This presentation outlines the history of food safety and tries to illustrate its enormous economic impact with a few examples.

1. Food Safety
History
Definition
Economy
by Alois Fellinger
FoodSAFE’14
May 7,2014

2. Lets look back into
History

3. … not quite that far back!
but almost …

4. God gave man a commandement, saying „You
may definitively eat from every tree in the
garden. But from the Tree of Knowledge of
good and evil, do not eat, for on the day you
eat from it, you will definitely die.“
Genesis 2:16-17

5. Whatever parts the hoof and is cloven-footed and
chews the cud, among the animals, you may eat.
Nevertheless, among those that chew the cud or part
the hoof, you shall not eat these: The camel, because it
chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to
you. And the rock badger, because it chews the cud but
does not part the hoof, is unclean to you. And the hare,
because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is
unclean to you. And the pig, because it parts the hoof
and is cloven-footed but does not chew the cud, is
unclean to you. You shall not eat any of their flesh, and
you shall not touch their carcasses; they are unclean to
you.
Leviticus 11:3-8

6. Forbidden to you is that which dies of itself, and blood,
and flesh of swine, and that on which any other name
than that of Allah has been invoked, and the strangled
(animal) and that beaten to death, and that killed by a
fall and that killed by being smitten with the horn, and
that which wild beasts have eaten, except what you
slaughter, and what is sacrificed on stones set up (for
idols) and that you divide by the arrows; that is a
transgression. This day have those who disbelieve
despaired of your religion, so fear them not, and fear
Me. This day have I perfected for you your religion and
completed My favor on you and chosen for you Islam
as a religion; but whoever is compelled by hunger, not
inclining willfully to sin, then surely Allah is Forgiving,
Merciful.
Qurʼan, Surah 5 (al-Maʼidah ), ayah 3

7. Hippocrates (460 377 BC)
Hippocrates
recognized The
essential Relationship
between Food and
health, pointing out
that differences of
diseases depend on
nutriment

8. Pliny the Elder
(23 – 79)
“So many poisons
are employed to
force wine to suit
our taste – and we
are surprised that it
is not wholesome!”
Natural History

9. ”What is food to one,
is to others bitter
poison.”
(“quod aliis cibus est aliis
fuat acre venenum”
Book IV, line 637)
Titus Lucretius Carus
(99-55 B.C.)

10. STELLIONATUS
"And, where anyone has
substituted some article
for another; or has put
aside goods which he was
obliged to deliver, or has
spoiled them, he is also
liable for this offense"
Roman Civil Law

11. A second, but much inferior,
species of offence against
public health is the selling of
unwholesome provisions.
Magna Carta
xiii. No. III.: PROCEEDINGS ON AN ACTION OF DEBT IN
THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS; REMOVED INTO THE
KING’S BENCH BY WRIT OF ERROR. - Sir William
Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England
in Four Books, vol. 2 [1753]

12. And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they
bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
Numbers 21:6

13. The Romans used Lead-lined Vessels for
cooking and leaden pipes for water.
„SAPA“ was a syrup like grape concentrate,
boiled in lead-lined vessels to enhance
color, flavor and shelf life of wine.

14. • First Speculated in 1694 by
Dr. Eberhard Gockel published
• Connection to lead in 1767 by
SIR George BAKER
USING litharge to sweeten wine
Hüttenkatz
Colic of Devonshire
Colic of Poitou

15. St. Anthonys Fire
An intensely painful burning
sensation in the limbs and
extremities caused by
ergotamines from the fungus
Claviceps purpurea that can
contaminate rye and wheat.

