2.4. FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY

Food safety is becoming an increasingly important public-health issue. All the countries in the world are seeking to improve food safety for its citizens through intensifying efforts. These efforts are in response to the increasing number of food safety problems and rising consumer concerns [WHO, 2007; Hasan et al., 2011; WHO/EMRO, 2017].
Therefore, the protection of human health from any damage caused by animal and plant products on the global food markets today is an important challenge which must be addressed through internationally recognised health systems and food safety policies. These systems must be a guarantee to consumers that foodstuffs are safe for consumption, and that the food sources in the country are protected from pests and diseases [WHO, 2007; Hasan et al., 2011; WHO/SCBD, 2015; WHO/EMRO, 2017]. So there is the need to ensure that food supplies imported or locally produced are
Foodborne diseases also represent a major and daily health threat in all countries, from the least to more developed [Motarjemi and Kafarstein, 1999; De Waal and Roberts, 2005; WHO, 2007; WHO/SCBD, 2015]. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates deaths caused due to foodborne and waterborne diarrhoeal diseases taken together (it might be that among the pollutants are chemical fertilisers and agricultural pesticides residues) at about 2.2 million people each year globally, 1.9 million of whom are children under five [WHO, 1999; WHO, 2007; WHO/EMRO, 2017].
Motarjemi and Kafarstein [1999], say that the problem is more severe in the developing countries, to the extent that foodborne illnesses have become a fact of their everyday life for them. Hundreds of thousands of people succumb to food and waterborne diseases and acute food poisoning outbreaks are observed every year in the Asia Pacific region and in Africa [De Waal and Robert, 2005; FSA, 2010; WHO/SCBD,