Apply Basic Food Safety Practices

The Concepts Of Food Safety

Food safety: To produce, store and handle food in such a way that it is not hazardous to humans, animals and the environment

Chemical hazards: Chemical hazards include substances such as cleaning solutions and sanitisers.

Physical hazards: Physical hazards are foreign particles, like glass or metal.

Biological hazards: Biological hazards come mainly from micro-organisms.

How Does Food Become Hazardous?

Food becomes hazardous by contamination. Contamination is the unintended presence of harmful substances or micro-organisms in food. Food can become contaminated from chemical, physical or biological sources.

Why are micro-organisms important?

Microorganisms are everywhere. You may not see, taste, or smell them, but they hide on your body, in the air, on kitchen counters and utensils, and in food. 

Viruses are the tiniest, and probably the simplest, form of life. They are not able to reproduce outside a living cell. Once they enter a cell, they force it to make more viruses. Some viruses are extremely resistant to heat and cold. They don’t need potentially hazardous food to survive, and once in the food, they don’t multiply. Food is mainly a transportation device to get from one host to another. Once in the human, viruses reproduce quickly and may cause disease.

Parasites need to live on or in a host to survive. Examples of parasites that may contaminate food are Trichinella spiralis (trichinosis) which affects pork, and Anisakis roundworm, which affects fish.

Fungi can be microscopic or as big as a giant mushroom. Fungi are found in the air, soil, plants, animals, water, and some food. Moulds and yeast are fungi.

Bacteria can cause foodborne illness in the food people eats such as diarrhoea, vomiting, upset stomach, fever, or cramps.

The Market Needs and Demands for Food Safety

Food safety has always been important to consumers, but recent high-profile events around the world, including outbreaks of mad cow disease in Europe, and concerns about bio-terrorism have raised their awareness and expectations. In addition, in areas other than safety, consumers are increasingly knowledgeable and discerning in their food purchases and are demanding greater choice.

To maintain their markets, suppliers of food and agricultural products are developing and implementing systems that demonstrate to both existing and potential consumers that they can deliver products within the demanded safety and quality specifications. At the same time, suppliers are taking advantage of these changing consumer dynamics to gain new markets and develop niche markets with potential price premiums.

Food Safety Practices And Personal Hygiene

Many fresh fruits and vegetables are eaten with little or no cooking - they are "ready to eat". Because they are not cooked, raw fruits and vegetables can be a source of disease-causing bacteria, viruses or parasites (pathogens). Grains and lupines are cooked, which has a sterilising effect.

Humans and animals are the major sources of pathogens in our food supply.

Harvesting can be a labour-intensive operation involving direct human contact with fresh produce.

"Personal hygiene" includes practices that promote health and cleanliness.

Good worker hygiene practices during production and harvest can help to minimize microbial contamination.

Food Safety And Conservation

Conservation: Refers to the protection, restoration or sustainability of natural resources.

When toxic contaminants - such as pesticides, mercury pollution and diesel exhaust - are released into the environment, their effect on human health can be profound.

It has been found that if ecological habitats and food chains are not conserved then some of the organisms and life forms might become extinct. As soon as one organism becomes extinct, another might become over-active and multiply to such an extent that it causes the plants and food production in that ecosystem to become toxic or poisonous for human consumption.

Food Safety And Waste

Waste: Refers to the “left-overs” or unwanted products from industry and human activities.

Pollution: Is the unwelcome concentration of substances that are beyond the environment’s capacity to handle. These substances are detrimental to people and other living things.

Farm activities will always result in a certain amount of waste. Farm management must control and limit the amount of waste but workers must be able to identify waste and control it before it pollutes the environment.

Food Safety And Pollutants

The use of pesticides in food production results in residues on foods. Research has examined the Rand value consumers might place on reducing the human health risks induced by dietary intake of pesticides.

Some consumers have tried to reduce dietary intake of pesticides by purchasing organic food. Together, the premium for organic food and consumers' willingness to pay to reduce well-known risks suggest that most consumers are willing to buy organic food for health benefits alone.

Application Of Good Personal Hygiene Practices

Follow these steps to promote food safety in the workplace: