Consumers of food products, domestic hygiene and public health

The health of the population is affected by many factors, and in reality a country gets the food poisoning it deserves, based on the foods eaten, where they are sourced and how they are processed and handled. For example, Vibrio parahaemolyticus is rare in the UK but is the leading cause of food poisoning in Japan, due to the greater consumption of specific, often raw, sea foods. Many foods that are bought into the home are frequently contaminated with naturally occurring pathogenic microorganisms (Ellard, 1999). Such pathogens cannot be seen, smelled, tasted or identified by touch (Roberts et al., 1995) but when consumed can cause illnesses of varying severity, including death. Thus, food safety issues are of major importance to world health (WHO, 2000a). Safe food is a basic human right and in modern society prevention of disease and improvement of human health is of paramount importance, not only for governments and industries but also for consumers themselves.