Food Safety and Sanitation

Identifying Hazards

Food becomes unsafe accidentally when harmful things like micro-organisms and chemicals get into foods.

The three most common types of hazards are:

• Biological hazards - include bacteria, viruses and parasites.
• Chemical hazards - include pesticides, food additives and preservatives, cleaning supplies and toxic metals that leech through worn cookware and equipment.
• Physical hazards – include dirt, broken glass and crockery, food packaging, hair and other objects that could accidentally get into food.

1- Biological hazards include disease-causing micro-organisms, certain plants and fish that carry toxins (poisonous). Once a biological hazard is in the food, it may be very hard to kill or control. Some micro-organisms can survive freezing temperatures. Bacteria and the toxins they produce do not have an odor or taste to help you detect them. Bacteria can be a silent killer in foods. Some bacteria produce spores. Spores are thick-walled, protective structures that allow bacteria to survive cooking, freezing temperatures, and some sanitizing mixtures.

Bacteria need these conditions to grow:

Food: high protein foods are often contaminated at the time of purchase. Using safe food practices destroys the bacteria.
Acidity: bacteria prefer low-acid environments. Some bacteria do survive an acidic environment.
Time: potentially hazardous foods should not remain in the danger zone for more than four hours during the entire food handling process.
Temperature: the temperature danger zone is 40 degrees F to 140 degrees F.
Oxygen: some bacteria require oxygen to grow. Other bacteria grow without oxygen. However, both types of bacteria cause foodborne illness.
Moisture: bacteria grow best in a moist environment. Remove water from foods by freezing, adding sugar or salt, or cooking.

2- Chemical hazards include:

• pesticides
• food additives and preservatives
• cleaning and sanitizing supplies
• toxic metals that leech through worn cookware and equipment
• lubricants used on equipment

3- Physical hazards include:

• dirt
• hair
• broken glass and crockery
• nails
• staples
• metal fragments and other objects that accidentally enter foods

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Strategies to Keep Food Safe

Reducing the risk of bacterial hazards:

• Wash hands before and after touching raw food.
• Clean and sanitize all food contact surfaces that touch raw food.
• Clean and sanitize all cleaning cloths, sponges, equipment and utensils that touch raw food.
• Store raw foods on shelves below ready-to-eat foods to prevent cross-contamination.
• Remember, raw meats dripping on ready-to-eat foods will contaminate the ready-to-eat foods.

Reduce the risk of chemical hazards:

• Store cleaning chemicals in a separate room from food. Do not leave cleaning chemicals near food preparation areas.
• Store chemicals in their original containers. Do not store chemicals in food containers.
• Use only food-grade, commercial foodservice containers.
• Change gloves and wash hands after cleaning and sanitizing work areas before returning to food preparation duties.

Reducing the risk of physical hazards:

• Use a commercial, food-grade plastic or metal scoop with handles to scoop ice. Do not use glasses to scoop ice.
• Store toothpicks and other non-edible garnishes in separate areas from food storage and food preparation areas.
• Remove staples, nails and similar objects from boxes and crates when food is received.
• Wear hair restraints. Follow unit policies and procedures for wearing jewelry and nail polish.

Make it a general practice to walk through the kitchen, storage areas, refrigeration units, etc. and identify potential hazards. Review your menu to determine where potential hazards may occur.

About the Author

ComPro, E.T.C, UniPro Foodservice, Inc.