When talking about meat safety, we often associate it with microbial safety—i.e., is it safe to eat without contracting a foodborne illness? However, meat safety as a concept can be viewed in a wider perspective, with regard to both causes (physical, chemical, and microbiological) and consequences (personal safety and corporate financial safety). The causes are discussed below, but the wider definition of the consequences may require a brief introduction.
"Personal safety" is meant to refer to the risk of becoming ill from consuming an unsafe product. This can happen if the meat contains pathogenic bacteria, pieces of metal, or hazardous chemicals, for example. What if a meat product contains small pieces of plastic? Strictly speaking, there is no direct danger in consuming tiny pieces of plastic, but in theory there is a risk that the plastic may be contaminated with microorganisms. For the company producing the meat product, small pieces of plastic can be devastating.