Universidad Nacional

Licenciatura Comercio y Negocios Internacionales

Énfasis Buenas Prácticas

Profesor:
M.Sc. James Angulo H

Tema del Trabajo:

Ponencia 1

Estudiante:
Melany Castro Vega

Fecha entrega: 03 de abril de 2022

Food Safety

As an undergraduate student with emphasis in quality and good practices, I consider

that the topic of food safety and quality is one of the most important that a professional in
this area should know and handle. In this paper I will present two topics related to food safety,
the first is a small paragraph of some aspects to consider regarding food safety in Costa Rica
and the second is the importance of food safety for the economy and society.

Food safety in Costa Rica

In Costa Rica, although it is a developing country, in general terms it has been doing
a good job in terms of food safety, however, there are always areas for improvement. One of
the areas where the country can improve is in the education of its population on food safety
and quality issues, as currently most Costa Ricans are not well aware of how healthy or safe
what they are consuming is. Those inhabitants who purchase high quality products tend to be
those who are part of the upper levels of society, not only because they have greater
purchasing power, but also because they have a higher level of knowledge about which
products are truly high quality. With the above we can determine that there is not only an
economic gap between social classes, but there is also a considerable knowledge gap, which
makes those Costa Ricans who are of low income, more concerned about acquiring products
that are within their budget to acquire products that are of better quality. That is why it is
necessary to improve education in food safety and quality in Costa Rica.

Importance of food safety for the economy and society

When we talk about the importance of food safety and quality, obviously one of the
first issues that stands out is the relevance of this in human health, since it covers everything
related to what we consume and if what people consume is not in good condition, clearly
their health will be affected. Certainly, health is the most important aspect of food safety,
however, the truth is that this area encompasses much more than just human health.

It is well known that for an economy and a society to function properly, its members
must be active, able to produce and consume, and generate profits. However, when an
economically active person becomes ill, his or her productivity usually decreases, and
depending on the severity of the illness he or she suffers from, he or she may even cease to
be productive altogether. That is why it is of utmost importance that governments, companies
and society in general, are concerned about maintaining standards of quality and safety in
food, so that all or at least most of the people who are part of the system are maintained with
an appropriate level of health, otherwise, the economy can be affected.

Obviously, it is normal in any society to have sick people, that is inevitable, however,
ideally, the number of healthy and economically active people should be greater than the
number of sick people, so that the economy can continue to develop well. When a
government maintains good food security, it is reducing the likelihood of its people getting
sick and thus ensuring that most of them can contribute to the economy. This is well known
in European countries, where they have been very concerned about maintaining high
standards of quality and safety in their food, making sure they have strict seals and standards
that provide consumers with the necessary tools to identify foods that are of good quality.

In most developed countries in general, food safety and quality are very well covered.
But despite the fact that currently worldwide the level of standards and regulations that
guarantee food safety and quality has increased a lot, there are many countries that still need
more training and improvement in this area. A good example is China, even though this
country is one of the main powers in the world today, mainly in terms of trade, it has a bad
reputation in terms of customs and gastronomic culture. In fact, the Coronavirus virus started
in this Asian country and although it is not yet known exactly where the virus came from, it
is believed that the first person to contract it, consumed an animal infected with the virus. If
this were true, it could be said that, if food safety and quality had been correctly applied, this
virus would not have been generated, and mankind would not have had to face the Covid-19
pandemic and all the implications and problems it generated.

This reflects the importance of food safety in the economy and society, possibly due
to a poor application of regulations and standards related to food safety and quality was that
the Coronavirus pandemic occurred, which affected not only at the health level, but also
strongly affected socially and economically to the whole world. This is not the first time this
has happened; many diseases and epidemics have been generated as a result of the
consumption of some food in poor condition. However, ideally, as human beings advance,
sanitary conditions should be improved worldwide to reduce the possibility of this happening
again.