Food Safety
HFA 4MI
What is a Safe Food?
• Absence or acceptable and safe levels
of contaminants, adulterants, naturally
occurring toxins or any other
substance that may make food
injurious to health
• Basically, “safe food” means food that
is free from anything that can cause
harm to people
Food Safety vs. Food Quality
Food Safety
• Food that will not
cause harm to the
individual
consuming it
Food Quality
• All of the features
that make a
product valuable
to the consumer
• Positive things: colour,
flavour, texture
• Absence of negative
things: spoilage,
discoloration, off
odours
Food Safety Culture
• When everyone
takes their share of
responsibility for
food safety, a strong
food safety culture
results
• In a strong food
safety culture,
everyone believes
in food safety
Food Hazard
• Anything that
may cause
illness or injury
if not
controlled or
prevented
Potentially Hazardous Foods
• Food capable of supporting growth of
pathogenic microorganisms or production of
toxins
Factors:
• High protein, low acid, moisture
• Large surface area (e.g. ground meat)
• Skin or rind
• Cooking and cooling
• Improper storage of cooked food
Types of Food Hazards
• Three types:
• Physical
• Biological
• Chemical
Physical Hazards
• Can cause physical
injury to consumer
• Examples:
• Introduced by:
• Food handlers
•
Harvesting
• Foreign objects such as
process
glass, metal fragments,
dirt, stones, staples,
• Physical
fingernails, hair
environment
• Undesirable parts of
where food is
food such as bone
prepared
fragments in ground
meat
Controlling Physical Hazards
• Food handling rules (hair covering, no
jewellery)
• Checking and maintaining equipment
Chemical Hazards
• Any type of unwanted chemical substance
in food
• Includes:
• Accidentally added cleaning chemicals,
pesticides or similar substances
• Intentionally added chemicals like
additives and nutrients, added
incorrectly
• Allergens
Allergens
• Substances in food that cause allergic reactions
in some people
• Body releases natural chemicals that cause
allergic symptoms which may be minor to life
threatening
• Minor: Itchiness, swelling of tongue and
throat, skin rash or hives, nausea, vomiting,
difficulty breathing
• Life threatening: Anaphylactic shock – whole
body reaction
Controlling Allergens
• Cross-contamination can occur with
allergens
• Tiniest amount is a serious concern
• Be aware of and follow workplace rules
concerning allergens
• Separation, sanitization and other rules
• Accurate labelling
Biological Hazards
• Living organisms or
the substances they
produce that are
harmful to people:
• Bacteria, viruses,
parasites and fungi
(microorganisms)
• Natural toxins from
some plants, seafood
and mushrooms
• Pathogens are
microorganisms that
cause illness in
humans
FOOD BORNE ILLNESS
Foodborne illness:
Infections vs intoxications
Infections
• Ingested pathogenic
microorganisms (i.e.
bacteria, virus or
parasite) multiply and
imbed the
gastrointestinal tract,
producing inflammation
• Samonella, E. coli,
Campylobacteria and
Listeria
Intoxications
• Toxins are produced in
food by growth of
bacteria before food is
ingested
• Toxins, not bacteria,
cause illness
• Staphylococcus,
Clostridium botulinum
Not expected to memorize specific infections and intoxications
Cases and Outbreaks
• A case of foodborne
illness is when an
individual becomes ill
from consuming a food
• An outbreak of
foodborne illness
occurs when two or
more persons become
ill from consuming the
same food
• An unexpected,
unexplained increase
of disease occurring at
a given time and place
Under-reporting of Foodborne
Illness
• Exact number of foodborne illnesses unknown
because of under-reporting
• Under-reporting may be due to one of many
factors:
• Ill person does not seek medical care
• Physician does not obtain specimen for
diagnosis
• Laboratory does not perform necessary test
• Illness and laboratory findings are not
communicated to public health department
Populations at Particular Risk
• Elderly persons
• People with AIDS, cancer, kidney disease,
and some other chronic diseases
• People treated with immune-suppressing
drugs
• Children under 2 years of age
• Pregnant women and their unborn babies
• People with history of alcohol abuse or
drugs
References:
Institute of Food Processing. (2012). Food Safety – Level One,
Conestoga College.