Food Safety, also known as Food Hygiene, is defined as the process of handling, preparing, and storing food or drink in such a way that the risk of consumers becoming ill from a food-borne disease is minimized. Food safety principles aim to keep food from becoming contaminated and resulting in food poisoning.
Importance of Food Hygiene
Everyday people worldwide get sick from the food or drink they consume. Food poisoning can be caused by bacteria, viruses, and parasites found in food. Because you can’t see, taste, or smell anything out of the ordinary, there’s no way to tell if food is contaminated right away. Food poisoning can cause stomachaches and dehydration, as well as more serious health issues like kidney failure and death. Small children/babies, pregnant mothers, the elderly, and immunocompromised people, particularly those with HIV infections and cancer patients, are all at high risk. Food safety and hygiene prevent germs from multiplying and reaching dangerous levels in food.
Ensure daily healthy living
Keeping oneself healthy prevents medical expenses. Hand washing accounts for 33% of all related food poisoning cases. It is therefore important to maintain good personal hygiene practice. This is something we are taught early in our childhood, yet hand washing is still a critical problem in the kitchen.
Food Contamination
Contamination of food can have serious consequences for both consumers and businesses in the food industry. It has the potential to endanger consumer health and safety, as well as negatively impact a company’s reputation if someone is harmed.
Types of Contamination
1. Chemical Contamination
When food is contaminated by a chemical substance, it is known as chemical contamination. Chemicals are frequently used in the kitchen for cleaning and disinfection, so it’s understandable that they could contaminate food. Contamination can occur when food is prepared on a surface that still has chemical residue on it, or when cleaning chemicals are sprayed near uncovered food.
2. Microbial Contamination
Microbial contamination occurs when microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, mould, fungi, and toxins contaminate food.
3. Physical Contamination
When a foreign object contaminates food, it is called physical contamination. It can happen at any point during the delivery and preparation of food. Physical contamination can result in serious consequences for consumers, such as broken teeth or choking.
4. Allergenic Contamination
When a food that causes an allergic reaction comes into contact with another food, this is known as allergenic contamination. For example, if a knife that was previously used to cut regular bread is now used to cut gluten-free bread, or if pasta is stored in a tub that previously held peanuts.
Food Safety Webinar at Chennais Amirta
At Chennais Amirta, guest lectures are scheduled regularly to keep our students updated on the current industry practices.
About the Speaker
The guest speaker of the day was Mr. Birinchi Bora, an Assistant Professor in the Dept. of Nutrition & Dietetics at Assam Downtown University.
Students’ Learning from the Webinar
The session covered the topic in detail and was very interactive. The webinar covered topics including food safety, food hygiene, food contamination, foodborne diseases, food safety organizations in India, factors affecting food safety, food safety techniques in the industry, and safety methods of staff working in the industry. Students asked a lot of questions which were gladly answered by the speaker.
Hotel Management at Chennais Amirta
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