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Public health Flashcards

1
Q

What are the 3 standard setting organisations for food safety?

A

Food safety = CODEX
Animal health and zoonoses = OIE
Plant health = IPPC

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2
Q

What is the function of CODEX?

A

To produce harmonised international food standards which protect consumer health and practices in food trade e.g. nutritional labelling, food hygiene standards.

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3
Q

When did the EU beef hormone ban take effect?

A

1989

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4
Q

What is the precautionary principle?

A

Taking protective action before there is scientific proof of a risk
The EU uses this approach to food safety policy

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5
Q

What does ALOP stand for?

A

Appropriate level of protection

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6
Q

Briefly explain the stages from farm to ALOP

A

1) Farm = primary production. Control measures e.g. GAPs at this stage
End of farm - have to meet performance objectives.
2) Manufacturing - control measures e.g. HACCP
End of manufacturing - have to meet performance objectives.
3) Transport
4) Retail - peformance objectives
5) preperation and cooking - control measure e.g. cooking.
6) Consumption - food safety objective (FSO).

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7
Q

Which parts of the food safety objective are hazard based and risk based, and who regulates them? (bad question - learn the answer - in a pyriamid from ALOP at top.

NB: GAP = good agriculural practice
GHP = good hygienic practice

A

1) ALOP = risk based
2) Food safety objectives/performance indicators
Both above regulated by government/competent authorities
3) HACCP = hazard based
4) Good practices e.g. GAP, GHP = hazard based.
Both above regulated by FBOs

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8
Q

What is the definition of ALOP?

A

The level of protection deemed appropriate by the country establishing a sanitary or phytosanitary measure to protect human, animal and plant life or health within its territory = “public health goal”
can be directly derived from risk assessment results and represents current public health status related to food safety

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9
Q

What does FSO stand for?

A

Food safety objective

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10
Q

What is the definition of the FSO?

A

The maximum frequency and/or concentration of a hazard in a food at the TIME OF CONSUMPTION that provides or contributes to the ALOP
= at the point in the food chain when the hazard level can no longer change.

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11
Q

What does PO stand for?

A

Performance objective

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12
Q

What is the definition of performance objective?

A

The maximum frequency and/or concentration of a hazard in a food at a specified step in the food chain before the time of consumption that provides, or contributes to, an FSO or ALOP

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13
Q

What does PC stand for?

A

Performance criteria

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14
Q

What is the definition of the performance criteria?

A

The effect in frequency and/or concentration of a hazard in a food that must be achieved by the application of 1 or more control measures to provide or contribute to a PO or an FSO
e.g. 6D reduction of salmonella species when cooking ground beef.

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15
Q

What is the PO identical to?

A

the “acceptable level” to be achieved at a Critical Control Point (CCP) in the context of HACCP

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16
Q

What does PrC stand for?

A

Process Criteria

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17
Q

What is the definition of Process Criteria?

A

physical process control parameter (e.g. time, temperature) at a specified step that can be applied to achieve a Performance Objective or Performance Criterion

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18
Q

Give an example of a Process Criteria relating to milk pasteurisation?

A

control parameters for milk pasteurization are 71.7°C for 15 sec, which will assure at least 6 log reduction of Listeria monocytogenes and destruction of Coxiella burnetii

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19
Q

What is PrC (process criteria) identical to in HACCP?

A

The critical limits on CCPs in HACCP

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20
Q

What is the definition of HACCP?

A

Hazard analysis and critical control points

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21
Q

What is the function of HACCP?

A

An approach to identify and prevent food safety hazards and make sure they are being effectively controlled all the time.
- HACCP enables the processor to focus on CCPs.

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22
Q

What is the general function of HACCP?

A

An approach to identify and prevent food safety hazards and make sure they are being effectively controlled all the time.
- HACCP enables the processor to focus on CCPs.

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23
Q

Is HACCP mandatory in all food producing establishments?

A

Yes

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24
Q

In what year did the EU implement HACCP in ALL food business operators?

A

2004

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25
Q

What are the 5 objectives of the HACCP system?

A

1) More efficient quality assurance system
2) Prevention of foodborne illness
3) Protection of reputation
4) Reduction of losses due to product recall
5) Reduction of costs of food analyses

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26
Q

What are the 7 HACCP principles?

A

1) Conduct a hazard analysis to identify any hazards that must be prevented, reduced or eliminated (2 steps - identify the hazard and the level of risk)
2) Identify the CCPs at the steps at which control is essential
3) Establish critical limits for CCPs
4) Establish procedures to monitor the CCPs
5) Establish corrective actions to be taken when monitoring indicates that particular CCP is not under control
6) Establish procedures to verify whether the above procedures are working effectively
7) Establish documentation and records to demonstrate the effective application of the above measures.

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27
Q

Define a hazard

A

A biological, chemical or physical agent with the potential to cause an ADVERSE health effect when present at an UNACCEPTABLE level.

