CONTROL OF FOOD HAZARDS | Microbiological Specifications | Microbiological Cross Contamination | Physical & chemical Contamination
food contamination
The HACCP system shall be developed, implemented, verified,
and maintained by all companies to eliminate or minimize food hazards. Personal
food is not allowed to be cooked or served in the catering facilities.
Time &
Temperature Control
·
Inadequate food temperature control is one of
the most common causes of foodborne illness or food spoilage. Such controls
include the time and temperature of food receiving, thawing, cooking, cooling,
processing and storage, transportation, and serving. Systems shall be in place
to ensure that temperature is controlled effectively where it is critical to
the safety and suitability of food.
·
Store dried food in a cool, dry place away from
sunlight. To ensure the same, dry food shall be stored at an adequate
temperature range between 10 C and 21 C and a maximum of 24 C.
·
Humidity levels of dry storage shall not exceed
60% to avoid mold growth
·
Thawing of frozen raw meat, fish, and poultry
shall be carried out in a controlled manner (i.e. in a cold room or
refrigerator with the temperature not exceeding + 5 C to + 8 C, using a
microwave oven, or a defrosting cabinet). The running water thawing method
shall be adopted only in case of emergency and not as a routine. Running water
thawing shall be carried out only in dedicated raw food handling areas to avoid
possible cross-contamination.
·
Minimize handling the raw food. Reduce the food
exposure time at ambient temperature to 30 minutes, maximum. A single batch
preparation shall be completed in a maximum of two hours.
·
Salad vegetables shall be washed thoroughly and
sanitized by using an approved chemical, e.g. 50-100 ppm chlorine with a
contact time of 20 to 10 minutes respectively, or by using food-grade Hydrogen
Peroxide and Peracetic acid combinations as recommended by the chemical
supplier.
·
Raw foods of animal origin and food mixtures
containing raw foods of animal origin shall be cooked until all parts of the
food achieve a core temperature of 75 C or above for 30 seconds to ensure that
harmful bacteria are destroyed. Equivalent time and temperature combinations
that are scientifically validated can be used for cooking, e.g. 82 C for
instant cooking, and 72 C for 2 minutes. Use a calibrated probe thermometer to
check the temperature of food cooked.
·
High-risk foods that have been cooked and are
intended to be kept under refrigerated storage before serving are to be cooled
from 60 C to 20 C or less within two hours and then from 20 C to 5 C or less
within 4 hours total of 6 hours.
·
Cooked foods that are cooled and stored at 5 C
and are intended to be served hot shall be reheated until it reaches an
internal temperature of 75 C or equivalent in a manner that they will pass
through the danger zone 5 C to 63 C as soon as possible.
·
Cooked food that has been reheated shall not be
cooled and reheated for a second time to avoid it from being repeatedly exposed
to temperatures that can support the growth of pathogenic bacteria.
·
Hot served high-risk foods that are intended for
immediate consumption shall not be displayed or held for service at
temperatures between 5 C and 63 C for more than 2 hours. High-risk foods may be
either refrigerated or used immediately if stored or displayed at temperatures
between 5 C and 63 C for less than two hours. If exceeding two hours, it shall
be discarded.
·
Cold-served high-risk foods that are intended
for immediate consumption shall not be stored, displayed, or held for service
or display at temperatures between 5 C and 63 C for more than 4 hours including
the time of preparation. The food item shall be discarded after that time.
·
Hot and cold storage facilities equipment be
capable of maintaining the required temperatures and shall have temperature
recording devices for regular monitoring. Such devices shall be calibrated
annually from external accredited bodies.
·
Deep freezers shall operate at minus 18 C or
below, chillers, and refrigerators at +1 C to + 4 C.
Microbiological
Specifications
Where microbiological, chemical or physical specifications
are used in any food control system, such specifications shall be based on
sound scientific principles and state, where appropriate, and apply risk-based
monitoring procedures, analytical methods, and action limits.
50 grams of control samples of high-risk food produced shall
be retained for 72 hours under refrigeration, which shall be referred to for
microbiological analysis in case of a suspected food complaint or food
poisoning. Product sample identification along with its record shall be
available for inspection.
Microbiological Cross
Contamination
Raw, unprocessed food
shall be effectively separated, either physically or by time, from ready-to-eat
foods, with effective intermediate cleaning and disinfection. This can be
accomplished by using different work surfaces for raw and cooked food during
preparation, e.g. color-coded cutting boards, knives, and cleaning cloths
Surfaces, utensils, equipment, fixtures, and fittings shall
be thoroughly cleaned and, if necessary, disinfected after handling or
processing raw food, especially meat and poultry.
Disinfection can be accomplished by cleaning and immersion
in 50 – 200ppm of hypochlorite solution (for optimum effect, solution
temperature shall be less than 40 C with a contact time of up to 20 minutes).
Cutting boards shall be cleaned and disinfected before,
during, and after use.
The effectiveness of cleaning shall be verified by
periodically conducting laboratory tests of swabs taken from different food
contact surfaces, hand contact surfaces, utensils, and equipment.
Physical &
chemical Contamination
Systems shall be in place to prevent contamination of foods
by foreign bodies such as glass, metal shards from machinery, dust, harmful
fumes, and hazardous chemicals.
Raw Ready-to-Eat
Foods of Animal Origin
Pasteurized egg heat-treated shall be used in any egg-based
items that may only be lightly cooked e.g. sunny side up eggs, mayonnaise or
mousse. Where animal origin food or seafood is served raw or lightly cooked
such as sushi, raw oysters, steak tartar, carpaccio, sweets and shakes made
from raw eggs, etc. the following measures shall be taken:
The food safety program shall identify the risks and both
validate and verify the effectiveness of the control measures implemented to
reduce the risk.
When raw fish or meat is served to the consumer, the food
business shall have in place control measures to eliminate parasites and reduce
the presence of other pathogens to an acceptable limit
When it is not obvious to the consumer that the food or the
ingredient is raw, the menu or the label on the packaging shall clearly state
the name of the ingredient and also state that the ingredient is raw.
When packed and sold, the packaging shall clearly state the
storage and handling requirements necessary to ensure the safety of the food.
Allergen Control
Foods that contain common allergens shall be identified on
the menu and displayed. If consumers have inquiries regarding the presence of
allergens in a food, it is suggested that they be provided with a list of
ingredients. In case of a food allergy, a qualified health professional’s
advice shall be obtained. The common allergens are the following:
Peanuts, Tree nuts such as almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts,
brazil nuts, cashews, pecans, pistachios, macadamia nuts, Eggs, Milk, Mollusks
mussels and squid, Crustaceans including prawns, crab, and lobster), Fish,
Sesame seeds, Cereals containing gluten including wheat, rye, barley, oats,
Soya, Celery, Mustard, Sulphites, and Sulphur dioxide preservatives are used in
some foods and drinks at levels above 10mg per kg or 10ml per liter.
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