Food Hygiene
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Food is something we all rely on daily, yet when not handled properly, it can quickly become a source of illness. Food poisoning affects millions of people every year and is often caused by simple mistakes in how food is prepared, stored, or cooked. Understanding the causes and symptoms of food poisoning is the first step towards preventing it, both at home and in food service environments.
This article explores the key aspects of food safety, starting with what food poisoning is and how it can affect the body. We’ll then look at the most common causes and how bacteria thrive when given the right conditions. Finally, we’ll break down essential control measures—from cooking and cooling to holding, thawing, and reheating food—all aimed at keeping harmful bacteria at bay. Whether you’re a food handler, a business owner, or simply cooking for your family, these practices are crucial in ensuring food is safe to eat. Let’s dive in.
The topic of food-borne illness will be covered in greater detail, including what it is, its various forms, its causes, and how to prevent it in settings where food is handled.
Table of Contents
Definition of Food Poisoning
To put it simply, food poisoning is any illness that arises from eating or drinking anything that contains bacteria, viruses, parasites, or moulds that are actively harmful or cause spoiling. Toxins or pesticides present in the diet may potentially be the culprit.
Symptoms of Food Poisoning
Usually, two to six hours after the material or organism entered your body, you will be able to tell if you have food poisoning.
The combination of stomach pain or cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, fever (with a temperature of 38°C or higher), headache, and overwhelming weakness will be your telltale signs.
Depending on the type of food poisoning you have, these symptoms may not appear for several weeks, but they will definitely be noticeable!
Causes of Food Poisoning
Pathogenic food poisoning-causing organisms, usually bacteria, viruses, or moulds, can grow in food at any point during the manufacturing and handling process. –
- When the plants are growing or the animals are being raised
- When they’re slaughtered or harvested, or
- When they’re packed, transported, stored or being prepared for human consumption.
Keep in mind that the higher the temperature—both outside and in the kitchen—the greater the risk of getting food poisoning. Food left out in the open might start to spoil within an hour during the hottest part of the summer.
Control the Temperature to Control the Bacteria
Controlling the meal’s temperature is one of the most crucial strategies to stop food poisoning germs from growing.
We have observed that the majority of bacteria grow exponentially in the Danger Zone, which is between 8 and 63°C. Legally, cold meals must be kept below 8°C and hot foods must be heated above 63°C.
The only way to ensure food safety is to do this. Whether food is being cooked, reheated, chilled, cooled, or kept warm, there are precise temperature requirements for each of the main food preparation processes. This is to ensure that there is as little risk of bacterial contamination as possible.
We will now address all of the other preventive measures that can be used to stop the spread of bacteria.
Cooking Food
Inadequate cooking can pose a serious risk of dangerous microorganisms to those who consume the food.
When cooking, you need to be careful not to introduce germs or other impurities by:
- Avoid tasting the food you are cooking with the same spoon over and over again.
- When feasible, cover pans to keep out physical pollutants like insects, hair, and splinters.
- Avoid using copper or aluminium pots and pans to cook acidic foods (such tomatoes, lemons, or vinegar) as this can cause chemical contamination when the pans release metal atoms into the meal, giving it an ugly colour, a bitter flavour, or discolouration.
- ensuring that food is consumed or quickly cooled as soon as the cooking process is finished
Food should be cooked to a core temperature of 70°C for at least two minutes or 75°C for at least thirty seconds (82°C in Scotland) to eliminate bacteria and render it safe for consumption.
Nevertheless, heat does not always eliminate bacterial toxins, therefore the food being cooked needs to be as fresh as possible. Even if the food appears to be cooked appropriately based on other signs, it is crucial to accurately verify the core temperature of prepared food in commercial food facilities.
'Hot Holding' Food
The term “hot holding” refers to the practice of keeping consumable food at a temperature higher than 63°C in order to inhibit bacterial growth and spore germination.
It is still necessary to discard the meal after two hours, even if this temperature is continuously maintained.
Additionally, when the meal is placed in the hot-holding cabinet and again when the two-hour restriction is almost up, its temperature should be recorded.
To avoid contamination, ‘hot held’ food containers must also be covered.
Never combine freshly made food with any previously prepared food, even if it’s “just chips,” when restocking containers in hot-food cabinets or counters!
Cooling Hot Food
Food can retain poisons, spores, and even bacteria even after cooking, so cooling it down always increases the chance of some bacterial contamination.
Food should thus not be left to chill for longer than two hours. This can be challenging for some foods, thus it is acceptable (and legal) to speed up the cooling process by utilising a blast chiller, an ice bath, or a fan.
Other methods of cooling include:
- Running cold, clean water over boiled eggs, potatoes, rice or cooked vegetables, or
- Spraying bagged joints of meat with cold water
To facilitate easier cooling, large batches of stews, casseroles, curries, and other pot-cooked meals can be divided into smaller pieces and stored in manageable containers.
In general, food should be kept away from raw components and covered while cooling.
It should be kept at a temperature lower than 5°C after cooling.
Never put hot food straight into the refrigerator since this can cause the internal temperature to rise above the legally permissible level.
Cold Holding
The practice of keeping edible food cold during sales or service is referred to as “cold-holding.”
