Types of traditional Greek foods and their safety

Greek traditional foods have been evolved over centuries in the country according to local culture and artisanal practices in small scale family-owned installations and constitute a major part of the so-called Mediterranean diet. Consumer concern for food safety and high demand for traditional food products is becoming an important challenge for the food industry. To this end, safety issues about the hygienic condition and the prevalence of foodborne pathogens for a diversity of popular traditional Greek foods including fermented meat products, cheese, table olives, and emulsion-type appetizers is being reported. Until recently, the production of these food commodities presented heterogeneity from area to area and practice to practice resulting in a final product with diverse microbiological, physicochemical and sensory characteristics. The condition has drastically changed over the last years where the production has shifted from artisanal practice to industrial level under strict processing and hygienic conditions. Nowadays, it can be considered that Greek traditional foods have a good safety record.