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Executive Summary
This report was made at the request of a leading producer of convenience meal products that plans to introduce a new pre-prepared meal. The new product consists of Brazilian chicken, mussels from Portugal, rice from Bangladesh, milk powder from China, and spinach from the Netherlands. The finalized meal is prepared in an aluminum tray with a plastic foil, sterilized, and distributed as a chilled product. The report aims to summarize the conclusion of the quality control procedures on the risks, determine the most significant risk factors, and suggest measures that can address or eliminate these concerns.
The meal’s ingredients may be contaminated by dioxins and PCBs, brominated flame retardants (BFRs), mycotoxins, various metals, Salmonella spp., and dangerous strains of Escherichia coli. The metals belong to a low-risk category due to their low concentration and potential benefits. BFRs are more threatening, but it is unlikely that they will be consistently present in produce, making them a small to the medium threat. Dioxins and PCBs, mycotoxins, and E. coli belong to the medium-risk group because they either do not lead to immediate severe complications or are not consistently present in produce. Salmonella spp. is both highly likely to be present in all Brazil-sourced chicken, and the consequences of consuming it are potentially fatal, making it the only high-risk contaminant.
The two dangers of greatest importance are dioxins and PCBs as well as Salmonella spp. The former is the most significant threat from the medium risk category due to its high presence, and the latter is the biggest issue out of all the factors listed above. Dioxins and PCBs lead to a variety of health issues, including development interference and potential carcinogenic effects.
There exists no practical method of eliminating it from the products used to create complete meals, and the only approach that can reduce their amounts is a careful selection of suppliers based on testing and consulting national data summaries. Salmonella’s effects are more immediate and potentially life-threatening, although the victim recovers quickly and without significant harm. However, the bacterium can be eliminated from food with thorough cooking, strict hygiene, and sterilization after the meal’s completion.
Introduction
The company that ordered this report is planning to introduce a new pre-prepared meal, which would be distributed to supermarket retailers. It utilizes Brazilian chicken, Portugal mussels, Bangladesh rice, Chinese milk powder, and Netherlands spinach. The ready product will be sterilized, chilled, and distributed in aluminum trays covered with plastic foil. The concerns addressed in this report are related to food safety and supply chain risk management. The purpose of this report is to identify and evaluate the potential risks associated with possible contaminants and to suggest countermeasures that can be implemented before production begins.
Contaminant Types
Contaminants are the most significant risk factor in the evaluation of dangers, as the company that produces the finished product is well established and follows safe and approved preparation standards. The primary chemical sources of concern are dioxins and PCBs, brominated flame retardants, mycotoxins, aflatoxins, and specific metals (Chemical contaminants 2018). In addition, due to the use of raw chicken and spinach in the recipe, the incidence of Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli should be investigated as well. All of these toxins can potentially be present in the raw foods used to produce the new meal, and the possibility of their appearance should be investigated.
Dioxins and PCBs
The primary concern with most current foods is the presence of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs. This variety of toxins can be found in the majority of consumables, albeit at a low level (Dioxins and PCBs 2018). The substances are not immediately poisonous but tend to accumulate in a person’s body and lead to adverse health outcomes, affecting a variety of systems and possibly causing cancer (Dioxins and PCBs 2018). The concern is further exacerbated by the numerous recent dioxin-related incidents, such as the Yusho disease, the Seveso leak, the Belgian crisis, and others (Hens, Dyke & Hens, 2016). Dioxins and PCB tend to accumulate in food, and most products should be investigated for their presence.
Brominated Flame Retardants
Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are chemicals that are added to some products, mostly industrial ones, to reduce the probability of them catching fire during use. Specific varieties of BFRs may be genotoxic and carcinogenic and tend to accumulate in a person’s body, making them potential health hazards (Brominated flame retardants 2018). Furthermore, the production methods for the chemicals tend to result in pollution, and the substances sometimes contaminate food, which has led to a ban on their use in the European Union (Brominated flame retardants 2018). However, brominated flame retardants are still used outside of the EU, and food products sourced from countries other than members are at risk.
