FOOD SAFETY

FOOD SAFETY  AND HYGIENE IN CATERING 

Food safety: is the practice of protecting food from anything that could harm a consumer’s health.

Food Hygiene:is ensuring that food is free from contamination, is wholesome and fit for consumption.

Failure to food safety and hygiene procedures can result in the very real risk of harm to the consumer and potentially damage a business reputation.

Note: Good food safety and hygiene practices are required by law.

CONTAMINATION 

Food Contamination is the presence of unwanted microorganisms or other foreign matter in food. 

SPOILAGE 

Food spoilage occurs when it becomes contaminated with something that is not harmful but still render it unfit to serve. 

This could be a hair or other inedible object in the food, or food that has not been stored correctly, resulting in a change to its Colour, texture, taste and smell.

Reasons for Contamination and Spoilage

When food does cause illness or injury it is very important to find the cause of the problem. Listed below are some of the most common explanations: 

• Poor temperature control
• Lack of personal hygiene
• Poorly maintained equipment
• Cross-contamination
• Improper storage
• Contaminated ingredients
• Procedures not followed
• Lack of understanding/ignorance to dangers
• Lack of training

In order to minimise the risk of this happening, and so maintain excellent standards of food safety and hygiene, we must employ the practice of PREVENTION & CONTROL.

That is, PREVENT food from becoming contaminated through careful CONTROL of the production process.

PreventionPrevention can be implemented through: 

• Thorough cleaning
• Maintaining equipment
• Controlling pests
• Personal hygiene

Prevention - Best Practices

The key here is to prevent contamination from happening by adopting best practice methods as part of the daily routine. 

• Ensure that all equipment and work areas are properly cleaned according to a set cleaning rota, and using the correct cleaning products.
• Ensure that all equipment is regularly checked for defects and worn parts, and thoroughly cleaned after use.
• Take measures to deter pests from entering the workplace by maintaining a clean workplace and conducting regular checks.
• The biggest threat to food safety is the person handling the food. By maintaining a high level of personal hygiene you can ensure that you are not part of the problem.

Prevention can be strengthened through the further processes of food safety risk assessment and the implementation of effective accident and sickness reporting procedures.

Control

By controlling each step in the food production process the risk of contamination is kept to a minimum.

The four critical steps of production are:

• Receiving
• Preparing
• Holding
• Handling

Control Receiving 

Goods arrive at the workplace on a daily basis. By monitoring the quality of those goods the risk of contamination is minimised. 

• Use quality suppliers and ingredients

• Check all goods upon receipt

• Return or refuse to accept any defective goods

• Check that all goods meet the legal delivery temperature and/or transit requirements

Control- Preparation 

Whilst preparing goods for consumption certain criteria must be met in order to maintain safe working practices.

• Ensure that correct cooking temperatures are achieved

• Use reliable equipment to ensure that those temperatures are accurate

• Identify areas of possible cross-contamination

• Maintain a clean and tidy work area

Control- Holding 

Food should be stored according to its type. E.g. raw meat requires refrigeration; most dry goods do not.

Holding temperature and time regulations also apply to certain foodstuffs. By adhering to these regulations and practices the risk of contamination is further reduced.

• Store all foodstuffs in suitable conditions

• Ensure that holding temperatures for both hot and chilled foods are adhered to

• Adopt a robust regime of safe storage and stock rotation

• Always label stored food

Summary

• Food Safety means ensuring that food and drinks are safe to consume.
• Food Hygiene is everything that we must do to ensure that food is safe.
• Contaminated food can cause injury and illness.
• Spoiled food may or may not be harmful, but is unfit to eat and could result in complaints.
• Food Safety Excellence means implementing good prevention and control along every step of food processing and handling.