Public health risks related to microbial contamination of foods: A literature review

Abstract

Food safety has become an interesting public health issue for the general population globally. Countries might utilize risk analysis frameworks to evaluate the impact as well as manage the risk of foodborne diseases from consuming contaminated foods in the food market. It is essential to obtain general information regarding hazard identification in the risk assessment process. Therefore, this literature review was conducted to identify common public health risks related to microbial contamination of food. Published studies with quantitative, qualitative, or mixed research methods were searched from peer-review journals. The chosen full-text articles were analyzed using an emergent thematic analysis approach to find key concepts and main results and then synthesized each item. The results of the literature review imply that food safety still has a significant impact on the health of consumers. Therefore, strict national risk-based food control systems should be considered to protect the health of the public. Some recommendations need to assure the quality of food through the promulgation of national official requirements, enhance of laboratory testing system, and strengthening inspection of the food market.