Criteria for Food Safety
and Quality UNIT 3 FOOD SAFETY HAZARDS
Structure
3.0 Objectives
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Importance of Guidelines on Prevention of Food Safety Hazards
3.3 Why Food Safety?
3.4 The Food Safety Hazards and Quality Defects
3.4.1 Physical Hazards
3.4.2 Chemical Hazards
3.4.3 Biological Hazards
3.5 Let Us Sum Up
3.6 Glossary
3.7 Suggested Further Reading
3.8 References
3.9 Answers to Check Your Progress
3.0 OBJECTIVES
After reading this unit, you will be able to:
• justify the importance of the knowledge of food safety hazards;
• identify the physical hazards;
• discuss about the chemical hazards; and
• analyze the biological hazards.
3.1 INTRODUCTION
You must understand that Food Safety is gaining great importance and the
common man is more and more aware of the public health problems arising
from food. Almost all the developed countries, along with a few developing
countries, have already enacted rules and regulations for ensuring food safety
for all food items produced and marketed for public consumption. Hazard is
defined as “a physical, chemical, or biological agent that is reasonably likely to
cause illness or injury in the absence of its control”. Currently, Hazard Analysis
Critical Control Point (HACCP), Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), Standard
Sanitation Operation Procedures (SSOP) etc. are in force in many countries.
These quality assurance programmes are also guidelines for achieving certain
standards formulated by national and international regulatory agencies. In this
way, the HACCP and the Pre-requisite Programmes (PRPs) of USFDA, ISO
22000 Food Safety Management Systems of the International Standards
Organization and Food Safety Regulations of many countries aim at attaining
absolute safety of food to ensure public health. Fish and fish products provide
nearly 14% of the world’s need for animal protein. For countries like India,
Thailand, China & Vietnam, export of fish is a source of valuable foreign currency.
Hence, it is beneficial for you to have an in-depth knowledge of food safety
40 hazards. This unit attempts to do this.
, Food Safety Hazards
3.2 IMPORTANCE OF GUIDELINES ON
PREVENTION OF FOOD SAFETY HAZARDS
In food safety, more emphasis is laid on prevention of food safety hazards at the
source itself. Even though, it began as a voluntary system, the national and
international regulatory agencies decided to implement these guidelines as a
mandatory requirement so that all food for public consumption will be safe. The
food safety hazards are intrinsic/extrinsic factors of the food, which cause
infection, injury or toxicity to the consumer. Accordingly, three classes of food
safety hazards are identified viz., physical hazards, chemical hazards & biological
hazards. The food safety standards and the relevant quality assurance programmes
aim to identify and control all possible hazards associated with a food group so
that the food products will be free from food safety problems. In this way, the
implementation of HACCP and the PRPs or the so-called ISO 22000 can lead to
safe food products. However, for elimination of lapses on the part of food
producers and processors and for ensuring safety to public health, it will be
important to monitor the significant hazards associated with a food and certify
that the hazards are below the tolerance levels. In India, there is no comprehensive
guideline for food safety. For analysis of the relevant hazards, suitable methods
are available and the parties interested can refer to them for more details.
3.3 WHY FOOD SAFETY?
Do you know why we should worry about food safety? Food safety is gaining
more and more importance throughout the world. Global food trade and the
introduction of WTO Agreement have prompted many countries to adopt modern
quality assurance programmes to make food safe for human consumption. In an
effort to achieve food safety and prevent food-borne public health problems,
almost all countries are enacting laws to enforce and implement procedures for
ensuring safety and quality of all food items produced, processed and distributed
for human consumption. In this context, a detailed idea, about the hazards which
make food unsafe, as well as the quality problems or defects, which will indicate
the adverse effect on wholesomeness of food, will be very much useful to the
personnel in the food industry, regulatory authorities as well as the general public.
You must be aware of the fact that the suitability of a food for human consumption
can be judged based on the occurrence of food safety hazards and quality
problems. For your information, a food safety hazard can be defined as a physical,
chemical or biological parameter, the presence of which in the food can cause
infection or injury or toxicity to the consumer. On the other hand, a quality defect
is also a chemical or microbiological or physical parameter, which will only
reduce consumer acceptability without causing infection or injury or toxicity to
the consumer. For a food to be safe and acceptable, it should be free from hazards
and quality defects.
The standards stipulate tolerance limits for each hazard and tolerance limits for
quality defects. Periodic evaluation of food samples at critical stages of production
to meet the requirements of such standards will be effective in controlling food
borne diseases and public health problems. The availability of safe and quality
food will not only promote good public health but also considerably augment
tourism and international trade in food commodities.
