Practicing food hygiene involves the following key steps:
Keep clean: Proper handwashing, cleaning utensils, and maintaining a clean food preparation area.
Separate raw and cooked foods: Prevent cross-contamination by keeping raw meats separate from ready-to-eat foods.
Cook thoroughly: Ensure that food is cooked to safe temperatures to kill harmful bacteria.
Keep food at safe temperatures: Store perishable foods in the refrigerator and avoid leaving them at room temperature for too long.
Use safe water and raw materials: Ensure that water and ingredients used in food preparation are safe and uncontaminated.
HOW TO WASH YOUR HANDS.
Follow the five steps for effective handwashing to help prevent the spread of germs and keep you and others healthy.
Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the faucet, and apply soap.
Lather your hands by rubbing them together with soap. Lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. If you hum the “Happy Birthday” song twice from beginning to end, that’s about 20 seconds!
Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.
Dry your hands with a clean towel or air dry them.
Did you know that washing your hands properly can prevent 1 in 3 diarrheal illnesses and 1 in 5 respiratory infections like the common cold or the flu? Handwashing is especially important when handling food and at other times when you are likely to get and spread germs. Protect yourself and your family by washing your hands at these key times:
Before, during, and after preparing food
Before eating
After handling pets, pet food, or pet treats
After using the restroom or changing a diaper
After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing into your hands
After touching garbage
Before and after treating a cut or wound
Before and after caring for someone who is sick
Handwashing While Cooking
It’s always important to wash your hands before, during, and after preparing any food and after touching raw meat, poultry, seafood, or eggs. Your hands can spread germs around your kitchen and to other foods. Washing your hands often and correctly while you’re cooking can help prevent cross-contamination.
Food hygiene practices are a set of guidelines designed to keep food safe from contamination and spoilage. The core safe food handling practices are clean, separate, cook, and chill. The 4 basic steps for food safety are:
1. Wash hands in warm soapy water for at least 20 seconds. Do this before and after touching food.
2. Wash your cutting boards, dishes, forks, spoons, knives, and counter tops with hot soapy water. Do this after working with each food item.
3. Rinse fruits and veggies.
4. Clean the lids on canned goods before opening.
What is food borne illness?
Foodborne illness is caused by eating or drinking foods contaminated with food poisoning
organisms.
What are the symptoms of foodborne Illness?
Depending on the type of organism and the person affected symptoms of foodborne illness range from mild to very severe and include:
l Fever
l Nausea
l Stomach cramps
l Vomiting
l Headache
l Diarrhea
l Dizziness
l Death
Foodborne illness is particularly dangerous for people with weakened or compromised immune systems. For example, young children, the elderly, people who are sick or undergoing
chemotherapy and pregnant women, are most vulnerable to food poisoning organisms.
What are the different types of food contamination?
l Chemical contamination
l Physical contamination
l Biological contamination
Chemical Contamination
Chemical contamination of food occurs when chemicals such as cleaning products, pesticides,
insecticides or any other chemical accidentally gets into the food being prepared.
Vomiting and other symptoms usually occur within one hour after eating chemically contaminated
foods. Chemical contamination makes people extremely sick and can be fatal.
To Avoid Chemical Contamination:
l Store all chemicals separate away from food; be sure to use chemicals safely.
l Do not store chemicals in food containers.
l All chemicals must be properly labeled.
Do not store food in containers previously used for
chemicals, only use approved food safe sanitizers on food contact surfaces refer to page 34.
Physical Contamination
Physical contamination is caused by foreign objects falling into food during preparation. The object
blends in with the food and remains unseen until a person eats the food with the object in it.
Foreign objects may cause choking or may cause painful cuts inside the mouth or throat.
During preparation objects can easily get into food without being noticed.
Objects such as:
l Glass
l Hair
l Earrings
l Nail polish or false nails
l Bandages
l Staples from boxes
l Plastic bread tags
l Metal shavings from opening cans
To Avoid Physical Contamination:
To Avoid Physical Contamination:
l Do not wear dangling earrings or jewelry, always wear hair restraints.
l Always check equipment before using, being sure to look for broken pieces or foreign objects.
l Report or fix any plaster that is chipping from ceilings or walls.
l Carefully open cartons or packages, look for staples.
l Work in a clean and organized work area.
l Always wear a glove if you are wearing a bandage.
l Open cans carefully; fine bits of metal shavings can get into food.
Biological Contamination
Biological contamination refers to food contaminated by micro-organisms.
Micro-organisms are living cells that exist everywhere in the environment. They are invisible to the naked eye and can only be seen with a microscope. Types of microorganisms include:
l Bacteria
l Viruses
l Parasites
l Yeasts
l Moulds
Micro-organisms are found on people, animals, insects, equipment, work surfaces, utensils and in the air we breathe. It is good to remember that not all microorganisms are harmful such as, the types that help make cheese and yogurt. Regarding food safety, we are only concerned with those microorganisms that may make people sick.
Pathogens are harmful micro-organisms that cause illness including foodborne illness. They are dangerous because they are invisible, odorless and tasteless. Foodborne pathogens cannot be seen, tasted or smelled in contaminated food. Food may look, taste and smell fine but, it is impossible to know for sure if it is contaminated or not.
In other words, harmful bacteria may not change the taste, smell or looks of food, food must be always handled safely, Temperature control is the major key to safe food handling.
What are ways to chill and store food?
Always:
Keep cooked food warmer than 60°C (140°F) or at 4°C (40°F) or cooler.
Keep the refrigerator set at 4°C (40°F). If you are unsure of its temperature, use a thermometer and adjust the temperature control as required.
Keep frozen food at -18°C (0°F) or less. This temperature stops bacterial growth, although it may not kill all bacteria already present before freezing.
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