Food Safety Flashcards
At what point can contamination occur?
At any point during:
Production
Processing
Distribution
Preparation
What is food poisoning?
Condition caused by consumption of a contaminated food or beverage
Which federal program has the most oversight in food safety in the US?
The USDA
What is considered the pre-harvest stage?
growing or producing on the farm
What is considered part of the harvest stage?
The product is still on the farm but being harvested
What is considered the post-harvest stage
Transportation, Retail, and Consumer responsibility
What does HACCP focus on?
Health safety issues rather than food quality issues and focuses on preventing hazards
Who is HACCP mandated by?
FDA and USDA
How are foodborne illnesses controlled during pre-harvest for produce?
- Fertilizer
- Farm worker hygiene
EPA and USDA oversight
How are foodborne illnesses controlled during pre-harvest for livestock?
- animals feed quality/safety
- biosecurity
- animal health monitoring and vet care
USDA, FDA, and state vet oversight
Food safety controls during the harvest of milk
sanitary milking procedures
routine farm-level milk quality and safety checks
Food safety controls during the harvest of eggs
farm sanitation
routine collection and safe handling
Food safety controls during the harvest of meat
regulated for home vs commercial slaughter
USDA inspected slaughter facilities
Food packaging and processing harvest and post harvest
washing
rinsing
sifting
sorting
trimming
what does FAT TOM stand for?
a potential control point for killing or limiting growth of pathogens
FOOD
ACID
TEMP
TIME
OXYGEN
MOISTURE
FATTTOM: FOOD
- provides a medium for growth
- not much you can do to the food itself without altering taste or quality
FATTTOM: ACIDITY
the optimal pH range for microbial growth is 4.6-7.5
FATTTOM: TEMP
high temp = kill pathogens
low temp = stop growth
FATTTOM: TIME
pathogens require time to become infectious
less than 4 hours is typical time allowed in temp.
FATTTOM: OXYGEN
Most food-borne pathogens are aerobic so drying out food eliminates this
FATTTOM: MOISTURE
foods lower in water activity are more resistant to pathogen growth
Food preservation options
Drying
Curing
Smoking
Pickling/ brining
Canning/ bottling
Jellying
Jugging
Burying
Fermenting
Commercial preservation techniques
Modified atmosphere (replaces oxygen with inert gas, commonly used for salads, grains, apples, bananas and fish)
Irradiation (exposing product to low dose gamma rays)
Pasteurization (heating at varying times/temps)
Food prep safety includes
Hygiene
Temp. control
Timing