41
and Quality UNIT 3 FOOD SAFETY HAZARDS
Structure
3.0 Objectives
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Importance of Guidelines on Prevention of Food Safety Hazards
3.3 Why Food Safety?
3.4 The Food Safety Hazards and Quality Defects
3.4.1 Physical Hazards
3.4.2 Chemical Hazards
3.4.3 Biological Hazards
3.5 Let Us Sum Up
3.6 Glossary
3.7 Suggested Further Reading
3.8 References
3.9 Answers to Check Your Progress
3.0 OBJECTIVES
After reading this unit, you will be able to:
• justify the importance of the knowledge of food safety hazards;
• identify the physical hazards;
• discuss about the chemical hazards; and
• analyze the biological hazards.
3.1 INTRODUCTION
You must understand that Food Safety is gaining great importance and the
common man is more and more aware of the public health problems arising
from food. Almost all the developed countries, along with a few developing
countries, have already enacted rules and regulations for ensuring food safety
for all food items produced and marketed for public consumption. Hazard is
defined as “a physical, chemical, or biological agent that is reasonably likely to
cause illness or injury in the absence of its control”. Currently, Hazard Analysis
Critical Control Point (HACCP), Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), Standard
Sanitation Operation Procedures (SSOP) etc. are in force in many countries.
These quality assurance programmes are also guidelines for achieving certain
standards formulated by national and international regulatory agencies. In this
way, the HACCP and the Pre-requisite Programmes (PRPs) of USFDA, ISO
22000 Food Safety Management Systems of the International Standards
Organization and Food Safety Regulations of many countries aim at attaining
absolute safety of food to ensure public health. Fish and fish products provide
nearly 14% of the world’s need for animal protein. For countries like India,
Thailand, China & Vietnam, export of fish is a source of valuable foreign currency.
Hence, it is beneficial for you to have an in-depth knowledge of food safety
40 hazards. This unit attempts to do this.
, Food Safety Hazards
3.2 IMPORTANCE OF GUIDELINES ON
PREVENTION OF FOOD SAFETY HAZARDS
In food safety, more emphasis is laid on prevention of food safety hazards at the
source itself. Even though, it began as a voluntary system, the national and
international regulatory agencies decided to implement these guidelines as a
mandatory requirement so that all food for public consumption will be safe. The
food safety hazards are intrinsic/extrinsic factors of the food, which cause
infection, injury or toxicity to the consumer. Accordingly, three classes of food
safety hazards are identified viz., physical hazards, chemical hazards & biological
hazards. The food safety standards and the relevant quality assurance programmes
aim to identify and control all possible hazards associated with a food group so
that the food products will be free from food safety problems. In this way, the
implementation of HACCP and the PRPs or the so-called ISO 22000 can lead to
safe food products. However, for elimination of lapses on the part of food
producers and processors and for ensuring safety to public health, it will be
important to monitor the significant hazards associated with a food and certify
that the hazards are below the tolerance levels. In India, there is no comprehensive
guideline for food safety. For analysis of the relevant hazards, suitable methods
are available and the parties interested can refer to them for more details.
3.3 WHY FOOD SAFETY?
Do you know why we should worry about food safety? Food safety is gaining
more and more importance throughout the world. Global food trade and the
introduction of WTO Agreement have prompted many countries to adopt modern
quality assurance programmes to make food safe for human consumption. In an
effort to achieve food safety and prevent food-borne public health problems,
almost all countries are enacting laws to enforce and implement procedures for
ensuring safety and quality of all food items produced, processed and distributed
for human consumption. In this context, a detailed idea, about the hazards which
make food unsafe, as well as the quality problems or defects, which will indicate
the adverse effect on wholesomeness of food, will be very much useful to the
personnel in the food industry, regulatory authorities as well as the general public.
You must be aware of the fact that the suitability of a food for human consumption
can be judged based on the occurrence of food safety hazards and quality
problems. For your information, a food safety hazard can be defined as a physical,
chemical or biological parameter, the presence of which in the food can cause
infection or injury or toxicity to the consumer. On the other hand, a quality defect
is also a chemical or microbiological or physical parameter, which will only
reduce consumer acceptability without causing infection or injury or toxicity to
the consumer. For a food to be safe and acceptable, it should be free from hazards
and quality defects.
The standards stipulate tolerance limits for each hazard and tolerance limits for
quality defects. Periodic evaluation of food samples at critical stages of production
to meet the requirements of such standards will be effective in controlling food
borne diseases and public health problems. The availability of safe and quality
food will not only promote good public health but also considerably augment
tourism and international trade in food commodities.
41
