Preparing and supplying food that is safe to eat involves careful food hygiene.
Food hygiene refers to the practices which should be followed to make sure that food is safe and wholesome throughout all the stages of production from purchase to consumption.
It’s aimed at keeping food clean by:
*Protecting food from contamination by bacteria
*Preventing bacteria from multiplying in food
*Destroying bacteria by cooking
Premises, staff and equipment must be kept clean. Food must be handled and stored safely.
It must be prepared in safe surroundings to reduce the risk of serious illness.
Everybody involved in the production of food should receive training about safe practice and how to use them in the workplace.
In food preparation, personal hygiene refers to the way the person keep themselves clean and handle food to keep it safe to eat.
Poor food hygiene can lead to outbreaks of food poisoning which can cause serous illness. Some groups of the population are particularly vulnerable, for example the elderly, the very young and people who are already ill.
Also with more frequent people away from home, outbreaks of food borne disease are becoming more frequent.
The food handler should know that some microorganisms are useful to human and some are harmful causing food spoilage and disease.
Poor hygiene can also result in wastage of contaminated food, infestation by pests, time of from work because of illness, loss of customers and profits, as well as possible legal action.
Food that is kept too long can go bad and contain toxic chemicals or pathogens and food stuff that are eaten raw, such as fruits or vegetables, can become contaminated by dirty hands, unclean water or flies.
Improperly prepared food can also cause chemical poisoning: cassava leaf that ahs not been properly pounded and cooked, for example, may contain dangerous levels of cyanide.
Food hygiene is essential because the food that have been eaten plays an important part in keeping people healthy. Food hygiene involves more that cleanliness.
Food Hygiene in Food Preparation