16. Molds
Mold poisoning played a critical
role in repressing population
growth in Europe between the
16th and 19th century

17. Parasites
Mold poisoning played a critical
role in repressing population
growth in Europe between the
16th and 19th century
Ascaris eggs

19. Friedrich Accum, 1820

20. Mercury
Methylmercury in fish, locally
caught, was causing „Minamata
disease“ – destroying nerve cells
and causing neurological problems

21. DDT
DDT bioaccumulates in fatty tissue of animals and eventually
is taken up by humans. An FDA survey in 2005 still found
DDT in all human bolod samples tested, although DDT was
practically banned in the 1970‘s

22. Dioxin
Melamine
Antibiotics
Pesticides
Horsemeat
BSE
Hormones
Listeria
Acrylamide
PCB‘s

23. Public
Opinion

24. Special Eurobarometer 354 – Food-related risks. 2010

25. Biannual Public Attitudes Tracker, Wave 7, November 2013
Food Standards Agency, Social Science Research Unit

26. Center for Food Integrity, Consumer Trust in the Food System, 2010

27. Center for Food Integrity, Consumer Trust in the Food System, 2010
“I am confident in the safety of the food I eat.”

28. Center for Food Integrity, Consumer Trust in the Food System, 2010
“I am as confident in the safety of the food
I eat as I was a year ago.”

29. Center for Food Integrity, Consumer Trust in the Food System, 2010
“Today’s food supply is safer than it was
when I was growing up.”

30. Consumer Attitudes Survey 2007 - A benchmark survey of consumers’
attitudes to food issues. Food Standards Australia New Zealand. 2008.

31. Consumer Attitudes Survey 2007 - A benchmark survey of consumers’
attitudes to food issues. Food Standards Australia New Zealand. 2008.

32. About 1/3 of the
people are very
concerned about
the safety of food!
very
concerned
somewhat
concerned

33. Definitions

34. Food
Safety
Food safety is a scientific
discipline describing handling,
preparation, and storage
of food in ways that
prevent foodborne illness.

35. The five keys to safer food
• Keep clean
• Separate raw and cooked
• Cook thoroughly
• Keep food at safe temperatures
• Use safe water and raw materials

36. Food security is reached
when all people at all times
have access to sufficient, safe,
nutritious food to maintain
a healthy and active life.
Food
Security

37. Food security is build on three pillars
• Food availability - sufficient
quantities of food available on a
consistent basis.
• Food access - having sufficient
resources to obtain appropriate foods
for a nutritious diet.
• Food use - appropriate use based on
knowledge of basic nutrition and care,
as well as adequate water and
sanitation.

38. Economy

39. • Handling, preparation, and storage
• Legislation and control
• Healthcare costs
• Trade impact
• …
What to consider?

40. John M. Mantle: Benefits and costs of food safety regulation. Food Policy, 24, 605-623. 1999
Benefit calculation
B = e · p · n(c · s · fs + v · d · fd)
B Benefit (measured in US$)
e effectivness of regulations for preventing incidents
p percentage of food-borne illness associated with food
n size of the population
c cost of illness (in US$)
v value of a statistical life
s, d observed frequencies of illness and death in population
fs, fd expansion factors for illness and death translating observed data into
estimated rates for the population

41. Production costs with
quality control
c(y,q,w,k,a,b,g) = vc(y,q,w,k,a) + qc(q,w,k,b) + fc(k, g)
c total costs
vc variable costs, joint in conventional production inputs and some quality
control inputs)
qc variable costs, non-joint in conventional inputs and certain quality
control inputs,
fc conventional fixed cost component independent of both output and
quality.
a,b,g parameters of the respective components of the cost function
John M. Mantle: Benefits and costs of food safety regulation. Food Policy, 24, 605-623. 1999

42. C. Botulinum $18,333,349
Campylobacter jejuni $169,918,469
Ciguatera $9,513,321
Cryptosporidium $95,464,676
Cyclospora $20,889,089
E. coli non-0157 STEC $65,515,401
E. Coli O157:H7 $153,367,257
E. coli, Enterotoxigenic $132,011
Hepatitis A $54,128,295
Listeria monocytogenes $1,622,899,591
Mycobacterium bovis $26,244,795
Norovirus $6,656,158
Other chemical $13,657
Other fungal $1,329
Other parasitic $772
Plant toxin $343
Salmonella $1,973,633,824
Scombroid $4,414,540
Seafood poison $24,982
Shigella sonnei $22,770,087
Vibrio cholerae $23,172
Vibrio parahaemolyticus $18,939,883
Unidentified $1,081,016,934
TOTAL $5,343,901,935
Estimated Dollar Burden Attributable
to All FDA-regulated Foods Agent
U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Analysis of Economic Impacts – Standards for the
Growing, Harvesting, Packing and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption, 2013

