Food Safety Management: Contamination Prevention and Control Report

This report provides an overview of food safety management, focusing on the prevention and control of food contamination. It details the controls required to prevent physical and chemical contamination, including the use of X-ray machines, proper chemical storage, and staff training. The report also compares the characteristics of food poisoning and foodborne infections, highlighting differences in symptoms, causes, and incubation periods. Furthermore, it discusses the role of HACCP in controlling foodborne illnesses and emphasizes the importance of storage temperature, cooking temperature, cleaning, disinfection, and personal hygiene. The report concludes by underscoring the importance of food safety and personal hygiene in preventing food-related illnesses.

Running Head: FOOD SAFETY MANAGEMENT
Food Safety Management

FOOD SAFETY MANAGEMENT 1
Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Controls Available for the Prevention of Food Contamination.................................................2
Controls Required for the Prevention of Physical and Chemical Contamination of Food....2
Controlling Foodborne Illness...............................................................................................5
Analysis of Different Sources of Food Contamination..............................................................5
Differences in the Characteristics of Food Poisoning and Foodborne Infections..................5
Conclusion.................................................................................................................................7

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Introduction
Food is any nutrients substance that people eat or drink. According to (Richard A. Sprenger
2011), “Food includes drink, chewing gum and any substance including water that is
intentionally incorporated into the food during its manufacturing, treatment and preparation.”
Furthermore, (Pojasek, 2006) emphasize that Food Safety Management was set up and taken
care of by ISO to guide against harmful result that comes out of unsafe and contaminated
food.
Food Safety is practiced in order to avoid (i) Food-borne illness, (ii) Cross-contaminated
Diseases, (iii) Legal evidence and Waste-reduction. This report entails the main factors that
are responsible for food contamination. The preventive controls from both physical and
chemical contamination and the different features of food poisoning and food-borne diseases
and the measures used to control them.
Controls Available for the Prevention of Food Contamination
Controls Required for the Prevention of Physical and Chemical Contamination of Food-
Contamination is the presence of substance that is not supposed to be there. It may be
Physical, Chemical and Biological Contaminations.
Types of Contamination:- Some food may contain ready-made bacteria and in other way food
may be contanminated when is not properly cooked or handled. Food contamination can be in
different ways namely:- Physical Contamination, Chemical Contamination and lastly
Biological Contamination.
(a) Physical Contamination:- Is anything that can be visibly seen or object that is not
suppose to there or any foreign body found in food. Here are some examples of
foreign body that makes them physical contamination. According to ( Dan
Benson,2008) A man found hair in his steak at West Bend Restaurant.
(b) Furthermore, according to (KOB News,Danielle Todesco,2014) A woman found a
mental bolt in her hamburger at Applebie Restaurant Albuq verque.
(c) Lastly (Taylor Berman 2012) A ‘nose ring’ was found in a children breakfast at
Macdonald.

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The causes of physical contamination are (i) People, (ii) Packing materials, (iii) Pests,
(iv) Design and Structure, (v) Maintenance and Repairs, (vi) Containers, (vii)
Cleaning Activities.
Physical contamination occurs because of breakdown of hygienic process.
Controls of Physical Contamination:-Physical Contamination occurs by accident.
Therefore there are controls and measures to prevent all of these contaminations.
They are:
(i) X-Ray machine for metal detection: - Several companies are now using X-ray
inspection as a central feature of their contaminant management system.
Detection levels of under 1mm can be detected depending on the speed of the
products and presentation.
Controls application include the detection of bone in meat products, stone and
glass in fruits and vegetables, and plastics from processing machine.
(ii) Hair found in food:- Employees must followed the institution policy regarding
hygienic procedures. They must wear appropriate protective clothes because
human being loses 50-75 hairs a day.
(iii) Food handler should wear a hat or hairnet.
(iv) Staff should not wear any jewellery and cuts-covered with waterproof plasters
and tie properly as to avoid falling during food handling.
(v) Staff should be trained and maintain personal hygiene in order not to eat or chew
gum or smoke in food areas.
(vi) To protect the Establishment from nuisance, controlled pest programme must be
implemented.
(vii) All the cooked and uncooked food should be covered as to prevent dust particles
or foreign bodies falling in.
(viii) Managers should ensure that all security controls are being monitored and follow
for both employees and the suppliers.
Chemical Contamination: - Chemical Contamination is the presence of chemical substance
produce naturally by plants and animals or accidentally produced which makes food unfit for

