The production and distribution of wholesome and safe foods, long primarily the concern of food safety professionals, are gaining greater appreciation among not only non-technical people within the industry, but by the general public as well. This partly is evidenced by the rapid increase in retail markets offering irradiated ground beef products, a response to high-profile cases of foodborne pathogens. Some consumers feel that the microbial safety benefits imparted by the irradiation process outweigh any concerns about the process itself.
This greater appreciation of food safety also has resulted in changes in the product development process. Many food companies now address food safety issues at each step in the development process, that is, from the idea phase to commercial manufacturing of the final product. According to Larry Keener, general manager of International Product Safety Consultants (Seattle) who also developed the Food Safety Funnel (see illustration on page 60), “There is a growing awareness among marketing people on the importance of food science.”