Unit 2 covers the four main food safety hazards and how to control them. It also looks at bacteria, their requirements for growth and how to protect foods.
Contamination is the presence in food of any harmful or objectionable substance or object in food. With this in mind, there are 4 types of food safety contamination hazards:
- chemical
- physical
- microbiological (also often called biological)
- allergenic
Let’s take a look at each and find out where they come from and how to control them.
1. Chemical
Chemical contamination can come from things such as:
- The incorrect or excessive use of pesticides on fruits and vegetables.
- Cleaning chemicals such as those that should not be used in a food room (i.e. bleach).
- Residue of cleaning chemicals left on work surfaces and equipment.
- Spraying of cleaning chemicals next to open food.
- Delivery vehicles used to transport chemicals as well as food.
- Chemicals stored next to food items.
- Storing food in open tins — Once opened, acidic tinned foods (such as tinned fruit) can react with the metal of the tin and this can be absorbed by the food and can make people sick. This is why it’s important not to store open tins of food in the fridge, be sure to transfer the contents to a suitable container first.
- Reusing chemical containers.
Here are some ways to control chemical contamination:
- Store cleaning products away from food.
- Follow the manufacturer’s instructions when using chemicals.
- Remove or cover open food before cleaning.
- In food preparation areas, using chemicals that are food safe. That means they’re non-toxic, non-tainting, non-perfumed and non-corrosive.
- Separate deliveries of food and chemicals (if you’re using reputable suppliers, they should do this).
- Wash fruit and vegetables thoroughly to remove any pesticide residues.
- Store foods in food-safe and food-grade containers or packaging.