43. „Let me give one example: the European regulation
on aflatoxins. A World Bank study has calculated that
this regulation costs Africa 670 million dollars each
year in exports of cereals, dried fruit and nuts. And
what does it achieve? It may possibly save the life of
one citizen of the European Union every two years.“
Kofi Annan - Statement on the Challenge of Eradicating Poverty
for Sustainable Development; Third United Nations Conference
on the Least Developed Countries, May 14, 2001

44. Relative to Codex*
Relative to the
pre-EU harmonization
(1998 trade)**
Loss in the value of
African Food exports
US$ 670 000 000 US$ 340 000 000
Number of cancer
death saved
2.3 persons 0.9 persons
The value of African food exports and human health
risk under the new EU harmonized standard relative to
those under the alternative regulatory scenarios
* 9ppb aflatoxin B1, calculated from Codex 15ppb aflatoxin total standard
** 4.8ppb aflatoxin B1 (average of 1998 individual EU countries aflatoxin regulations)
Otsuki T., Wilson J.S. and Sewadeh M.
“Saving two in a billion: quantifying the trade effect of European food safety standards on African exports”
Food Policy 26, 495-514. 2001

45. Otsuki T., Wilson J.S. and Sewadeh M.
“Saving two in a billion: quantifying the trade effect of European food safety standards on African exports”
Food Policy 26, 495-514. 2001
Trade flow of cereals and nuts
2 groups of countries
15 importing countries
Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Spain, UK, USA
31 exporting countries
Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Israel, Italy,
Kazakhstan, Mexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Paraguay, Romania, Russia, Senegal, South Africa, Spain, Sri
Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Uruguay, USA, Vietnam, Zimbabwe
One possible Scenario
All importers follow a 2ppb afaltoxin limit vs. only EU at 2ppb, other importers at status-quo
Loss of 46,1% in trade (US$ 10,9 billion)
biggest loss: Argentina (US$ 2,6 billion, -67,4%), no country gains

46. Sector Impact of aflatoxin considered Parameter used in social cost estimation Maize
only
Grain sector Product spoilage effects Change in wastage rates and postharvest costs 70.9
Households Human health effects The cost of premature death due to aflatoxin-related primary
liver cancer
112.7
The cost of disability due to aflatoxin-related primary liver
cancer
63.8
Poultry Increased mortality rates and
reduced feed to weight
conversion
Reduction in the unit cost of production when the aflatoxin
content of feed is reduced
28.9
Hen eggs Increased mortality rates and
reduced feed to weight
conversion
Reduction in the unit cost of production when the aflatoxin
content of feed is reduced
6.6
Pig meat Increased mortality rates and
reduced feed to weight
conversion
Reduction in the unit cost of production when the aflatoxin
content of feed is reduced
36.2
Total 319.1
Estimate of the 1991 Annual Social Costs of Aflatoxins
in Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand (million $A; 1$A @ 1.5 EUR)
)
For peanuts the costs were a total of 158 million $A. The estimate does not include the costs from loss of foreign markets
Godfrey Lubulwa and Jeff Davis;
Inclusion of environmental and human health impacts in agricultural research evaluations:
Review and recent evaluations.
In: ICRISAT Workshop, Hyderabad, India, 1994

47. Conclusion
• Food Safety is a scientific discipline and does not cost,
per se, anything
• Food Safety consequences (e.g. legal limits) can result
in enormous investment or losses
• Economic impact goes way beyond direct costs

48. Enjoy your
Safe Food!