Mycotoxins
Specific microscopic fungi that thrive under conditions that are also favorable for food and feed growing produce mycotoxins. They cause a variety of adverse effects, including cancer, mutagenicity, immune system suppression, and estrogenic, gastrointestinal, and kidney disorders (Mycotoxins 2018). The most significant type for the purposes of this report is aflatoxins, a variety produced by Aspergillus fungi that tends to occur in rice and milk (Aflatoxins in food 2018). European Union legislation sets guidelines for maximum permissible amounts of aflatoxins in food, and the substances themselves are characterized by high toxicity, making them a matter for concern.
Metals
Intake of metals is generally healthy as long as it does not exceed specified limits. The primary risk factors among metals are methylmercury, which can be present in seafood such as mussels, and arsenic, which occurs in rice, fish, and vegetables (Metals as contaminants in food 2018). Other metals, such as nickel, chromium, uranium, cadmium, and lead can be harmful to health, but the current levels of exposure are not high enough to warrant active interventions (Metals as contaminants in food 2018). Methylmercury consumption can be beneficial as long as it is kept within limits set by the EU authorities, but exposure to arsenic, especially the more toxic inorganic variety, should be minimized whenever possible.
Salmonella spp.
Salmonella spp. is one of the most dangerous food contaminants in the modern environment. It causes an illness called salmonellosis in humans, and approximately 100,000 cases happen in the European Union every year (Salmonella 2018). The disease manifests itself as fever, diarrhea, and intestinal cramps and can be life-threatening (Salmonella 2018). It can be transmitted from birds and mammals to humans, and the bacteria can often be found in raw meat, which necessitates thorough cooking and good hygiene to eliminate it or reduce the risk to consumers (Salmonella 2018). The EU strictly monitors animal produce for the incidence of the contaminant, but the chicken used in this meal is sourced from Brazil, which is a risk zone.
Escherichia coli
Escherichia coli is another highly dangerous biological contaminant that may cause serious infections. Most strains are harmless and potentially even beneficial, but certain varieties can produce potent toxins that cause bloody diarrhea and possibly lead to the so-called hemolytic uraemic syndrome, which expresses itself as acute kidney failure, bleeding, and neurological issues (Facts about Escherichia coli 2017). The bacterium has been known to occur in spinach and raw milk, meaning there are two potential sources among the ingredients. However, milk powder is usually produced from pasteurized milk, and spinach is the more significant factor.
Safety Risk Likelihood
The dangers described mostly tend to occur during the growing of food and are not transportation or storage hazards, although improper storage procedures can exaggerate the severity of certain factors, and E. coli is an exception. Every food product used in the recipe is associated with certain dangers, but some agents, particularly biological ones, are more significant than others are due to the immediate adverse effects and the difficulty that arises when trying to eliminate them. This section is dedicated to the evaluation of the probability that the risks associated with the toxins mentioned above will occur.
Dioxins and PCBs
Dioxins and PCBs do not cause immediate harm to consumers, but their widespread nature and tendency to accumulate make them a factor that is worth considering. Recent EU initiatives have been aimed at reducing the incidence of the toxins in food, and the tolerable weekly intake has been reduced sevenfold in 2018 (Dioxins and PCBs 2018). This result can only be achieved if all food producers begin to monitor and reduce the levels of the substance, as it is incredibly challenging and expensive to extract the toxin from finished products without rendering them unusable for their intended purposes.
Overall, dioxins and PCBs should be considered a significantly possible danger that can occur in every ingredient used for the new recipe, resulting in a medium risk rating when the probability is combined with the risks of their consumption.
Brominated flame retardants
BFRs are dangerous substances, but they tend to display their effects after prolonged consumption. Since their use is banned in the European Union, the products that may be at risk for containing BFRs are the rice, the milk powder, and the chicken. However, as their incidence tends to be the result of pollution by nearby industrial factories and not the result of general environmental concerns or specific food production methods, it is difficult to estimate the likelihood that the products will contain them based on the current data. Overall, the risk of brominated flame retardant pollution and consequent adverse health effects can be estimated as low to medium, with further clarification on sources needed for a more accurate analysis.
Mycotoxins
Mycotoxins, and especially aflatoxins, tend to cause immediate harmful effects to a person’s health when consumed. The European Union has introduced consumption guidelines due to the potential danger of the substances (Aflatoxins in food 2018). Furthermore, the toxins have two possible sources in Bangladesh rice and Chinese milk powder. However, information regarding the incidence of mycotoxins in these products is unavailable, and the danger has to be estimated based on guesses. Overall, the risk appears to be medium, as there is a significant possibility of contamination for at least one of the sources.
