Impact of Water Contamination on Food Safety and Related Health Risks

Accessibility to safe water is a prerequisite in the food industry as water quality directly influences food safety as well as its quality. Water is one of the major and important food ingredients. It is required right from the primary stage of crop production till its consumption. Water contaminated by physical, chemical, or biological agents poses health problems. The increased concentration of pesticide residues, heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), and industrial chemicals contaminate food via water routes and all these adversely affect human health. The polluted water causes food contamination that leads to various food-borne diseases, mainly bacterial (Travellers’ diarrhoea, cholera, shigellosis), viral (hepatitis, poliomyelitis), and protozoal (giardiasis and cryptosporidiosis). Contaminated water results in approximately 5 lakh deaths every year. Water used for food production must meet the criteria for safe drinking water. Different methods can be used to check the potability of water, monitor its safety, and meet water quality standards for food processing and production. This chapter covers the dynamics of water contamination in relation to safe food production in the entire food chain. It also explores the public health significance of water with a focus on emerging technologies for water and food safety.