Food chains and food security: what are they?

When it comes to food, the first thing you think about is having high quality products on hand that are the freshest on the market, so you are guaranteed the best taste when you eat.

At Monouso you will find interesting information about everything related to food, how to keep it fresh, the best tips for preserving it for months and much more.

Food is very important for all living things, that’s where food chains and food security come in, but listening to this raises the question: what does it mean?

Food chains

At school you probably heard what a food chain is and how important it is to maintain the established order between the 3 links that belong to it (producers, consumers and decomposers) for the environment.

In the production of food for human consumption, this type of food chain also exists. In this case there are 2 links that compose it and they are

• The producers: they are the ones in charge of producing the food. They come in two forms: the traditional ones and those that go with the mass production using the industrial tools.
• Consumers: are those who are willing to consume the final product after going through the proper process.

Food safety and its relationship to the food chain

An example of food chains is the production of vegetables for small markets. If you are one of those who likes to buy your vegetables at markets where they ensure the freshness of their produce you will like this example.

The chain begins with the farmer who carries out the entire sowing process using all the products that ensure quality in his harvest. He then proceeds to select his vegetables by taking them in trucks to the markets that are in charge of distribution.

Finally it comes to you, the consumer and the final link in this chain, but what is the relationship that this process has with food safety?

Food safety is about ensuring that the food is of quality and that the production meets the standards, in short it makes sure that you are really buying quality food.

Food safety

We will explain with the previous example how it intervenes and how important food safety is for the food chain, so you will have a clear idea of these two concepts working together.

From the moment the farmer started to plant the vegetables that are now on your table he had to take precautions. In many cases they use pesticides to keep away the insects that threaten their crops.

Food safety is the guarantee that the use was appropriate, that the transport process was clean and that the product you have in your hands is really fresh and of good quality.

That is why the importance of following the rules that give food safety and the correct order of the food chain will give you the certainty that you only have quality products on your table.