Regulating Food Safety Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Regulating Food Safety - Essay Example But are the current regulations working Do the current laws give the consumer the level of protection necessary to guarantee safety This paper will examine several examples of potential problems in our food supply. It will explain the problem, the government's position, and the level of success that the regulations have in controlling contamination in the human food chain. The difficulty for government to assure food safety through regulation is exemplified in the case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE). BSE, also known as Mad Cow Disease, has taken lives, instilled panic in the public, and destroyed the beef market for producers. Cattle are grazing animals that do not naturally eat meat. Most experts agree that BSE was most likely spread by cattle eating feed that contained Meat-and-Bone Meal (MBM). The government has since banned the feeding of MBM to beef cattle in a strategy known as point of entry control. Government regulation, in regards to food, has proven to be most successful by monitoring those points in the food chain where contamination may occur. In the example of BSE, the incubation period in cattle is 4 to 6 years and an infected animal would show no signs of the disease when slaughtered. Likewise, testing all the beef to assure safety would increase the cost and may not prove efficient. However, controlling the most likely entry point of the disease can greatly reduce the likelihood of an outbreak. This action taken in conjunction with spot testing of cattle in the feed lots can be an effective course of action. With an isolated disease and a single point of entry for contamination, this approach works well. However, let us consider other contaminants that may be more pervasive and more difficult to control. Two such biological agents are e-coli and salmonella. These are common food contaminants that routinely show up in chicken and ground meat. Points of entry are far too numerous to control to assure safety. Routine testing at the production facilities can help reduce the danger, but not eliminate it below the desired threshold. Proper cooking eliminates the danger and it is left to the public to take responsibility for adequate preparation. However, what control does the consumer have over the proper handling and preparation of food served in a restaurant Government regulations are very thorough in their requirements for public food safety in the restaurant business. Recent regulations enacted into law as of Jan 1, 2006 mandate strict health inspections of restaurants and caterers. The laws outline the requirements for maintaining temperature control and proper handling of raw food. Cleanliness and hygiene are stressed, as is proper labelling of foods and ingredients. The government enforces the regulation by routine inspections of public restaurants. Though these regulations can not prevent outbreaks of food poisoning, they can help reduce the frequency and severity of them. The restaurant management and employees are, in the end, responsible for the safe handling of food. The proper training of food service workers could probably do more to eliminate food poisoning than any other step the government could take. Another area that consumers put themselves at risk is in the area of allergies and intolerance. Allergies to wheat, eggs, nuts, and almost anything else can be fatal to some consumers. Others face mild to severe reactions. Consumers are only able to evaluate the contents of the product

Rules about Delivery in Contracts Involving the Sales of Goods Assignment

Rules about Delivery in Contracts Involving the Sales of Goods - Assignment Example Before the creation of laws governing sales of goods contracts, the right of ownership or Law merchant was the major concept under sales law (Mann & Roberts, 2007, p. 398). Such laws comprised a system of regulations, customs, as well as usages self-imposed by the sellers themselves, in order to settle disputes while enforcing agreement duties between them. Such rules were introduced during fairs when merchants met to swap goods even as they settle their differences via the fair courts they operated themselves. Hence, from 17th-century judges refined the codes behind mercantile laws into contemporary commercial law of sales (Mann & Roberts, 2007, p. 398). certain issues arose under rules governing delivery in sales of goods. Firstly, how do you determine what time the title actually changed from seller to buyer? As it presented a challenge in deciding which party the possession title had at the instance of a loss. Secondly, even though orthodox assessment under such rules would probably indicate that equity laws do not pertain, it would be hard to uphold such view in a contemporary and globalized world. Thus, the aim of this paper is to evaluate how del ivery of contracts involving the sales of goods offers a contemporary uniform and fair regime practices for both domestic and international sale of goods. The paper also discusses the controversies surrounding such rules. In most jurisdictions, the sale of goods contracts is accorded between the seller and a buyer meant to cover the trade and delivery of goods, or any other personal property (Atiyah, Adams, & MacQuee, 2005, ch 1). For instance, in the US, domestic sales-contracts fall under the Uniform Commercial Code, while in Australia the contract for delivery under sales of goods falls under the Australian Sales of  Goods Act 1893. The rules are based on the Freedom of Contract, thus it is up to the concerned parties to agree on their bargain (Bridge, p. 45). Nevertheless, international sales contracts are governed by the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods 2009, or Vienna Sale Convention.