
Anele Sinethemba Sibisi
University of Zululand, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa.
Abstract Title: Tracing the Evolution of Food Safety: From Ancient Practices and Prohibitions to Modern Scientific Approaches and Regulations.
Biography:
Ms. AS Sibisi holds a master’s degree from Durban University of Technology and is a PhD candidate, focusing on food safety regulations for rural food handlers. She is a Lecturer at the University of Zululand and has a keen interest in Work Integrated Learning (WIL), with a pending co-authored publication. With over 10 years of experience in the food industry, she has held roles
Research Interest:
Food safety practices have evolved throughout history, with early practices seen through religious laws that emphasized personal hygiene, food hygiene where the terms “clean and unclean foods” were introduced resulting in the prohibition of certain foods. Then people focused on keeping food fresh for long and avoiding foods that could make them sick. These early practices laid the groundwork for modern food safety measures. The development of food preservation techniques, such as salting, drying, and fermenting, further contributed to safer food consumption. By the 17th century, the study of microorganisms by scientists like Antonie van Leeuwenhoek began to shape our understanding of food safety, though it was not until the 19th century that food preservation processes, such as heat processing, gained prominence. Then in the early 20th century saw the rise of food microbiology, with a focus on dairy products, food processing, and shelf life. However, food safety regulations did not gain full recognition until later, when foodborne illness prevention became a major concern. The introduction of the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system in the 1970s marked a significant shift towards proactive, science-based food safety management which laid the foundation for modern food safety standards. This paper traces the historical timeline of food safety, the ongoing evolution of food safety practices through the merit of recognising indigenous approaches to food safety to safeguarding public health in the modern world.