Introduction to Basic Food Hygiene

2

Objectives for the Session

The Objectives for this session are

To provide you with a basic understanding of food hygiene

To show you some areas to look for when assessing food safety

3

Contents

► Introduction to Food Hygiene

► Food Contamination

► Personal Hygiene for Food Handlers

► Construction of Food Premises

► Design and Use of Equipment

► Cleaning and Disinfection

► Pest control in Food Environments

► Examples of Good and Bad Food Hygiene

4

What is Food Hygiene?

► Protecting food from the risk of contamination of any kind

► Preventing the multiplication of organisms which would cause risk

► Destroying harmful bacteria in the food by thorough cooking

5

Food Poisoning

Is the consumption of contaminated food followed by…

► Abdominal pain

► Vomiting

► Diarrhoea

► Dehydration

► Fever

All of these symptoms can be FATAL

6

Causes of Food Poisoning

► Bacteria

► Viruses

► Poisonous plants/fish – toadstools, red kidney beans, tuna, deadly nightshade

► Chemicals – cleaning materials, insecticides, weed killers

► Metals – lead, copper, mercury

7

Food Contamination

8

Food contamination;

Putting something on or in the food that should not be there

► Bacterial

► Chemical

► Physical

Food Contamination

9

Bacterial Food Poisoning

The Food Poisoning Chain

The contamination of high risk food

Multiplication of these bacteria

Consumption of the food

10

Cross Contamination

Defined as

The transfer of bacteria from contaminated foods (usually raw) to other foods.

Bacteria are static and have to rely on vehicles to transfer them to food…

The main vehicles are

► Hands

► Cloths and equipment

► Hand contact surfaces

► Food contact surfaces

11

Bacterial Food Poisoning

What do Bacteria Need to Grow

Moisture

Warmth Food

Time

12

Bacterial Food Poisoning

High Risk Food

High protein foods which are intended for

consumption without further cooking

► All cooked meat and poultry

► Cooked meat products including gravy and stock

► Milk and cream

► Cooked eggs

► Shellfish and seafood

► Cooked rice

Moisture

Warmth Food

Time

13

Bacterial Food Poisoning

Temperature

Bacterial behave differently at different

temperatures.Moisture

Warmth Food

Time

-18ºCBacteria are dormant

5ºCMinimal bacterial growth

37ºCOptimum temperature for bacterial growth

63ºC+Bacteria begin to die

70ºCFor 2 min’s kills most bacteria

100ºC+For long periods kills most spores

THE DANGER ZONE

14

Bacterial Food Poisoning

1 bacterium 7 hours later will be 2 million

1 million of bacteria on a gram of food can cause illness

20 minutes

40 minutes

60 minutes

Moisture

Warmth Food

Time

15

Bacterial Food Poisoning

Preventing Bacterial Food Poisoning

► Undercooking or under reheating raw or rare food

► Preparation too far in advance

► Cooling food too slowlyy

► Cooked food contaminated with bacteria

► Storing food in the ‘danger zone’

Moisture

Warmth Food

Time

16

Bacterial Food Poisoning

Different Types of Food Poisoning Bacteria

Name Source

Salmonella Raw meat, milk, EGGS, poultry, pets, rodents

Clostridium perfringens Animal and human excreta, soil, dust, insects

Staphylococcus aureus Human nose mouth and skin, boils and cuts

Clostridium botulinum Soil, fish, meat and vegetables

Bacillus cereus Cereals, especially RICE, dust and soil

17

Personal Hygiene for Food Handlers

18

What is Good Personal Hygiene?

Good personal hygiene is important in the following areas:

► Handling food

► Cuts, boils, septic spots and skin infections

► The hair

► Smoking

► Jewellery and perfume

► Protective clothing

► Practices

► Reporting illness

19

Hands Cause the Most Contamination

Hands should be washed

► After going to the toilet

► On entering the food room

► After handling raw food

► After handling refuse

► After cleaning

► After smoking or eating

► After blowing nose

► After combing hair etc.

What is Effective Hand Washing

► A separate hand basin should be provided for hand washing

► Hands should be washed in hot water (45ºC to 49ºC)

► Liquid, fragrance free, bactericidal soap, that is wall mounted is preferred

► It is essential that areas between the fingers are thoroughly cleaned

► Hands should be thoroughly dried

► Nailbrushes should be provided

20

Construction of Food Premises

21

Construction of Food Premises

Walls

► Smooth, impervious, non-flaking and capable of being thoroughly cleaned

► Door stops should be used to prevent damage to wall surface

Doors

► Smooth, non absorbent surface capable of being thoroughly cleaned

► Tight fitting and self closing

► Handles and push plates should be capable of disinfection

22

Construction of Food Premises

Floor Coverings

► Durable, capable of through cleaning

► Non-absorbent

► Anti slip

► Without crevices

► Angle between the wall and the floor should be covered

Water Supplies

► Hot water should have a target discharge temperature of 60ºC

► Ice machines must be regularly cleaned and disinfected

23

Construction of Food Premises

Drainage

► Drains and sewers should be adequate to remove peak loads quickly without flooding

► Grease traps if fitted should allow time for separation and positioned outside food rooms

► Drains should inhibit the movement of vermin and pests

► Waste pipes should work from clean to dirty

Ventilation

► Should always flow from clean to dirty

► Inlets should be filtered to prevent dust and pests entering the food room

► Steam producing equipment should be provided with adequate canopies

24

Construction of Food Premises

Lighting

► Suitable and sufficient lighting must be provided to allow food handlers to identify hazards and carry out tasks correctly

Washing Facilities

► Adequate facilities for hand washing and drying provided at the entrance to food rooms

► Must be kept clean and in good condition

► Non-hand operated taps, providing warm water at 45 – 49ºC essential to prevent cross contamination

► A minimum of 2 hand wash basins should be fitted in an area where raw and high risk foods are handled

25

Construction of Food Premises

Storage and Disposal of Waste

► Refuse must not be allowed to accumulate in food rooms and should not be left overnight

► Stands for waste bags / bins must be maintained in a clean condition

26

Design and Use of Equipment

27

Construction Materials

Must be

► Non-toxic, non tainting and constituents from their surfaces must not migrate into food

► Of adequate strength over a wide temperature range and be easily cleaned / disinfected.

