.
v Environmental Effects:
Agriculture is the main contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and environmental pollutions such as soil degradation, water and air contamination, destruction of ecosystems and other climate changes.
5 principles of food hygiene according to WHO which are:
W Prevent contaminating food with pathogens spreading from people, pets and pests.
W Separate the raw and cooked foods to prevent contaminating the cooked foods.
W Cook foods for appropriate length of time and at the appropriate temperature to kill pathogens.
W Store food at the proper temperature.
W Do use the safe water and safe raw materials.
4 main dimensions of food security:
« Physical availability of food
« Food availability addresses the “supply side” of food security and determined by the level of food production, trade and stock levels
« Economic and physical access to food
« An adequate supply of food in the national or international level does not in itself guarantee household level of food security. The insufficient of food access has resulted in a greater policy focus on the incomes, expenditure, markets and prices in achieving the food objectives.
