CIEH FOOD SAFETY

• Food may be considered spoiled when when it is undesirable or unfit to eat.
• spoilage of food may be caused by: decomposition, pest infestation, physical damage, chemical contamination.
• decomposition is due to micro-organisms (such as bacteria, mould and yeasts) and enzymes (cause chemical reactions).
• physical damage example: bruising on an apple, caused by food not being packaged appropriately.
• chemical contamination example: when foods are tainted by strong-smelling cleaning chemicals.
• Signs of food spoilage: appearance (discolouration, mould, blown packaging).
• Signs of food spoilage: smell (sometimes like rotten eggs, caused by proteins breaking down).
• Signs of food spoilage: texture/ taste
• It is important to measure the core temperature of any high risk food that is under refrigeration or being cooked, reheated, cooled or defrosted.
• A temperature taken anywhere else may give you a false reading, so always take the temperature at the thickest part of the food.
• air temperatures may not be the same as food temperatures.
• the surface temperature of food may be warmer or cooler than the temperature in the centre (core) of the food.
• cooking is a critical stage of the food process because it is when harmful bacteria and viruses can be destroyed and the food made safe.
• If food is not cooked properly, harmful bacteria and viruses may not be destroyed and these could cause food borne illness.
• cooked foods which you intend to chill and use later must be cooled to 5°C or below as quickly as possible (within 1-2 hours).
• The less time that food spends between 63°C and 5°C during cooling, the less opportunity there is for harmful bacteria to multiply.
• Toxins: poisonous substances in food produced by some bacteria
• Toxins: can be heat resistant and survive the cooking process so its important to prevent toxins being produced in the first place.
• Toxins: some toxins affect the nervous systems and may even cause death.
• types of protective clothing: hairnets, beard snoods, hats, aprons, overalls, chef whites, footwear - to prevent outside contamination being brought into the food preparation area.
• you must tell your supervisor or manager if you have had food-borne illness, been in close contact with someone who has or has had similar symptoms. (being sick or having diarrhoea). Before you turn up to work.
• if you have uninfected cuts and sores, you can continue to work if it is completely covered with a clean plaster that is: waterproof and brightly coloured - usually blue.
• plasters: they need to be waterproof to prevent blood and bacteria from the cut contaminating food.
• Plasters: need to be brightly coloured so that they may be easily spotted if dropped in food.
• when to wash hands: before starting work and handling food
• when to wash hands: between handling raw food and high-risk or other ready-to-eat food.
• when to wash hands: after - handling raw foods and known allergens, handling contaminated packaging and many more
• HACCP - stands for "hazard analysis critical control point"
• HACCP - is an internationally recognised food safety management system that helps businesses to identify, assess and control significant hazards that may effect food safety.
• HACCP controls significant hazards by locating all the points in a food process where hazards could occur.
• HACCP controls significant hazards by deciding which points are critical to the safety of the end product.
• HACCP controls significant hazards by focussing control on these critical points.
• HACCP helps to prevent potential food safety problems.
• HACCP is not a stand-alone system. Before you can begin to implement an effective HACCP system and establish procedures for the control of specific hazards, there needs to be:

  a safely designed establishment, adequate facilities, correct equipment.
• HACCP - Also, procedures covering the general principles of hygiene must first be in place and operational – known as ‘prerequisite procedures’.
• Best before dates appear on less perishable foods that have a long shelf life, such as: canned, dried or frozen products.
• Use by dates are found on perishable foods with a short shelf life, and that are considered high risk foods. E.g., meat/fish/dairy - they require chilled storage.
• Stock rotation is a way of ensuring that all produce is used and there is no food wastage - e.g., milk delivery - the knew produce would go behind the old produce on the shelf.
• SAFE FOOD STORAGE - checking dates on food when it is delivered storing food with a short shelf life at the front of the shelf so that it will be used first, and storing food with a longer shelf life at the back.
• safe food storage - checking that food is in good condition and packaging is intact before selecting it removing any out-of-date stock from display, and disposing of it as a waste product so that it cannot re-enter the food chain.