Metals
Methylmercury is harmful in large doses but beneficial if consumption is kept under control. Furthermore, it primarily occurs in seafood, and the European Union has set guidelines that suggest a weekly intake of fish or shellfish (Metals as contaminants in food 2018). The dish created by the company does not contain excessive amounts of mussels, and the doses of methylmercury can be considered safe. On the other hand, exposure to arsenic should be reduced wherever possible, but EFSA has found that dietary exposure to the metal is lower than expected, which means the metal is currently not a significant risk, though its presence should still be monitored (Metals as contaminants in food 2018). Overall, the risk of harmful metal contamination can be considered low.
Salmonella spp.
Salmonella is a highly dangerous bacterium that should be eliminated from pre-cooked food products if they want to achieve a reasonable standard of safety. The chicken sourced from Brazil is the primary source of salmonella-related concerns (Salmonella 2018). Furthermore, these concerns are justified, as Brazilian bird products are prone to significant salmonella infection (Miranda et al. 2017). The country lacks awareness of the dangers presented by the bacterium, and its quality standards are low when compared to the European Union as a result. Overall, Salmonella spp. should be considered a high-risk factor and thoroughly addressed during the preparation of the finished product.
Escherichia coli
Escherichia coli is a similarly dangerous bacterium to Salmonella spp., leading to notable and potentially severe complications. However, its occurrence probability is significantly lower, which may be due to underreporting, but is an established tendency nevertheless (Facts about Escherichia coli 2017). The risk factors are the Netherlands spinach, which may be infected in transportation (Zhu et al. 2015), and the Chinese milk powder, but the latter is at a lower risk of contamination due to the procedures involved in its creation. Due to the small to medium chance of the occurrence of E. coli in the product and the severely adverse health outcomes, the bacterium should be declared a medium-risk factor.
The Most Significant Contaminants
As the only toxin that was identified as a high-risk factor, Salmonella spp. is the primary source of concern during the production of the finished foodstuff. However, the investigation has identified three sources of medium danger: dioxins and PCBs, mycotoxins, and Escherichia coli. All three have reasons why they should be considered more harmful than the other two, such as the likelihood of occurrence and severity of outcomes. The following section discusses which of the contaminants should be viewed as the second most important after salmonella.
In order of the severity of outcomes, E. coli is the most significant, and mycotoxins can be considered the least dangerous. The effects of E. coli are almost immediate, sometimes require hospitalization, and are potentially fatal, especially for children. Dioxins cause severe adverse outcomes, but the effects are not direct and need continuous exposure. Lastly, aflatoxins are known to be genotoxic and carcinogenic, which is possibly the least directly impactful effect of the three. Nevertheless, each of the contaminants that were listed comes with significant dangers, and the harm from their consumption can be considered close in severity.
However, the probabilities of consumption for all three display somewhat different trends. The incidence of E. coli is minimal due to the single ingredient that may contain it and the method of contamination, a statistic that is supported by the low rate of reported E. coli infections (Facts about Escherichia coli 2017). Mycotoxins can occur in two kinds of products, but the occurrence of pollution is an uncertain matter, putting it into the middle of the probability scale. On the other hand, dioxins and PCBs are by far the most dangerous where the likelihood is concerned, as their appearance is nearly guaranteed for every ingredient of the finished product. Taking a similar severity as described above into account, this evaluation places dioxins and PCBs as the second most significant risk factor after Salmonella spp.
Consumption Dangers
Salmonella spp.
Salmonella spp. causes an infection known as salmonellosis, often also called simply food poisoning, after ingestion. The most common symptoms are stomach cramps, bloody stools, diarrhea, chills, fever, headaches, sickness, and throwing up (What Is Salmonella? 2018). The symptoms typically last for a week or less, but in some cases, the complications may continue for more extended periods of time, sometimes lasting for several months. Most cases of food poisoning do not require medical intervention, but severe cases may force a hospitalization, and in rare situations where the bacterium gets into a patient’s blood, the outcome may be fatal.
