Consumer protection and food safety

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to stress the importance of food safety for consumer protection. Two different areas, food safety and criminology, were compared through Routine Activity Theory (RAT). The basic conditions of RAT are recognised in the area of food safety and interpreted as follows: a motivated offender - an operator in the food industry; suitable targets - consumers and a lack of lack of effective monitoring of food safety. The importance of timely recognition of possible invisible threats (hazards), which is a major challenge in the area of food safety. Exposure to chemical substances (such as additives) is an invisible hazard and signifies a concealed possibility of victimization, which involves a violation of basic consumer rights to safety, to be informed and to choose. The challenge in the area of food safety for consumer health is recognising possible invisible threats on time. A timely and effective response enables an appropriate level of ensuring food safety and consumer protection - particularly their basic right to safety.