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28
Q

Give 7 potential hazards

A 
Biological hazards:
- Bacteria, viruses, moulds, parasites, toxins. 
Chemical hazards:
- Chemicals
Physical hazards:
- foreign material
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29
Q

Give 7 food poisoning bacteria

A 
E. coli 0157
Salmonella
Campylobacter
Clostridia
Listeria
Bacilius cereus
Staphylococcus
30
Q

Give 3 examples of how food poisoning bacteria become present in raw meat and poultry products

A

1) Poor de-hiding/dressing techniques
2) Excessive handling of carcasses
3) Excessively soiled animals

31
Q

Give 3 examples of how food poisoning bacteria become present in and on pests

A

1) Poor building/structure and maintenance
2) Poor waste disposal
3) No pest control

32
Q

Give 3 examples of how food poisoning bacteria become present in and on people

A

Poor staff hygiene and/or training
Nail biting
Coughing/sneezing

33
Q

Give 3 examples of how food poisoning bacteria become present in the premises

A

Poor and ineffective cleaning
Infrequent cleaning
Poor sanitation

34
Q

HACCP principle 1 - hazard analysis - how do you determine the overall risk of a hazard?

A

Overall risk = the likelihood of hazard occurrence and severity of the consequences (Adverse health effects)

  • qualitative/quantitative evaluation of the presence of hazard
  • survival or multiplication of pathogenic microorganisms.
  • contamination (or recontamination) of an agent on the raw materials, in-process product or finished product
35
Q

HACCP principle 1 - how do you determine the probability and consequence of a hazard?

A

Agents (contaminants) are acceptable as long as their levels remain below a certain maximum

  • if present at a low, acceptable level - its increase to an unacceptable level should be prevented.
  • if present at a high, unacceptable level - its reduction to an acceptable level should be assured.
36
Q

What are the principles of hazard control?

A 
Prevention of contamination
Prevention of increase in level
Assurance of adequate reduction
Prevention of recontamination
Prevention of dissemination (spread)
Elimination
37
Q

Give 4 examples of hazard control

A

1) purchase from a reputable supplier - use a reputable haulier
2) visual checks of animals presented for slaughter
3) Correct temperature control - fridges/freezers/chilling hall. Knife/saw sterilisers, scald tank/singe (time).

38
Q

HACCP principle 2: Identify the CCPs

What is a CCP

A

A step at which control can be applied and is ESSENTIAL to prevent or eliminate a food safety hazard or “reduce it to acceptable levels”
- to identify and locate each CCP, use a CCP decision tree.

39
Q

Give 3 examples of CCPs in meat plants

A

1) Acceptance of animals for slaughter
2) Hide/fleece removal
3) Evisceration (includes bunging and rodding)

40
Q

HACCP principle 3: Establish critical limits for CCPs

What is a critical limit?

A

A maximum and/or minimum VALUE to which a biological, chemical or physical hazard must be controlled at a CCP
- each control measure can have 1 or more critical limit.

41
Q

Give an example of a critical limit

A

Temperature within 24 hours of slaughter.

42
Q

HACCP principle 4: Establish procedures to monitor the CCPs

A
  • regular observations and/or measurements to assess whether the CCP is under control + to produce an accurate record for future use.
  • correct monitoring should detect problem before critical limits reached
43
Q

Give an example of a procedure to monitor the CCPs

A

Checking of carcass temperature by the cooler operator every hour.

44
Q

HACCP principle 5: establish corrective actions

What are corrective actions?

A

Actions to be taken when the monitoring indicates that the process is moving out of control at CCP
- to bring the process back under control to prevent a food safety hazard.

45
Q

What should corrective actions include?

A

Determine and correct the cause of the deviation
Determine the disposition of the affected product
Record the corrective actions that have been taken

46
Q

HACCP principle 6: establish verification and validation procedures
- what does validation and mean in this context?

A 
Validation = Check to confirm that the elements of the HACCP plan are effective in controlling the relevant hazards
Verification = activities, other than monitoring, that determine the validity of the HACCP plan and that the system is operating occording to plan
47
Q

HACCP principle 7: establish documentation and records

- Give 3 types of records used

A

1) Details of the HACCP plan
2) Monitoring records
3) Corrective actions records.

48
Q

Give 3 advantages of HACCP

A

Proactive and preventative
Owned by the producers and staff
Specific, systematic, scientific and documented

49
Q

Give 3 limitation of HACCP

A

Expensive at the start
Demanding of staff and time
Difficult for small operators/large number of products.

50
Q

What is a microbiological criterion?

A

A criterion defining the acceptability of a product, a batch of foodstuffs or a process, based on the abscence, presence or number of microorganisms and/or the quantity of their toxins/metabolites per unit(s) of mass, volume, area or batch.

51
Q

What does a microbiological criteria consist of?

A

a) the microorganisms of concern have to be stated/type of hazard
b) food category
c) Production or processing steps involved (stage where criterion applies)
d) Sampling plans - sampling procedure, sample size, analytical method, critical limits based on data appropriate to the food.
e) Interpretation of the test results + action in case of unsatisfactory results.