In addition, salmonellosis can lead to a variety of complications that can develop into more serious diseases. The list includes joint pain, or reactive arthritis, pain while urinating, eye pain, dehydration, and various infections that may result from blood infection (What Is Salmonella? 2018). These may affect the brain, spinal cord, heart and its valves, bones and bone marrow, and blood vessel lining. Children and people with weakened immune systems may require antibiotic treatments to combat the disease, and in cases of severe pain, the doctor may prescribe painkillers. Overall, the complications of the condition are varied and severe.
Dioxins and PCBs
Dioxins and PCBs can cause a wide variety of issues, and the outcomes are likely to occur due to existing environmental exposure most people are subjected to. It is difficult to establish a direct correlation due to the various dioxin-related incidents and the slow nature of the toxin’s effect, but scientists believe that the substances can cause issues with reproduction, development, the immune system, and hormone production and interactions, and possibly cause cancer (Dioxins and their effects on human health 2016). Pregnant women and new-borns are more vulnerable to the influences due to their rapid development that is sensitive to dioxin exposure, and certain groups of people may suffer from higher contamination due to their eating habits or industrial occupations.
Proactive Strategies
Salmonella spp.
As the presence of Salmonella spp. in the chicken imported from Brazil is highly likely, the only approach that can address the concern before the production of the finished foodstuffs is a change of supplier to a country with stricter salmonella-related food standards. Failing that, the company should take extreme care when cooking and implement hygiene measures that are as thorough as possible. It should also make sure that the raw chicken and the completed meals are kept in a chilled state after being produced and shipped, as Salmonella spp. propagates better in warm environments. These approaches should minimize the risk of food poisoning or eliminate it, depending on their thoroughness.
Dioxins and PCBs
The company is unable to meaningfully reduce the concentration of dioxins and PCBs in the products that it receives from manufacturers. Such measures would require it to apply pressure to the companies that produce fresh ingredients, which is acting outside its abilities and should be relegated to governments. One of the few possible measures that the company can implement is the screening of different producers for the presence of dioxins and PCBs. However, the tests are expensive and difficult to conduct on a regular basis. Therefore, the best course of action for the company is to analyze the reports provided by national contamination authorities on a regular basis and to attempt to determine the best countries to source specific ingredients based on the findings.
Conclusions
The research has identified a variety of risks associated with the production of the new pre-prepared meal. Each ingredient is a source of concern, and the potential contaminants are both chemical and biological. Ultimately, the most significant sources of danger are Salmonella spp., which will most likely be present in substantial amounts in chicken sourced from Brazil, and dioxins and PCBs, which exist everywhere in the environment due to pollution and most likely will contaminate every ingredient for the new meal.
Both substances have considerable adverse effects on the health and well-being of consumers, with Salmonella spp. being potentially fatal and dioxins causing a wide variety of dysfunctions, including cancer. While the presence of the bacteria can be mitigated through thorough cooking, hygiene, and storage measures, the reduction of dioxin levels in food is an expensive and challenging task that involves the screening of numerous manufacturers. Therefore, this report suggests that the company uses national reports to determine the best locations for sourcing dioxin-free food.
Reference List
Aflatoxins in food. 2018. Web.
Brominated flame retardants. 2018. Web.
Chemical contaminants. 2018. Web.
Dioxins and PCBs. 2018. Web.
Dioxins and their effects on human health. 2016. Web.
Facts about Escherichia coli. 2017. Web.
Hens, B, Dyke, PH & Hens, L 2016, ‘What can we learn from ‘dioxin incidents’?.’ International Journal of Environment and Pollution, vol. 60, nos. 1-4, pp.34-62.
Metals as contaminants in food. 2018. Web.
Miranda, AL, Cordeiro, SM, Reis, JN, Cardoso, LG & Guimarães, AG 2017, ‘Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of Salmonella spp. isolated from foods and clinical samples in Brazil.’ Annals of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, vol. 89, no. 2, pp. 1143-1153.
Mycotoxins. 2018. Web.
Salmonella. 2018. Web.
What Is Salmonella? 2018. Web.
Zhu, L, Juneja, VK, Fonseca, JM & Ravishankar, S 2015, ‘Survival of Escherichia coli O157: H7 on lettuce harvested from fields irrigated by different irrigation systems and stored under different conditions.’ Journal of Agriculture & Life Sciences, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 7-14.
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