FOOD SAFETY CONTAMINATION OF FOOD AND ITS PREVENTION

Learning Outcomes: At the end of this session you will be able to: n Describe the factors that contribute to the contamination of food. n Identify the conditions under which contaminants can increase the risk to consumer safety. n State ways in which food can be protected from contamination.

Contamination Legislation n By law food must be protected from contamination n Illegal to treat food to make it injurious to health n It is an offence to sell food not of the nature, quality of substance the purchaser expected

Contamination The transference of ANY objectionable material into or onto food There are 4 types of Contamination: 1.Microbial Contamination 2.Physical Contamination 3.Chemical Contamination 4. Allergen Contamination

FOOD SAFETY MICROBIAL CONTAMINATION

Microbial Contamination Microbial contamination includes contamination of food by:- n Bacteria n Viruses n Yeasts n Moulds These are all known as Micro-organisms

Sources, Vehicles and Routes of Contamination Sources - Man, Raw Foods, Insects, Animals, Rodents, Refuse, Dust, Soil Vehicles - Hands, Equipment, Cloths Food Contact Surfaces, Hand Contact Surfaces High - Risk Food

Prevention of Bacterial Contamination n PROTECT food from contamination -separate raw and cooked food -high standards of personal hygiene -ensure premises are clean -keep food covered PREVENT bacteria MULTIPLYING -keep food out of the danger zone DESTROY bacteria -by heat, irradiation or chemicals REMOVE contaminated food -Destroy or dump

FOOD SAFETY PHYSICAL CONTAMINATION

Physical Contamination n Physical contamination is the contamination of food by a “foreign body”. n Basically it means there is something in the food that would not naturally be there.

Physical Contamination Physical contamination of food by foreign bodies will cause: n Customer dissatisfaction n Bad publicity n Loss of product confidence n Company viability reduced n Prosecution n Lost sales n Costly return or rework of product

Physical Contaminants Intrinsic Contaminants n Bones in chicken n Stalks in vegetables n Stones in fruit Reduced by care in harvesting and processing

Physical Contaminants Extrinsic Contaminants Originate from: n Deliveries of raw materials n Buildings and equipment n Food handlers n Maintenance operations n Packaging n Pests n Cleaning activities n Post process contamination i.e. sabotage, blackmail attempts, or consumers kitchen

Answers to Spot the Hazards

Preventative Systems n Training of staff n Design, structure and maintenance of food rooms n Design, construction and maintenance of equipment n Personal hygiene n Cleaning and disinfection procedures n Pest control n Instruction on deboxing and packaging

Detection and Removal of Contaminants n Sieves n Filters n Metal Detection n X-ray inspections n Electronic eye n Inspection belts and spotters

FOOD SAFETY CHEMICAL CONTAMINATION

Chemical contamination The contamination of food/food stuffs indirectly or directly by a chemical or chemical reaction.

Chemical Contamination Potential sources of chemical contamination: n Pesticides n Antibiotics n Preservatives n Cleaning chemicals n Additives n Maintenance oils n Perfume, aftershave n Reaction between metal and acid

Preventing Chemical Contamination n Regulations on the use of pesticides and preservatives. n Cleaning chemicals should be un- perfumed and suitable for food use n Chemicals stored in correctly away form food n Train staff n Use suitable utensils and equipment

FOOD SAFETY ALLERGEN CONTAMINATION

Food Allergy A food allergy is an identifiable immunological response to food or food additives.

Allergen Contamination Symptoms include: n Mild flushing of the skin n Swelling of throat and mouth n Collapse or unconsciousness n Anaphylactic shock (rapid drop of blood pressure to loss of consciousness)

Allergen Contamination The big eight allergy foods: 1. Milk 2. Eggs 3. Peanuts 4. Nuts 5. Fish 6. Shellfish 7. Soya 8. Wheat / cereals containing gluten Responsible for 90% of allergic reactions. Other foods include sesame seeds, celery and mustard and certain additives

Control of Allergens n Approved suppliers n Maintain allergen info on all raw materials used on site n Separate storage for allergen containing ingredients n Segregating staff n Identify allergens on labels n Staff training n Adequate cleaning n Batch traceability

Contamination Tray Group Activity 1 n Working in groups c omplete the practical activity sheet for the contaminants that you have been given in your tray n At the end of the session each group will report back to the class on the contaminants that were in their tray 10 Mins

Session Summary n 4 types of contamination n Sources of contamination n Preventative measures n Risk to consumer safety