52
Q

What are the 2 different types of microbiological criteria in the EU?
(Regulation No 2073/2005)

A

1) Food safety criteria

2) Process hygiene criteria

53
Q

What is food safety criteria?

A
  • Criterion defining the ACCEPTABILITY OF A PRODUCT or a batch of foodstuff applicable to products PLACED ON THE MARKET.
  • risk of recalls, economic loss + loss of consumer confidence = strong motivation to meet criteria.
54
Q

Give an example of a food safety criteria

A

Salmonella abscence in 25 grams of each of 5 samples of minced meat and meat preparations made from poultry meat intended to be eaten cooked, DURING THEIR SHELF LIFE of these products placed on the market

55
Q

What is a process hygiene criteria?

A

Criterion indicating THE ACCEPTABLE FUNCTIONING OF THE PRODUCTION PROCESS.
- above this value corrective actions are required in order to maintain the hygiene of the process in compliance with food law.

56
Q

Give an example of process hygiene criteria?

A

Presence of salmonella in a maximum of 5 of 50 tested neck skin samples derived from 10 consecutive sampling sessions of poultry carcasses after chilling.

57
Q

Give 4 reasons why we need microbiological criteria?

A
  • for validation + verification of HACCP based processes + other hygiene control measures.
  • to assess the acceptability of a batch of food
  • to communicate the level of hazard control that should be achieved
  • Assurance that particular pathogens are not present at unacceptably high concentrations.
58
Q

What is the link between microbiological criteria and microbiological testing?

A

Microbiological criteria cannot be applied without microbiological testing.

59
Q

What are the 2 types of microbiological criteria

A

mandatory and advisory

60
Q

What are mandatory microbiologocal criteria?

A

= microbiological standards

- if not meeting standards removed from marked, established by regulatory authorities.

61
Q

What are advisory microbiological criteria?

A

1) Microbiological specifications
- used by buyers of a food to reduce likelihood of purchasing a product of unacceptable safety/quality.

2) Microbiological guidelines
- indicate the expected microbial content of a food when best practices applied
- used by food companies to design + assess their control systems (GHP, HACCP).
- advisory - dont necessarily lead to food rejection

62
Q

Example of a microbiological criteria

A

Type of hazard = salmonella
Microbiological indicators = may indicate the presence of the hazards (e.g. total aerobic bacteria count)
Food category - minced meat intended t be eaten cooked
Limits: e.g. abscence in 10g.

63
Q

What organisms can we test for during microbiological examination?

A

1) Indicator organisms
- -> General microbiota - total aerobic count or aerobic plate/colony count - hygiene status of a process, total bacterial load.
- -> faecal coliforms, enterobacteriaceae, E.coli - indicates faecal contamination

2) Pathogens
- -> e.g. salmonella, listeria monocytogenes.

64
Q

What type of sampling plan is used for pathogens, based on presence/absence?

A 
Two class sampling plan
Consists of specifications n, m and c
65
Q

What does n, m, c stand for in a two class sampling plan?

what is a satisfactory/unsatisfactory level?

A 
n = number of sample units from a lot to be examined
m = maximum acceptable number of relevant bacteria/gr
c = maximum acceptable number of sample units that may exceed the value of m. (if C is exceeded, the lot is rejected).
Satisfactory = if counts or values are below m. 
Unsatisfactory = if counts or values are greater than m.
66
Q

What type of sampling plan is used for indicator organisms?

A 
Three class sampling plan 
Consists of specifications n, c, m, M
67
Q

What does the n, c, m, M stand for in a 3 class sampling plan?

A 
n = number of sample units to be examined
c= number of sample units giving values between m and M.
m = minimum value
M = maximum value
68
Q 
Explain this example of a 2 class sampling plan for microbiological examination:
- Food safety criterion for Salmonella in minced meat
n = 5, c = 0, m=0/25g
A

5 sample units analysed from a lot, if one contain the pathogen the complete lot is unsatisfactory

69
Q 
Explain this example of a 3 class sampling plan for microbiological examination:
- process hygiene criterion for Enterobacteriaceae in egg products
n = 5, c=2, m=10, M=10
A

5 units from a lot tested, 2 can contain between 10-100 Enteros (giving only acceptable result)
- if more than 3 = unsatisfactory

70
Q

What determines the type of sample taken?

A

Depends on the material to be tested

e.g. excision (carcasses), wet dry swabbing (carcasses + surfaces/equipment), whole carcass rinse (poultry)

71
Q

What are the steps in sample processing?

A

1) Sampling
2) Transport the samples to the lab
3) Remove the bacteria from the sample
4) Examine sample for target organism
5) Confirm suspect colonies
6) Calculate and report results

72
Q

What are the two methods for sampling?

A

Destructive (Excision with scalpel or borer)

Non-destructive (wet/dry swabs, contact) - preferale for industry as dont want ti damaged when buy it.

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