food contamination

• 4 different types of food contamination: physical, allergenic, chemical and microbiological
• physical contamination - contamination of a product by foreign objects such as dirt, hair, nail polish, jewellery
• chemical contamination - dangerous chemicals being in contact with the food. eg cleaning chemicals, pesticides, insecticides, paint, metals
• microbiological contamination - microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, viruses and other pathogens) that contaminate the food and can cause disease
• signs of food spoilage - foul odour, sliminess, swollen packaging, sourness, discolouration (mould)
• most common food allergies - cows milk, eggs, trees nuts, peanuts, shellfish, wheat, soy, fish
• food allergy - a condition where the body's immune system reacts unusually to certain foods.
• food intolerance - a long term condition were certain foods cause someone to feel unwell
• anaphylactic - a serious life-threatening allergic reaction which usually occurs within few seconds or minutes of exposure to allergic substances. This involves hives, swelling and sudden drop in the blood pressure and sometimes shock.
• food intolerances examples: lactose intolerance where the person is unable to break down the natural sugars found in milk. (do not produce the enzyme lactase). coeliac disease where the immune system cannot tolerate gluten.
• msg (monosodium glutamate) is a food additive that is used to enhance the flavor of food. naturally found in broccoli, peas, cheese, tomatoes, mushrooms and soy sauce. can cause symptoms of reddening go the skin, headaches, drowsiness, numbness, tingling sensations on the arms and face.
• pku (phenylketonuria) - a genetic condition that is caused by a lack of an enzyme in the body. can result in brain damage if not detected at birth. heel prick test at birth to test for it