Food Safety Hazards
At all stages of food production it is important to follow good hygienic practices and also prevent contamination (something falling in the food or mixing with the food) or deterioration to the point where the food is no longer fit to eat. A physical item that falls into the food is often called a "foreign body" and items that could cause harm include glass, plastic, wood, metal, string, stones, and bones e.g. fish bones. Chemicals can cause contamination and it is important to control cleaning chemicals and industry or household chemicals to ensure that they do not come into contact with the food.
The moment fruit and vegetables are harvested or animals slaughtered the food will start to deteriorate, either by losing nutrients or physically changing and becoming stale. Over time the human population has used many ways to slow this process including cooking, pickling, adding sugar or salt, dehydrating or more recently the addition of chemical preservatives or the development of particular types of packaging.
Microorganisms can also be present or come into contact with food and given the right conditions will start to grow (multiply). Microorganisms are a group of small biological entities such as bacteria, moulds, yeast, fungi or viruses that can cause either food poisoning or food or water-borne disease. It is important that we prevent contamination in the first place and we take steps such as temperature control to keep foods safe that will support these organisms.
The moment fruit and vegetables are harvested or animals slaughtered the food will start to deteriorate, either by losing nutrients or physically changing and becoming stale. Over time the human population has used many ways to slow this process including cooking, pickling, adding sugar or salt, dehydrating or more recently the addition of chemical preservatives or the development of particular types of packaging.
Microorganisms can also be present or come into contact with food and given the right conditions will start to grow (multiply). Microorganisms are a group of small biological entities such as bacteria, moulds, yeast, fungi or viruses that can cause either food poisoning or food or water-borne disease. It is important that we prevent contamination in the first place and we take steps such as temperature control to keep foods safe that will support these organisms.
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