► The use of wood is forbidden

28

Surface Finishes

► Should be in sound condition and easy to clean and disinfect

► Smooth, washable non toxic materials

► Surfaces should be continuous, non-pours, non flaking, and free from cracks

Joints

► Should be made by welding or continuous bonding to reduce projections

► Butt welding is preferred

Internal Angles and Corners

► Should have curves to allow sufficient cleaning

► Routine dismantling and cleaning should take place on unsatisfactory corners

29

Cutting Boards

► Should be non-absorbent and hygienic

► Resistant to stains, cleaning chemicals, heat and food acids

► Durable

► Advantageous if it can be passed through the dishwasher

► Beneficial if the board contains tricolsan

► In good condition, with no deep cut marks

30

Colour Coding

► Colour coding of equipment prevents cross contamination

► Can include – chopping boards, knives, cleaning cloths…

► Not legalised, but standard colours are

RED

Raw Meat

GREEN

Salad and Fruit

BLUE

Raw Fish and Sea Food

WHITE

Bread and Diary

YELLOW

Cooked Meats

BROWN

Raw Vegetables

31

Refrigerators

► Delay, not prevent food spoilage

► If freestanding should be located away from direct heat

► Inner skins should be impervious, non corrosive and easy to clean

► Door seals should be checked regularly

► Door handles should be cleaned regularly

► Optimum operating temperature 1 - 4ºC

► Hot food should never be placed in a refrigerator

► Refrigerator should not be overloaded

► Monitoring of temperatures should be done using a calibrated device

32

Eliminating Cross Contamination in a Refrigerator

► Raw food should always be kept separate from cooked food

► High risk food at the top

► Raw meat at the bottom

► All food should be covered

and date marked

33

Storing Frozen Food

► Food is stored at -18ºC

► At this temperature bacteria and their spores are mostly dormant

► General guide for storage times

Vegetables, fruit and most meat up to 12 months

Pork, sausages, fatty fish, butter up to 6 months

► Ice in packets of food usually indicates fluctuating temperatures

► Food should only be frozen on site if a blast freezer is available

34

Freezing and Thawing Food

► Most food can be cooked from frozen with the exception of

Poultry

Joints of meat

Other large items

► Once thawed, food MUST NOT be refrozen, UNLESS it had been through a thorough cooking process, and it has been blast frozen to get the food down to temperature as soon as possible

► Thawing poultry requires care to ensure that

Pathogenic bacteria are not allowed to cross contaminate and

That the poultry is not left for too long in the danger zone

35

Cleaning and Disinfection

36

Cleaning Products

► Detergent - removes grease and dirt

► Disinfectant - reduces bacteria to a safe level

► Sanitizer - cleans and disinfects

► Sterilizer - kills everything!

37

The Six Stages of Washing a Surfaces

► Pre – clean

► Main wash with detergent

► Rinse

► Disinfection

► Final rinse

► Dry

38

Double Sink Washing

► Scrape clean

► Main wash

• hot water

• detergent

► Disinfection rinse

hot water at 82oC for 30 seconds or chemical disinfectant

► Air dry

39

Cleaning Schedules

► Communication link between management and staff

► Should specify

What is to be cleaned

Who is to clean it

When and frequency of clean

How to clean

Time taken to clean

Chemicals, materials and equipment

Safety precautions to take and

The protective clothing to be worn

40

Pest Control

41

Reasons for Pest Control

► To prevent the spread of disease

► To prevent the wastage of food

► To prevent damage

42

Common Pests in the Food Industry

► Rodents; rats and mice

► Insects; flies, wasps, cockroaches, silverfish, ants

► Birds;

► Mites

43

Good Housekeeping to Prevent Pests

► Food rooms are kept clean and tidy

► Spillages are cleaned up promptly

► Food is kept in rodent proof containers

► Stock rotation is used FIFO

► Attention is paid to waste disposal

► All raw materials are checked for signs of infestation

► All goods are kept off the floor

► Areas are well ventilated and lit

44

Examples of Good and Bad Practice

45

Examples of Bad Food Hygiene - Storage

Wooden shelving

Damage to boxes. Why?

Open packets of food

Food Stored on the floor

Damage to packaging. Why?

No obvious stock control

Shelving can’t be pulled out for cleaning

Risk of contamination from dirty pipes

No access to clean floor

46

Examples of Good Hygiene - Storage

Floor clean

Shelving adequate so no storage on the floor

Prepared food is covered

Food to defrost is placed in container

Shelving is removable for easy cleaning

Surfaces are non porous and easy to disinfect

Refrigerator is not overloaded

Room is well lit

Surfaces are all debris free

47

Examples of Bad Food Hygiene - Service

Walls not smooth

Surface not easy to clean

Wooden box pours and harbours bacteria

Surface not clean, edged with wood

Surface not even, harbour dirt

‘Clean’ crockery in dirty basket

Damp, dirty cloth harbours bacteria

Difficulty in cleaning brackets

48

Examples of Good Food Hygiene - Service

Surfaces easy to disinfect

Food covered during service

Area is well lit

High risk food protected in chillier

Food is protected by use of tongs

Areas kept free of ‘clutter’

Introduction to Basic Food Hygiene

Any Questions?