080303 USYD nutrition food safety presentation

Food Safety
Gary Kennedy


Agenda
• Background
– Why the sudden interest in food safety?

•
•
•
•
•
•

Food poisoning
Conditions favouring microbial growth
High risk foods
Current Australian and NSW legislation
HACCP
Support programs


Background
• Cost of Food Borne Illness
• Estimated in 2000 at 6 million cases per
year in Australia, costing $6 billion dollars.
– Costs include:
• Time off work, including for carers
• Medical costs – doctors, hospitals, medication

Background
• Food poisoning is on the increase:
– Increase in at risk populations
– Changing patterns of food consumption
• Ready-to-eat; Ready-to-cook; “fresh” foods; variety of foods

–
–
–
–
–
–

Change in food manufacturing practices
International trade in foods
Emergence of new pathogens
Improved methods of detection
Universality of medicine in Australia
Lack of training of food preparation staff


Background
• Food Service Departments aim to produce
nutritious, safe food
• Many disease can be transmitted via food
• Hospitals have a high concentration of at
risk food recipients, both on admission and
due to treatments therein
• A patient with food poisoning may not eat,

further compromising their nutritive status.


Food Poisoning
• There are three typical causes:
– Biological
– Chemical
– Physical


Food Poisoning
• Biological
– Some poisoning is caused by eating the
pathogens, which then grows inside the
person, some are by consumption of poison
produced when the pathogen grew in the
food.


Food Poisoning
• Bacteria
– Salmonella, E. coli; Staphylococcus; Listeria,
Clostridium botulinum

• Viruses
– Hepatitis, Norwalk virus

• Fungi
– Moulds, Yeasts

• Parasites
– Amoeba, protozoa, tapeworms, algae, liver
flukes


Food Poisoning
• Natural chemical hazards
– Mould toxins (e.g. aflatoxin)
– Toxic shellfish, algal blooms, ciguatera
poisoning form tropical fish
– Allergenic reactions to foods
• Peanuts, soy, nuts, eggs, milk, fish, crustacea,
sesame, sulphites (>10 ppm)

– Rhubarb leaves, greening in potatoes


Food Poisoning
• Added Chemical Issues (added during
agriculture, manufacture, processing, sale.
– Ground breakers, wetting agents, algal
treatments, fertilizers, heavy metals
– Pesticides, weedicides, fungicides
– Antibiotics, hormones, dips, drenches
– Cleaning, pest control, maintenance
chemicals
– Food ingredients (preservatives, emulsifiers)


Food Poisoning

• Physical
– Naturally occurring
• Leaves, bone chips, insects, nuts, seeds, hair,
cartilage

– Added
• Glass, plastic, wood, metal shavings, hair,
jewellery, paper

– Left in the product
• e.g. a lump after manipulation


Contamination vs. Spoilage
• Product Spoilage occurs when microbes
or enzymes naturally present in the food
break it down
– Spoiled food may look, smell or feel “bad” but
not necessarily give you food poisoning

• Product contamination is when something
gets into or onto the food
– Contaminated food may not look, smell or fell
“bad,” but may cause food poisoning.


Main Causes of Food Poisoning
• A. The food itself is not safe
–
–

–
–

Raw food require cooking
Unpasteurized foods are effectively “raw”
Presence of allergens and other chemicals
Supplier makes a mistake and you get the problem

• B. Time and / or Temperature abuse
–
–
–
–
–
–

Food delivered at too high a temperature
Food stored too high if cold, too low if hot
Food sitting out too long during the process
Not cooking to the right temperature
Not cooling the food quickly enough
Not holding the food at the right temperature during
serving


Main Causes of Food Poisoning
• C. Poor personal hygiene
–
–
–

–

Unwashed hands, dirty nails, poor glove use
Sneezing, coughing, blowing noses,
Eating, smoking, drinking, cuts and illness
Jewellery, clothing, hair covering

• D. Cross contamination and poor handling
– Poor storage, poor pest control, poor storage
– multiple use of items (buckets, chopping boards,
aprons, tea towels)
– Garbage, chemicals, glass and hair falling into food


Conditions favouring microbial
growth
•
•
•
•
•

Time
Temperature
Moisture
Food Source
Oxygen


High Risk Foods

• High risk foods
– Commonly contain microbes capable of
producing food poisoning
– Will support the growth of these microbes

• These include:
– Raw meats, raw eggs, smallgoods, sprouted
seeds, lightly cooked foods, soft cheeses,
unpasteurized foods, raw fruit and vegetables
not washed prior to consumption, foods
mishandled after preparation or cooking


Current Legislation
• The Food Standards Code contains four
sections:
– 1. General standards (including labelling)
– 2. Specific product category standards
– 3. Food Safety Standards
– 4. Primary Industry Standards


Current Legislation
• There are four food safety standards
– 3.1.1 Summary and definitions
– 3.2.1 Food Safety Programs
• Currently law in Victoria
• Will become law in NSW for hospitals and aged
care on 5th October 2008. Soon then after for child
care [new Standard 3.3.1]

– 3.2.2 Food Hygiene Practices
• Incudes mandatory training of all food staff

– 3.2.3 Food Premises and Equipment


Current Legislation
• There are four food safety standards
– 3.3.1 Food Safety Programs for at Risk
Populations
•
•
•
•
•

Hospitals, day surgeries
Child care
Aged care
Maternity and baby health centres
Care of the immunocompromised

– 3.3.2 Food Safety Programs for Caterers


Current Legislation
• A number of industry codes and guidelines
exist to help industry comply with the laws.
• A standard, a code of practice and a

guideline vary in their legal status.
• NSW Food Authority “Industry Guide to
Developing a Food Safety Program
(Hospitals and Aged Care).”
– Not “law” but can be used in court as a
minimum standard


HACCP
• An international standard for food safety.
• Mandatory under 3.2.1, therefore
mandatory for hospitals, child care and
aged care
• Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point


HACCP
• 1. Pick a HACCP team
• 2. Identify the product (product
description / specification)
• 3. Identify the intended use of the product
• 4. Document every stage of the process
(flow chart)
• 5. Verify the flow chart


HACCP
• Principle 1: Hazard Analysis
– Identify all hazards
– Assess risk and significance of each hazard

– Put in place control measures for each hazard

• Principle 2: Identify Critical Control Points
• Principle 3: Set critical limits
• Principle 4: Monitor
– What, how, where, how often, who, records


HACCP
• Principle 5: Corrective Action
– What happens to the food
– What happens to the process to fix it

• Principle 6: Verification
– Additional testing done apart from on line
testing

• Principle 7: Documentation and Records


Support Programs
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Approved Supplier Program
Calibration
Cleaning
Document Control
Housekeeping
Hygiene
Maintenance
Pest Control
Recall Training