Over the past few years, a series of overpublicized food safety issues in Taiwan, compounded by the circulation of misleading or misinterpreted reports online and through media, has resulted in the significant reduction of consumer confidence in food safety. Unfortunately, because food safety is such a specialized topic, without prior expertise or knowledge, it is difficult for the average layperson to truly understand issues of food safety, resulting in further misunderstanding and a general attitude of apprehension to anything related to food safety.
Although no easy obstacle to tackle, ILSI Taiwan is publishing a handbook that addresses nine frequently encountered food safety topics, including food additives, food processing, labeling practices, inspection procedures, and nutritional information as part of our newest communications strategy.
Intended specifically for the media and for general consumers as the audience, each topic is tackled by an expert from that field, but written in the simplest language possible and accompanied by an abundance of visual aids. The contact information of each expert is provided, such that readers can easily connect with an expert if they have further questions about the content.
The goal of the handbook is to hopefully correct some current misconceptions that the public holds about food safety, but also, in the greater scheme, to provide the public with a simple yet comprehensive resource to use and reference if such issues are encountered.