FOOD SAFETY MANAGEMENT 4
consumption. The rate of chemical present in the substance in high concentrations can make
it hazardous.
Causes of Chemical Contamination:-
(i) Agriculture: - Chemical contaminants in the agricultural industry can be found in
fertilisers applied to crops, pesticides and herbs used for weeing and pest control.
(ii) Increased levels of chemicals are present in geothermal influenced lakes and
rivers. Furthermore, bio accumulation of mercury in the lake tissues and arsenic
near geothermal arears can make them unfit for consumption.
(iii) Forestry: - Chemical contamination of water due to forestry operation in form of
direct spraying into open waterways and vegetated margins and spillage of
concentrated chemicals washing into streams.
(iv) Wood Processing: - The run off from log yards and ponds may also contain toxic
chemicals (such as fatty acids and reins) leached from the timber, soil and
materials washed out of the bark.
(v) Meat and Diary: - The processing of milk and meat related products in slaughter
houses, tanneries and diary plants requires the use of water for processing and
cleaning purposes.
Control of Chemical Contaminants: -
(i) Chemicals should always be stored away separately from food.
(ii) Safe use and storage of chemicals in the kitchen.
(iii) Food should never be stored in old chemical containers.
(iv) Food should be protected when cleaning or pest control is being carried out.
(v) Chemicals should be delivered in some suitable labelled containers fitted for the
purpose.
(vi) Only food-grade packaging should be used for food as to prevent migration of
chemicals into food especially food with a high fat content.
(vii) Staff must be trained and effectively supervised as to ensure usage of chemicals
safely.
(viii) Inspection and control of stock should be carried out regularly.
(ix) Proper waste management controls.
(x) Ensure that the suppliers are using legal substances in a right amount.

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Controlling Foodborne Illness-
Food borne illness is defined as any sickness resulting from the taking in of contaminated
food, in terms of viruses, pathogenic bacteria like parasite that contaminate food substance
rather than chemical or natural toxins. Food borne illness is caused by improper preparations
or handling of food storage. Proper hygienic practices before and during the preparation of
food can reduce the chances of contracting food borne diseases.
Food quality control includes all activities carried in ensuring the quality and safety of food at
all stages of the food supply chain from the primary purchase and seeing it through
processing and storage to distribution and consumption levels.
Food Bourne illness can be controlled by HACCP which means Hazard Analysis and Critical
Control Points is used to prevent and identify hazards that could cause foodborne illness.
Furthermore, Training of food handlers goes a long way in preventing and controlling of
foodborne illness.
Storage Temperature Control:- Preserving the food at the right freeze temperature also goes
far in controlling any foodborne illness because most of the bacteria that contaminate food
cannot survive at freezing temperature.
Cooking Temperature Control: - Food must be cooked under normal and controllable
temperature in order to avoid any food-borne illness that result in undercooked food.
Cleaning and Disinfection: - Through hygienic cleaning of the food area and disinfection
because of pest around the cooking environment is of paramount important in controlling any
food-borne illness.
Personal Hygiene: - Maintaining high standard of personal hygiene in regards washing of
hands, using the right PPE during and around cooking environment contribute a lot in
reducing food-borne illness.
Analysis of Different Sources of Food Contamination
Differences in the Characteristics of Food Poisoning and Foodborne Infections-
There are differences in the characeristics of food poisoning and foodborne infections. These
differences can be noticed in terms of list of symptoms, causes, examples and incubation
time. Food poisoning is defined as the illness that occurs when someone eat food in which
micro-organism have already multiplied in and passed in their toxins into the food which are
harmful to the body system. The pathogen will get to the food in multiples. On the other
hand, foodborne infections can be defined as the inflammation of the bowels and stomach.

