Food Safety and Ethics

We access our foods through agricultural and food systems. These systems encompass all elements and activities related to production, processing, storage, distribution, preparation, sale and consumption of foods as well as relevant socio-economic and environmental impacts. The safety and wholesomeness of foods have always been extremely important for consumers. Furthermore, in recent years, ethical issues in agricultural and food systems have become a new area of interest for consumers. Ethical principles determine values or virtues related to personal and professional behavior, social behavior and responsibilities towards society. Agricultural and food ethics must be effectively considered at all stages from farm to fork: food production, processing, marketing and consumption. There are significant inequalities around the World, especially in terms of access to food. In this review, basic ethical problem areas and respective ethical approaches in food production and food safety are reviewed.