What is food safety?
Source obtained from: http://www.emro.who.int/Publications/EMHJ/1006/PDF/13%20Food%20safety.pdf
- For consumers, the definaition of food safety is generally quite practical and simple. Some will have ideas as simple as, so long as the food eaten does not cause a person to fall sick, it is considered safe. While others may describe safe food as food that is within its shelf life and has been stored or distributed at the proper temperature. Some other consumers may food that is not "contaminated" as safe to consume food.
- However, for the food industry, it defines food safety by its specification for raw materials and finished products. For example, acceptable limits for chemical hazards, like pesticide, physical hazards such as metal fragments, and microbiological hazards such as Salmonella.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), on the other hand, define food safety as food that is free from all hazards, whether chronic or acute, that may make food injurious to the health of the consumer. Also, measures and conditions that are necessary during the receiving, production, processing, storage, distribution and preparation of all kinds of food to ensure that it is safe, wholesome and fit for human consumption.
Food Safety Tips
At home:
- Do not handle raw and cooked food with the same pair of utensils
- Refrigerate or freeze perishable food within 2 hours of shopping or preparing.
- Wash hands, cutting boards, dishes, utensils, and work surfaces frequently with hot,
soapy water. - Keep hot food above 60 degrees celcius and cold food below 5 degrees celcius.
- Never partially cook food for finishing later because you increase the risk of bacterial
growth. - Use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of food such as meat, poultry. Check temperature in several places to be sure food is safely cooked.
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