Understanding Food Safety, Quality, and Nutrition

• Food safety is the freedom of food from anything that might cause food poisoning or harm.
• Quality focuses on taste, smell, and looks, and quality control mainly deals with food quality issues.
• Diet and nutrition are primarily concerned with the nutritional values of food, calories, weight loss, and a balanced healthy diet.
• Food safety ensures that what is eaten will not cause food poisoning or harm.

Importance of Food Safety

• Ethically, food safety protects human lives and prevents death, sickness, pain, and suffering.
• Legally, food safety is a legal requirement, where business owners convicted of food poisoning may face imprisonment, business shutdown, or fines.
• Financially/economically, food safety is important because food poisoning cases cost the country billions of pesos yearly, and businesses may lose clients, production time, and face increased insurance premiums or compensations.

Food-Borne Illness

• Most food-borne illnesses, also known as food poisoning, result from eating contaminated food.
• Contaminated food contains harmful substances like bacteria, viruses, parasites, or chemical substances not originally present.
• An illness becomes an outbreak when two or more people have the same symptoms after eating the same food.
• Cases of food-borne illness can be linked to a common source, like a food product, restaurant, or event.
• Public health authorities monitor and investigate outbreaks, identify contamination sources, and implement measures to protect public health.

Potentially Hazardous Foods (PHFs)

• Potentially hazardous foods provide an environment conducive to the growth of harmful microorganisms if not handled or stored properly.
• PHFs typically have a combination of characteristics, including high protein content, moisture, and a neutral pH.

Characteristics of Potentially Hazardous Foods

• High Protein Content: This provides a nutrient source for microorganisms, leading to spoilage and potential foodborne illnesses.
• Moisture: Provides an ideal environment for microbial growth, allowing bacteria and molds to thrive.
• Neutral pH: Foods with a neutral pH (around 7) are more conducive to the growth of bacteria and pathogens.

Examples of Potentially Hazardous Foods

• Meat and Poultry: Raw and cooked meats like beef, pork, chicken, and turkey provide an excellent medium for bacterial growth due to their protein and moisture content.
• Seafood: Fish, shellfish, and other seafood spoil quickly if not kept at the right temperature, so proper handling and storage is important.
• Dairy Products: Milk, cheese, yogurt, and other dairy items are PHFs due to their protein and moisture content, while unpasteurized dairy products can carry harmful bacteria.
• Cooked Rice and Pasta: Cooked rice and pasta can quickly become breeding grounds for bacteria if left at room temperature and require proper cooling and storage.

Potential Hazard to Food Safety

• Biological hazards
• Chemical hazards
• Physical hazards

Biological Hazards

• Bacteria: Pathogenic bacteria like Salmonella, E. coli, and Campylobacter can cause severe foodborne illnesses and multiply rapidly under favorable conditions like temperature, moisture, and nutrients.
• Viruses: Viruses like Norovirus and Hepatitis A can be transmitted through contaminated food and water, survive in improperly cooked or handled foods, and cause outbreaks even in small quantities.
• Parasites: Found in undercooked meats and seafood, parasites such as Toxoplasma and Trichinella can cause long-lasting health problems if consumed.
• Fungi: Fungal contaminants, including molds and yeasts, can grow on various surfaces, and some produce harmful mycotoxins if ingested.

Chemical Hazards

• Pesticides and Chemical Residues: Improperly washed produce may contain residues of pesticides and herbicides that pose health risks if consumed.
• Food Additives: Excessive amounts of food colors, artificial flavorings, and preservatives can be harmful.
• Toxic Elements: Heavy metals like mercury and lead can contaminate crops through irrigation.

Physical Hazards

• Glass, Metal, and Plastic: Foreign objects can enter food during processing, packaging, or handling, posing a choking hazard.
• Wood, Bone, and Stones: Natural objects can also find their way into food, causing discomfort or harm if not detected.

Cross-Contamination

• Cross-contamination occurs when harmful microorganisms are transferred from one surface or food to another, leading to contamination.
• Direct contact cross-contamination is when microorganisms transfer directly from one food/surface to another through physical contact.
• Indirect contact cross-contamination is when microorganisms transfer from a contaminated surface to food through an intermediate vector like hands or utensils.
• Proper food handling practices such as using separate cutting boards and regular handwashing are essential to prevent cross-contamination.

Active Managerial Control (AMC)

• Active Managerial Control is a proactive approach where food service operators implement specific actions, policies, and procedures to manage and control foodborne illness risk factors.
• The goal of AMC is to prevent, eliminate, or reduce risks of foodborne illness rather than reacting to them.
• Monitoring and Verification: Continuous oversight to ensure food safety practices meet established standards, including routine checks on cooking temperatures, cleaning protocols, and food storage procedures.
• Corrective Actions: Implementing immediate actions when a food safety issue is identified, such as discarding or properly reheating food items stored at incorrect temperatures.
• Training and Education: Ensuring employees are knowledgeable about food safety practices and understanding their role in maintaining them.
• Documentation: Keeping detailed records of food safety practices, monitoring activities, and corrective actions for compliance and improvement.

Food Safety Management System (FSMS)

• A Food Safety Management System is a plan that operators use to keep food safe which includes three main parts: Procedures, Training, and Monitoring
• Procedures are clear steps on how tasks should be done to keep food safe.
• Training involves teaching employees how to follow food safety procedures through instructions, demonstrations, charts, or cards.
• Monitoring means regularly checking to ensure food safety procedures are being followed by observing or using tools such as thermometers and logs.

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP)

• HACCP is a systematic, preventive approach to food safety that identifies, evaluates, and controls hazards significant for food safety.
• The primary function is to prevent foodborne illnesses by monitoring and controlling food production processes to reduce contamination from biological, chemical, and physical hazards.

Conducting a Hazard Analysis

• Identify potential biological, chemical, or physical hazards that could occur in the food production process by analyzing each step.

Determining Critical Control Points (CCPs)

• Identify specific points in the food production process where identified hazards can be controlled or prevented.

Establishing Critical Limits

• For each CCP, establish measurable critical limits (like time, temperature, pH, or humidity) that must be met to ensure hazard control.

Establishing Monitoring Procedures

• Develop procedures to monitor each CCP to ensure that critical limits are being met through regular temperature checks or visual inspections.

Establishing Corrective Actions

• Define the steps to be taken if monitoring shows a CCP is not within critical limits, such as discarding the product, adjusting the process, or retraining staff.

Establishing Verification Procedures

• Implement procedures to verify effectiveness through reviewing monitoring records, conducting audits, or testing the final product.

Establishing Record-Keeping and Documentation Procedures

• Maintain accurate records and documentation of all procedures, monitoring, corrective actions, and verification activities to show compliance and identify improvement areas.