Home > An introduction to food safety

Safe food is food which is free of contaminants and will not cause illness or harm. Persons involved in food poisoning investigations often remark about the cleanliness of the premises responsible. If food hygiene is intended to ensure the safety of food and prevent food poisoning then it follows that hygiene is more than cleanliness: it involves all measures necessary to ensure the safety and wholesomeness of food during preparation, processing, manufacture, storage, transportation, distribution, handling, sale and supply. This involves:

• protecting food from risk of contamination, i.e., preventing objectionable matter getting into food, including harmful bacteria, poisons and foreign bodies;
• preventing any bacteria present multiplying to a level which would result in illness of consumers or the early spoilage of food;
• destroying any harmful bacteria in the food by thorough cooking, processing or irradiation; and
• discarding unfit or contaminated food.

The cost of poor hygiene and food poisoning:

Persons carrying on a food business have legal, commercial and moral obligations to provide safe food. The costs resulting from food poisoning can be very high, as are those from poor hygiene. These costs, both financial and social, fall on employers and employees as well as those persons who are ill. Costs for employers include:

• the loss of working days, and productivity, from illness caused by employees eating contaminated food;
• the closure of food premises, or the prohibition of processes by local authority action;
• brand damage: a loss of business and reputation, either from bad publicity or from public reaction to poor standards, food poisoning outbreaks and even deaths;
• increased risk of pest infestation;
• fines and costs of legal action taken because of contraventions of hygiene legislation or because of the sale of unfit or unsatisfactory food;
• civil action taken by food poisoning sufferers, or those aggrieved by injury or trauma from foreign bodies in food;
• food losses due to premature spoilage or damage, because of poor stock rotation, incorrect storage temperature or pest infestations;
• low staff morale, higher turnover with attendant costs and inefficiencies from staff unwilling or unable to tolerate poor standards;
• food complaints and costs of internal investigation and decontamination; and
• loss of production

Food employees may suffer by:

• losing their jobs because of closure, loss of business or because they become long-term carriers of food poisoning organisms, especially salmonella; and
• losing overtime or bonuses.

The benefits of high standards of hygiene:

• Satisfied customers, a good reputation which creates greater confidence and increased business.
• Brand protection.
• Improved standards of food safety and compliance with food safety legislation.
• Less food wastage and increased shelf life.
• Good working conditions, higher staff morale and lower staff turnover, which promotes increased productivity.
• Reduced risk of food poisoning and food complaints.

High-risk foods

High-risk foods are ready-to-eat foods which, under favourable conditions, support the multiplication of pathogenic bacteria and are intended for consumption without treatment which would destroy such organisms. High-risk foods are most likely to be involved in cases of food poisoning. They are usually high in protein and moisture, requiring strict temperature control and protection from contamination and include:

• all cooked meat and poultry;
• cooked meat products including liquid gravy, stock, pâté and meat pies;
• milk, cream, artificial cream, custards, dairy produce and ice cream;
• cooked eggs/products, especially those products made with raw eggs and not thoroughly cooked, for example, mousse, mayonnaise and home-made ice cream;
• shellfish and other seafoods, for example, cooked prawns and oysters; and
• cooked rice, pasta and cooked potato/vegetables (not high in protein).

Low-risk foods

These foods are rarely implicated in food poisoning and may be stored, suitably packaged, at ambient temperatures. They do not support the multiplication of food poisoning bacteria. Examples include:

• preserved food such as jam;
• dried foods or food with little available moisture, such as flour, rice, bread, biscuits. On adding liquid to powdered food, such as milk or ice cream mixes, the food becomes high-risk;
• acid foods (pH<4.0) such as vinegar or products stored in vinegar; ♦ fermented products, such as salami;><4.0) such as vinegar or products stored in vinegar;
• fermented products, such as salami;
• foods with high fat/sugar content, such as chocolate (chocolate is occasionally responsible for salmonella outbreaks); and
• canned foods, whilst unopened.

Ready-to-eat raw foods

Unfortunately, an increasing number of outbreaks of foodborne illness are attributed to the consumption of raw, ready-to-eat foods which are stored at ambient temperatures, for example, salad vegetables, melons, raspberries and unpasteurised apple juice. As these foods do not usually support the multiplication of pathogens, the organisms involved are capable of causing illness in very low numbers, for example, viruses, E. coli O157, shigella and parasites.

Salmonella outbreaks have been associated with cut melon, lettuce and apple juice. Lettuce, raspberries and apple juice have been the food vehicle for outbreaks of viral illness and E. coli O157. Sewage contamination or bad hygiene practices during harvesting are the most likely causes of outbreaks. Ready-to-eat raw foods should be washed, preferably disinfected and, as good practice, stored under refrigeration.

Raw foods (intended for cooking/processing)

Raw foods are often contaminated with large numbers of food poisoning bacteria, for example, raw meat, milk, poultry, eggs and root vegetables contaminated with soil. If raw foods are perishable, they should be stored in a refrigerator separate from high-risk and ready-to-eat food. Raw food may present a serious risk of food poisoning if not heat-treated or cooked thoroughly, especially poultry, products made with raw egg, bivalves, such as oysters, and raw milk.

Food poisoning

Food poisoning is usually an acute illness resulting from eating contaminated or poisonous food. It excludes allergies to food or toxins. The symptoms normally include one or more of the following: abdominal pain, diarrhoea, vomiting, fever and nausea.

Gastroenteritis

This term is used to refer to an inflammation of the stomach and intestinal tract that normally results in diarrhoea.

Carriers

Carriers are people who show no symptoms of illness but excrete food poisoning or foodborne pathogens which may contaminate food, for example, salmonellae or shigellae. Organisms may be excreted intermittently.

Risk groups

Some groups of people have a much greater risk of getting food poisoning. Furthermore, the illness is likely to be more serious and death is more frequent. Risk groups include babies and very young children, the elderly, people already ill, pregnant women and unborn babies and those who are immunocompromised, for example, transplant patients and drug abusers.

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