As you are aware, it is legally required that refrigerated goods be kept at a temperature below 8°C. If the temperature rises over this point, the food should be thrown out within four hours.For chillers and refrigerated units that store “cold held” food, the optimal working temperature range is 1 to 4 degrees Celsius.
The temperatures should be monitored often to make sure they remain at this level.
When replacing cold-held food, you should also make sure that the new food is put in fresh, clean containers to avoid cross-contamination. Raw food should never be put on top of older food to ensure adequate food rotation.
Food that is on display should be covered with a “Sneeze guard” to keep germs and human viruses away from it.
Check the packaging for the “use by” and “best before” dates. Remember that it is against the law to display food that has gone rotten.
Thawing Frozen Food
Thawing is most commonly done by holding food under running water, allowing it to rest and thaw gently at room temperature or in a microwave at between 10°C-15C.
The thawing of meat, whether beef or poultry, needs to happen well away from other foods, to prevent them from coming into contact with the liquids or blood from defrosting meat. Cross-contamination must be strictly avoided between different thawing foods, as well as between thawing foods and other foods.
If using a microwave to defrost food, make sure that the food is not defrosting unevenly, as some parts of the same food item can remain frozen while others thaw out.
Freshly defrosted food must be treated in the same way as raw or fresh food and refrigerated or prepared straight away.
The temperatures should be monitored often to make sure they remain at this level.
When replacing cold-held food, you should also make sure that the new food is put in fresh, clean containers to avoid cross-contamination. Raw food should never be put on top of older food to ensure adequate food rotation.
Food that is on display should be covered with a “Sneeze guard” to keep germs and human viruses away from it.
Check the packaging for the “use by” and “best before” dates. Remember that it is against the law to display food that has gone rotten.
Using a meat thermometer is a useful approach to determine whether poultry is cooked:
- The thigh meat is cooked and fit for consumption if the temperature registers 75° C.
- Make sure the chilling process is finished in 90 minutes if you are storing the cooked poultry for later use, such as in salads or sandwiches.
Reheating Food
When reheating previously prepared foods, it is important to follow all the same procedures and guidelines as when making something. This is particularly true with regard to cooking temperatures.
Above all, remember that food should never be reheated more than once!
Checking Temperatures
When serving food for human consumption, the most important thing is to make sure that the temperatures are both constant and legal.
Using a digital probe thermometer is by far the greatest method to make sure that the food has been prepared at a temperature that is safe.
It is necessary to keep heating the dish until it reaches the proper and safe core temperature.
- Insert the thermometer into the thickest portion of the item to determine the core temperature; if you are testing meat, avoid placing it in the bone, fat, or gristle since these areas may provide an inaccurate reading.
- After every usage, the thermometer needs to be carefully cleaned and sanitised. The easiest way to accomplish this is to use a disinfecting wipe extensively for at least 30 seconds. Since 82°C is an excellent disinfection temperature, you can also wash the thermometer in hot water above that.
- It is always necessary to calibrate a digital probe thermometer by immersing it in boiling water to ensure that it reaches 100°C and thawing ice to ensure that it reads 0°C. This will guarantee the accuracy of the probe. There can be a slight difference of about 1°C.
When Things Go Wrong
Since you handle food, the local government will probably do a spot check to ensure that you are meeting all of the legal criteria for food safety. If you don’t, you can face legal action or have your company permanently shut down.
At some time, though, a consumer will unavoidably remark that they have food poisoning from food they purchased or ate from your establishment. You have to treat such allegations seriously, regardless of their veracity.
In addition to posing a risk to public health, these concerns can harm your company’s finances and reputation and call for more than just a formal response.
In the event that the client is right, a strict HACCP system should enable you to identify potential error sites and adjust your procedures appropriately.
Your investigation must cover the following aspects:
- Regarding the meal the consumer claims to have consumed, were there any other complaints?
- Did these grievances originate at the same time?
- Verifying any kitchen records to ensure that all protocols have been appropriately followed
- Asking your employees politely if they have any knowledge
Use this checklist of steps to ensure that you prevent any potential contamination and the resulting food poisoning complaints:
- Ensure that your HACCP system is thoroughly documented.
- Regularly assess your food safety procedures; if necessary, hire a consultant to be more comprehensive.
- Make certain that every employee has received the appropriate instruction and holds the required official food hygiene certifications.
- Food that is both raw and ready to eat should be prepared with different, sanitised tools and utensils.
- It is necessary to carefully wash raw vegetables in a separate washbasin.
- Avoid washing cutlery in the sink where raw food is prepared.
- Work surfaces and utensils should be cleaned and dried using single-use, disposable cloths.
Conclusion
Safe food handling is not merely a matter of good practice—it’s a vital responsibility that protects health, builds trust, and maintains the integrity of any kitchen, from home to high-end restaurant.
Understanding how bacteria behave, mastering temperature control, and following strict hygiene protocols at every stage of food preparation are all crucial steps in preventing food-borne illness.
By staying vigilant and committed to best practices, whether it’s how you store, cook, cool, or reheat food, you create a safer food environment for everyone. With the right knowledge and a proactive approach, food contamination becomes entirely preventable, rather than an unfortunate inevitability.
