Foods Production
Increased production of specialty foods has also raised questions about food safety in this unique food category. In addition to the common food safety hazards associated with mainstream food processing due to mishandling, processing, and transportation, other potential hazards are noted below.
Potential hazards that lead to food safety concerns in the production of specialty foods may include the following:
• Many specialty foods are claimed to be “all natural” with “no added preservatives”. While this can be of great appeal to consumers, barriers preventing contamination by microorganisms, especially foodborne pathogens may be lacking.
• Most specialty foods are manufactured in small-scale operations and some processors are newly started family businesses, which may have limited training and experience in safe food production practices and may be unaware of licensing and inspection requirements. Thus, limited training and education in food safety may be an issue.
• Some uncommon and poorly characterized ingredients and processing procedures may be used in the production of certain specialty foods, which may lead to potential allergen and/or microbial safety problems.
• Many specialty food products are sold in farmers’ markets, which may lack regulatory