Food safety – From pioneering steps to the modern scientific discipline

Food safety is a story that unites all civilizations, cultures, and nations, and it is interlaced with various methods for making food safer. Concern for nutritious and safe food is as ancient as humankind itself, and many of the food safety issues that persist today are not new. Diverse records from the ancient world, as well as the religious writings of the three monotheist religions, actually refer to food, its intake, and prohibitions, as well as pathological diseases that may follow from inappropriate intake. Over time, food safety has evolved into a scientific discipline concerned with the handling, preparation, transport, and distribution of food to avoid the transmission of illnesses. The current state of food safety knowledge is the result of past discoveries, innovations, and laws. In modern times, the right to consume safe food is a fundamental human right. It contributes to and promotes sustainable development while supporting the economy, trade, and tourism. Nevertheless, despite significant improvements, we still know relatively little about food-borne illnesses and how infections affect humans

Inland and coastal bathing water quality in the last decade (2011–2020): Croatia vs. region vs. EU

Europe is one of the leading tourist destinations where tourism is one of the key economic sectors. The quality of bathing waters is a very important factor when choosing a vacation destination. Croatia recognized this early and was one of the first Mediterranean countries to start systematic monitoring of bathing waters. On the other hand, monitoring of inland bathing waters is relatively new and includes a much smaller number of sites (41) compared to coastal waters (894). The aim of this paper was to summarize and analyze the water quality of inland and coastal bathing sites of Croatia, closer regions (non-EU Member States) and in the EU for the last decade. The share of excellent water quality in EU Member States increased by 10.1% and 6.6% for inland and coastal waters, respectively (2011–2020). Germany recorded the highest proportion of excellent water quality for inland waters (92.2%) and Cyprus for coastal waters (99.3%). Looking at the 10-year average of the proportion of bathing waters with excellent quality, the proportion of coastal bathing sites exceeds that of inland waters by 7.1%. It is clear that additional efforts should be made to improve the management and monitoring of inland waters

Occurrence of P. aeruginosa in Water Intended for Human Consumption and in Swimming Pool Water

Considering the fact that water is a basic need of every living being, it is important to ensure its safety. In this work, the data on the presence of the opportunistic pathogen P. aeruginosa in drinking water (n = 4171) as well as in pool water (n = 5059) in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County in Croatia in the five-year period (2016–2020) were analysed. In addition, the national criteria were compared with those of neighboring countries and worldwide. The proportion of P. aerugino-sa- positive samples was similar for drinking water (3.9%) and pool water (4.6%). The prevalence of this bacterium was most pronounced in the warmer season. P. aeruginosa-positive drinking water samples were mostly collected during building commissioning, while pool samples were from entertainment and spa/hydromassage pools. Outdoor pools showed a higher percentage of positive samples than indoor pools, as well as the pools filled with freshwater rather than sea-water. The highest P. aeruginosa load was found in rehabilitation pools. Cro

Quality of Croatian Inland Bathing Areas: Reference to The Region and EU

Introduction: The Republic of Croatia (HR) has significantly invested in monitoring the quality of inland bathing areas during the past 10 years. The aim of this paper was to analyze the results obtained during the 2014-2019 period and to compare them with the Region (non-European Union [EU] countries neighboring Croatia) and EU. Moreover, bathing water quality data at two bathing areas of Zagreb (lakes Jarun and Bundek) were processed in more detail. Methods: The quality of inland bathing areas in the HR is monitored in five rivers and five lakes in nine Croatian counties ; 19 of the 35 monitored sites are located in Zagreb County. Escherichia coli (EC) was determined by EN ISO 9308-3: 1998, while intestinal enterococci (ENT) were defined by EN ISO 7899-2: 2000. Statistical processing of the results was performed using the Microsoft Excel Statistical Package (Redmond, USA) and Statistica 13.5. (Stat.Sof.Inc., Tulsa, USA) ; the significance level was set to p < 0.05. Results: During the study period, the worst Croatian inland water quality was recorded in 2019 (excellent quality for only 25.9% of the bathing areas), while the best quality was recorded in 2015 (excellent quality in 57.1%). On average (2014-2019), the share of bathing areas with excellent quality in Croatia was 46.3% (i.e., under the EU average of 85.3%) ; with no poor locations (EU average was nearly 2%). A significant positive correlation was found between fecal indicators (EC&ENT) and the amount of precipitation, while a negative correlation with water and air temperature in lakes. Conclusions: The quality of Croatian inland bathing areas is significantly lower than the European average, while EU water quality is improving. Regarding the countries bordering Croatia, Italy, Slovenia, and Hungary have achieved better results, while Montenegro, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina are still in the process of developing the monitoring of the bathing water quality