LEVY MWANAWASA MEDICAL UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEATH ENVIRONMENTAL

HEALTH SCIENCES

PROGRAMME: ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH TECHNOLOGY

COURSE: FOOD INSPECTECTION AND PROCESSING
LECTURER: MRS ZIMBA
STUDENT NAME: BOWA BRIGHT
STUDENT ID: 20172139
ASSIGNMENT NO: 1
DATE GIVEN: 2nd OCTOBER, 2019
DUE DATE: 9th OCTOBER, 2019
QUESTION: Explain the effects of load shedding in food processing industries with special
reference to low temperature food preservation methods. Give remedial measures on how the
effects mentioned above can be minimized in relation to the food quality.

INTRODUCTION
EHT 2017
FIP ASSIGNMENT 1
LECTURER: MRS ZIMBA
STUDENT NAME: BOWA BRIGHT
STUDENT ID: 20172139
Load shedding is currently causing much frustration in Zambia, on irrigation-reliant and energy-
intensive industries such as horticulture, dairy, poultry, grains and agro-processing. Grocery
retailers, food producers, fast food restaurants and supermarkets are among the hardest hit by
Zambia’s on-going electricity crisis. Lost trading hours and wasted food are among the biggest
concerns. Load shedding may cause food contamination, food spoilage and food poisoning
which can result into death if the food has been consumed unknowingly by the public.

EHT 2017
FIP ASSIGNMENT 1
LECTURER: MRS ZIMBA
STUDENT NAME: BOWA BRIGHT
STUDENT ID: 20172139
 EFFECTS OF LOADSHEDDING IN FOOD PROCESSING AND FOOD
PRESERVATION
Load shedding is having a severe impact on food production, processing and preserving such as
food contamination, food spoilage food poisoning, food wastage etc.

1. Food contamination: Food contamination refers to food that has been corrupted by another
substance either physical, biological or chemical.
Biological contamination refers to food that is contaminated by organisms or substances they
produce. Bacteria and viruses are typically the two biggest causes of biological contamination
and can result in some of the most common types of food poisoning including Salmonella, E.
coli, Listeria and Norovirus. Thoroughly washing your hands and sanitizing the food handling
equipment are two of the best ways to prevent against bacterial contamination. Hence if all
perishable food such as raw meat, fruit or vegetables, are not refrigerated or frozen within two
hours of being out or after being purchased they can be exposed to a room temperature (4.44 to
60° Celsius) which pushes food into the “danger zone”, where the growth of bacteria that can
make you sick is more likely to be considered active.

Physical contamination is when a foreign object contaminates food. This can happen at any
stage of the production process and could include Band-Aids, steel wool or pieces of plastic.
Physical contamination can cause injury to an individual who unknowingly consumes the foreign
object. The risk associated with physical contamination is that the foreign object could be
carrying biological contamination.

Chemical contamination refers to food that has been contaminated with a natural or artificial
chemical substance. Chemicals can contaminate food at any time of the food process, whether by
pesticides transferred from the soil the food is grown in or during the manufacturing process.

Cross-contamination is when biological, physical or chemical contaminants get into food,

making it unsafe to eat and putting people at risk of food-borne diseases. Cross-contamination is
a huge problem for food businesses. Food can spoil due to cross-contamination, especially when
different products in the freezer thaws slightly due to a power outage.

2. Food spoilage is the process where a food product becomes unsuitable to ingest by the
consumer. The cause of such a process is due to many outside factors as a side-effect of the
type of product it is, as well as how the product is packaged and stored. Load shedding can
also pose a health risk in the way food is produced, packaged and stored. It is the
responsibility of the small retails and supermarkets to keep their perishables food cool in
order to avoid or minimize spoilage.

3. Food poisoning is any illness or disease that results from eating contaminated food. Many
food poisoning bacteria cause disease only when eaten in large numbers which result from
multiplication in food. Food poisoning is an acute enteritis caused by the ingestion of food,
characterized by diarrhea, vomiting, with or without fever and abdominal pains. Power
EHT 2017
FIP ASSIGNMENT 1
LECTURER: MRS ZIMBA
STUDENT NAME: BOWA BRIGHT
STUDENT ID: 20172139
 interruptions also have an impact on the safe handling and storage of perishable foods in the
retail sector.

4. Food waste is simply food intended for consumption that is discarded along the food supply
chain and cannot be used. The slaughterhouses, some of which can process as many as 13
000 chickens hourly, cannot rely on generators as they are not able to create sufficient power
for their needs. The entire supply chain from primary production through to the consumer is
impacted in one way or another, because farmers are highly dependent on electricity for key
processes such as irrigation, livestock care and harvesting. It is very difficult to halt
production or manufacturing processes once they are in progress, In the dairy industry, for
example, a herd of dairy cows and the infrastructure to support milk production run
predictably every day. Reliable energy is of equal importance in the post-harvest sector, as
the long-term quality and safety of food products depends on accurate temperature
management throughout the process. If this process is interrupted at any stage, the food
product deteriorates in quality and cannot be sold as premium grade or worse, has to be
discarded due to food safety concerns. These means food producers are losing valuable
income and the country is deprived of quality nutrition.

REMEDIAL MESEASURE ON HOE TO MINIMIZE THE EFFECTS OF LOAD

SHEDDING IN FOOD PRESERVATION AND PROCESSING INDUSTRIE

1. Keep your fridge in a tip-top condition: Make sure your fridge is in proper working
condition, as a fridge at the correct temperature remains cold for a while when the power
is out. And a freezer in good working order should be able to hold its temperature for
around 48 hours. Place delicate food items such as dairy and meat closest to the freezer
compartment to keep them cold for longer.
2. Extra ice: Make ice blocks in your freezer while the power is on. Place these in your
fridge during power outages to ensure that your fridge remains cold for longer.
3. Use of other preservation methods: such as sun drying, salting, smoking, fermentation,
canning etc.
4. Implementing the use of wind and solar energy: other than relying on electricity, wind
or solar energy can be used to prevent power cuts from load shedding.
5. Bottles of frozen water: You might want to guarantee a supply of cold water, especially
during the summer months. Keep a couple of filled water bottles in the freezer, which
you can place in the fridge during load shedding.

CONCLUSION

EHT 2017
FIP ASSIGNMENT 1
LECTURER: MRS ZIMBA
STUDENT NAME: BOWA BRIGHT
STUDENT ID: 20172139
Food processing industries, small retails and consumers are affected by load shedding through
product loss, food contamination, food spoilage and food poisoning. When food is kept in cold
storage, it slows down or stops the growth of bacteria. Freezing kills bacteria completely, but
above freezing point, bacterial growth simply slows down. Unfortunately, load shedding can
subject fresh produce to up to five hours of room temperature at a time. Load shedding creates a
disruption to economic activity (production), which is accompanied by opportunity costs in
terms of both time and money.

REFFERENCES

EHT 2017
FIP ASSIGNMENT 1
LECTURER: MRS ZIMBA
STUDENT NAME: BOWA BRIGHT
STUDENT ID: 20172139
  Lecture notes for E.V Mlimo

 http://www.fao.org/3/y1579e/y1579e02.htm

 https://i0.wp.com/www.cbn.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/load-shedding.jpg?
fit=660,370%26ssl=1

 https://www.foodsafety.gov/food-poisoning

 http://www.foodsafety.com/foood-contamination

 https://www.health.ri.gov/food/about/poweroutages

EHT 2017
FIP ASSIGNMENT 1
LECTURER: MRS ZIMBA
STUDENT NAME: BOWA BRIGHT
STUDENT ID: 20172139