Fagotto, Elena --- "Are we being served? The relationship between public and private food safety regulation" [2015] ELECD 465; in Havinga, Tetty; van Waarden, Frans; Casey, Donal (eds), "The Changing Landscape of Food Governance" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2015) 201

Book Title: The Changing Landscape of Food Governance

Editor(s): Havinga, Tetty; van Waarden, Frans; Casey, Donal

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9781784715403

Section: Chapter 11

Section Title: Are we being served? The relationship between public and private food safety regulation

Author(s): Fagotto, Elena

Number of pages: 22

Abstract/Description:

Foodborne illnesses sicken and kill hundreds of thousands of people every year. As many as 30 per cent of all infections in the last sixty years originated from pathogens transmitted through food (Jones, Patel et al. 2008). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that in the United States alone there are approximately 48 million cases of food-borne illnesses every year, 128 000 hospitalisations and 3000 deaths, resulting in significant costs for consumers, healthcare and the private sector. In Europe, 2009 data show about 325 000 cases of reported infections and 5550 foodborne outbreaks, mostly attributable to salmonella (EFSA and ECDC 2011). The true burden of foodborne illnesses is likely to be higher because causality is often difficult to establish, leaving myriads of cases unaccounted for. Ensuring the integrity of foods is a critical priority for governments, consumers and the private sector. This chapter analyses the industry’s role, specifically the contribution of private food safety standards (henceforth PFSS) in providing safe foods to consumers, and explores the relationship between public and private safety regulation.