Food Safety Flashcards
What temperature should your fridge be at?
1-4*C
What temperature should your freezer be at?
-18*C
Name three food poisoning bacteria
Listeria
Salmonella
Staphylococcus aureus
Mild flu-like symptoms of listeria
Fever
Muscle aches
Sometimes nausea and diarrhoea
Serious complications associated with listeria
Headache Stiff neck Confusion Loss of balance Convulsions Blood poisoning Meningitis
Listeria is particularly dangerous to pregnant women bc…
…it can cause miscarriage, premature delivery or severe illness in the baby when it’s born.
Listeria at-risk groups
Pregnant women
Elderly
Immuno-suppressed
Listeria food sources
Unpasteurised cheeses Soft, mould-ripened cheeses Uncooked meats Cold cuts of meat Smoked salmon Pâtés Ready-meals and ready-to-eat foods such as pre-packaged sandwiches
Listeria can grow at low temperatures including below 5*C. It is destroyed by…
…cooking food thoroughly and pasteurisation
Salmonella symptoms
Fever
Diarrhoea
Vomiting
Abdominal pain
Salmonella sources
Poultry Raw meat Eggs Unpasteurised milk Raw, unwashed veg
Staphylococcus aureus symptoms
Severe vomiting
Diarrhoea
Abdominal pain
Staphylococcus aureus sources
Cooked meats
Poultry
Unpasteurised milk
Those that are made by hand and require no cooking, such as prepared sandwiches, desserts and cream products
Personal hygiene rules
- avoid handling food if you are unwell -> to prevent the spread of a virus or bacteria as they are passed on easily
- wear a clean apron -> protects food from dirt on your clothes
- avoid touching hair and tie long hair back -> to prevent stray hairs, that carry bacteria, getting into the food
Food purchasing dos
- observe personal hygiene standards of staff handling and serving food and report unhygienic practices to the store management or the local Environmental Health Department
- pack raw foods, fruit and veg away from cooked and ready-to-eat foods
- check that chilled and frozen food cabinets are operating at the correct temperatures and are not overloaded
Food purchasing don’ts
- don’t buy cans or packets of food that are damaged or have been opened
- don’t buy products that have exceeded the use-by or best before date
Food storage rules
- follow instructions to make sure that foods are stored in the correct place, the the correct temperature, for the correct length of time
- keep fruit and veg in the salad drawer at the bottom of the fridge
- raw meat, poultry and fish should be covered and kept on the bottom shelf of the fridge, separate from any ready-to-eat foods
Use-by dates
- appears on the labels of highly perishable or high-risk foods
- these foods go off quickly and generally must be stored in a fridge or a freezer operating at the correct temperature
- food must be eaten by the use-by date -> after this date the food is likely to become unsafe to eat and could cause food poisoning
Best before dates
- generally appears on the labels of low risk foods that can be safely stored in a cupboard
- it indicates how long the food will be at its best -> most foods will remain safe to eat after this date, but the quality may be affected
Food preparation rules
- ideally use separate chopping boards to keeps raw and cooked food apart at all times to avoid cross-contamination
- avoid preparing food for yourself or others if you are ill as viruses can transfer to the food and then to the people
- cook all foods until they are piping hot to kill the bacteria
Why are babies more at risk of illness?
They have less developed immune systems
Food safety rules that apply to babies
- all equipment should be washed and sterilised for a young baby
- cook food until piping hot and then cool rapidly
- throw away leftover portions of food (saliva from mouth could contain bacteria)
Food safety in relation to older people
- may have lower immunity to infection
- food hygiene is very important to minimise risk
- dehydration can occur quickly if there’s a lot of vomiting/ diarrhoea and this can be dangerous for an elderly person
Pregnant women shouldn’t eat unpasteurised milk and cheeses, pâté, shell fish and raw/undercooked eggs bc…
- unpasteurised milk may be contaminated with salmonella
- unpasteurised cheese may be contaminated with listeria
- shellfish may be contaminated with salmonella
- undercooked eggs may be contaminated with salmonella
Ready meals should be reheated until …
Piping hot (core temp 70oC for 2 mins) to destroy any harmful bacteria - always follow manufacturer’s instructions
Examples of people who are immuno-suppressed (have weakened immune systems)
Someone after surgery
Someone receiving cancer treatments (radiotherapy, chemotherapy)
Which food poisoning bacterium can grow at low temperatures including below 5oC? And how is it destroyed?
Listeria
Cooking food thoroughly or pasteurisation
Rules for avoiding listeria
- thoroughly wash raw veg before eating
- wash hands, knives and cutting boards after handling uncooked foods
- keep uncooked meat separate from all other foods
Rules for avoiding salmonella
- always wash hands after handling raw chicken and other raw meats
- if suffering from food poisoning do not handle food until 48 hours after symptoms have stopped
- ensure chicken and other meats are thoroughly cooked until piping hot in the centre to above 63oC
……… produces toxins that are difficult to destroy - they’re often found … … …… and … … …… therefore personal hygiene is critical in the control of this bacterium.
Staphylococcus aureus
On the skin, in the nose
Rules for avoiding staphylococcus aureus
- do not eat, smoke, cough or sneeze in food rooms
- keep food handling time to a minimum
- do not prepare or serve food for others if you have wounds or skin infections on your hands or wrists
The Food Safety (NI) Order 1991 protects consumers by making it an ……… to .……, ……. or ….… food in any way that could ……… health.
Offence
Produce, treat or alter
Endanger
The Food Safety (NI) Order 1991 states that it’s unlawful to sell food that is:
- unfit for human consumption (heavily contaminated with bacteria)
- falsely or misleadingly labelled (lying about % of beef in a burger)
- not of the nature, substance or quality demanded by the consumer (horse meat, watered down alcohol)
- declared injurious to health
The legislation gives power to the EHD of local council areas to be able to:
- issue improvement notices
- inspect and seize suspect food
- issue emergency prohibition notices
Environmental Health Officers can:
- inspect food businesses to ensure they comply with food safety legislation
- investigate consumer complaints about food quality or safety, food poisoning or unclean premises
- offer advice to the food industry and consumers about food safety