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This infection take place as a result of consumption of food which is infected by bacteria,
parasite or virus.
Bacteria is one of the most powerful and common cause of food poisoning and if
controlled it can minimized its quality in any food and reduces also the risk of illness.
The typical signs of food poisoning are nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramping,
Headaches and fever.
Specific bacteria may cause these signs and symptoms, they are:
(i) Salmonella: - Salmonellae are Gram-negative amicrobic rods in form of
S.Enteritidis and T. Typhimurium which are the common type.
The growth range of these bacteria is from 7degree centigrade to 14 degrees
centigrade with a generation time of ten hours at 10centigrade. The fever
associated wall is as a result of endotoxin released on the death cell and
salmonellae survives several months in the soil. Intestinal tracts of animals and
birds are the primary sources of Salmonellae. These bacteria can be contacted
through contaminated animals. The sources are raw meat and raw chicken. In UK
(1984) aspic glaze contaminated with E.Enteritidis PT4 and it resulted in 766
cases and two deaths. Some irritable bowel syndromes occurred in two women
after taking an egg-sandwich at Manchester Airport in 1988 resulted in £183,500
compensation for food poisoning.
High-Risk foods such as cooked poultry and ready-to-eat products are the causes
of Salmonellae outbreak.
(ii) Clostridium Perfringens: - These bacteria are of anaerobic rods which form
spores under adverse condition such as exposure to free oxygen. The normal
growth is between 15degree centigrade and 52deree centigrade, and when it
reaches 10degree centigrade there is no division. Clostridium Perfringens can
produce every ten minutes and its optimum growth temperature is between
43dedgrees centigrade to 47degrees centigrade. Its spores survive boiling point for
several hours. When large numbers of ingested organism sporulation in the
intestine and releases exotoxin, then it causes illness. CI.Perfringens food
poisoning occurs as a result of mal-practices in handling of food in large kitchens,

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especially in large schools where large quantities of food are prepared for long
hours.
The sympoms of food poisoning and fooborne diseases are similar. Some of the symptoms
are as follows:
Abdominal pain and cramps- In case of food poisoning, toxins can be produced by harmful
organisms through which the lining of the stomach and intestine gets irritated and results in
pain.
Diarrhea- Is is the most common symptom of food poisoning which occurs when
inflammation rsults in the less effectiveness of the bowel at absorbing water and other fluids
secreted during digesion.
Headche- Headaches are common and are experienced for reasons such as stress,
dehydration, fatigue and drinking too much.
Vomiting- Vomiting is a protective mechanism that takes place when the body tries to get rid
of toxins and organisms which are detected to be harmful.
Other symptoms of food poisoning include feeling sickness, fever, chills, weakness, fatigue,
nausea, and muscle aches.
Food poisoning is caused by various viral, bacterial, parasitic agents, poisonous fish, moulds,
maritime toxins, etc.Foodborne illness is caused by bacteria, viruses, protozoa and fungi
which can be regarded as its biological causes. Sometimes it is also caused as a result of food
allergies which are specific to an individual and can even be life threatening. Fooborne illness
is sometimes also caused by food intoxication and food infection. Food intoxication takes
place due to the growth of bacteria in food through which a waste product is produced called
toxin. Food infection takes place when living pathogens are contained on food that grow in
the human intestinal tract. Therefore, there are some similarities and some differences in the
causes of food poisoning and foodborne infections.
Also, there are differneces in the incubation time of food poisoning and foodborne infections.
The average incubation time in case of food poisoning is from 12 hours to a few days. On the
other hand, the average incubation time in case of foodborne disesease range from 24 hours
and can extend to days, weeks, months or even years.

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Conclusion
Food safety and personal hygiene are essential for good health. Numerous cases of food-
Bourne diseases are as a result of poor personal hygiene. Good tasting, safe food to customers
are of paramount important because there are so many potentials food hazards like bacteria,
moulds, and viruses. Alertness and prevention of all these hazards must be taken into
consideration by food-service professionals. Safety Rules needed to be followed at all times
in order not to contaminate food and make someone sick.