Natural environment and health are closely related, not only through air and water that may carry pathogenic microbes but also through eatables. That food is affected by changes in our environment is not something new to learn. Humans have experienced food spoilage in damp and hot surroundings since antiquity and a number of preventive techniques have been in use sine ancient times. However, it has not been very long since food safety emerged as a distinct discipline, founded on scientific principles, aiming at preventing food-borne diseases. Bacterial infections are the most well-known of these illnesses and many of these are known to be contagious – spreading from person to person through ordinary contact. Unclean or contaminated food can cause food poisoning and may assume a life-threatening status. Food safety is, therefore, the concern of not a particular group of people or locality but of everyone and everywhere.

With the advent of synthetic fertilizers and scientific techniques for genetically modifying food, food safety became a greater focus of attention among health-conscious people. At the same time, the concept of ‘genetic pollution’ came under debate – the adverse effects of modifying food species through genetic engineering on biodiversity of an ecological community. The practice, of course, is a main concern for people who know that eliminating/limiting the growth of certain natural plant species also affects animal species and causes ecological imbalance at large. Thus, where in developing countries most of the people are concerned with growing more food, in urban western societies, people have been thinking of growing healthy food by healthy, environment-friendly means. Even making clean water available for drinking has become an issue of import for a considerable part of population, especially in less developed countries.

The statistics of food-borne illnesses do not anywhere fall short of alarming levels. Each year, about 76 million people in the United States alone become ill due to some kind of food-borne disease. Among these, over 300, 000 get hospitalized and about 5000 people don’t make it. In global context, food safety is the leading public health issue. As synthetic foods and chemicals for growing/handling food become more abundant in number and use throughout the world, food safety, environmental pollution, and public health are ascending up in the list of priorities for health-conscious and environmental friendly communities. Government organizations like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other non-profit public interest organizations like the Center for Food Safety (CFS) are actively involved in efforts to prevent health risks from unhealthy food by working through multiple strategies, ranging from pubic awareness campaigns to legal efforts for sustainable farming. Food safety is a growing issue in the sphere of environmental amelioration.

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