Food safety

© Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

 Why is food hygiene important?
Good food hygiene and personal hygiene is important to
make sure that the food we eat is safe. Harmful
(pathogenic) bacteria can spread very easily and cause
food poisoning.

Food poisoning is very common, causing many

thousands of reported cases each year.

© Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

 Food poisoning
Symptoms of food poisoning include:
• Nausea;
• Vomiting;
• Stomach pains;
• Diarrhoea.

In severe cases, food poisoning can even cause death.

© Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

 Ages and stages
Anyone can be affected by food poisoning or food-borne
illness but some people are particularly at risk:

The very young – this is usually due to an

underdeveloped immune system and the fact that they
often put things in their mouths, whether they are edible
or not. Eggs served to children should be thoroughly
cooked to reduce the risk of food poisoning from
Salmonella.

© Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

 Ages and stages
The elderly – this could be due to having an immune
system that is less effective at fighting diseases. This
could be caused by the ageing process but also due to
long term diseases such as diabetes. Food poisoning in
the elderly is often caused by foods being eaten after their
use by date – they are perhaps less likely to throw food
away than a younger person as they are used to making
foods last and avoiding waste. Rising prices and the
overall cost of living may also have an influence on their
reluctance to throw food away.

© Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

 Ages and stages
People who are ill, convalescing or who have
weakened immunity to disease – this leaves them
vulnerable to viruses and bacteria. If someone with
diabetes shows symptoms of food poisoning, they should
seek medical advice as they may experience problems
controlling their blood sugar levels.

© Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

 Ages and stages
Pregnant women and their unborn baby – eating
certain foods during pregnancy can lead to food
poisoning. Pregnant women should avoid eating:

• Meat pâté, soft cheeses made from unpasteurised milk

and washed salads which can contain the bacteria
Listeria;
• Soft blue cheeses (such as gorgonzola and Roquefort)
and soft cheeses with white rinds (mould ripened -
such as brie and camembert);
• Raw milk;

© Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

 Ages and stages
• Raw shellfish, as it carries a risk of food
poisoning. Thoroughly cooked shellfish is safe
to eat.
• Raw or lightly cooked wild fish, in dishes such
as sushi, unless the fish has been frozen first as
wild fish can sometimes contain parasitic
worms but freezing or cooking kills any
worms.

Also shark, marlin and swordfish should be

avoided, as they can contain high levels of
mercury that can harm a baby’s developing
nervous system.

© Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

 Preventing food poisoning
In order to reduce the risk of food poisoning, food
handlers, whether in their own home or a place of work,
should be particularly careful with their own personal
hygiene. Food handlers should:

• Keep themselves clean;

• Tie up long hair. Dirt and bacteria can be present
even on clean hair so hair should be tied up to
prevent it falling into food. Stray hair can also be a
physical hazard and not very pleasant for someone
else to find in their food!

© Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

 Personal hygiene
• Remove jewellery and watches as they can
harbour dirt and bacteria. A plain wedding
band is allowed as this is easier to clean and is
less likely to be contaminated with bacteria;
• Remove outer clothing, such as jumpers, roll
up long sleeves and wear clean protective
clothing such as an apron. Remember, the
protective clothing is worn to prevent bacteria
from your clothes contaminating the food
rather than to keep your clothes clean!

© Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

 Personal hygiene
• Thoroughly wash and dry hands before and after
handling food and after visiting the toilet. Ideally
hot water and anti-bacterial soap should be used;
• Cough or sneeze away from food and always
thoroughly wash hands after blowing noses.

A food handler must tell their employer if they are

suffering from any symptoms of food poisoning or if
any friends or family members are as they could be a
carrier. A carrier can be infected but not show any
symptoms.

© Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

 Food purchase
When buying meat, look for quality.

The Northern Ireland farm Quality Assurance Scheme

is a code of practice operated by beef and sheep
farmers. It is recognised at home and abroad as a
symbol of the quality and character of the farm on
which meat is produced.

It gives the consumer the best possible assurances that

it will be as safe, healthy and wholesome as possible.

© Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

 Food purchase
In order to prevent bacterial multiplication and reduce
the risk of food poisoning, when buying food you
should:
• Only buy from a reputable supplier or shop;
• Check the food to make sure that it is good quality,
e.g. fruit isn’t badly bruised or mouldy;
• Check that packaging isn’t damaged and don’t buy
tins that are dented or ‘blown’ (have a domed rather
than flat top). Air can enter damaged tins allowing
bacteria to multiply to dangerous levels;

© Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

 Food purchase
• Check that food is within date;
• Choose your chilled and frozen food at the end of
your shopping trip;
• Always ensure that red meat and poultry is properly
wrapped up and even store in a separate bag;
• Use a cool bag and ice blocks and pack chilled and
frozen foods together;
• Get your shopping home and into a fridge or freezer
as soon as you can.

© Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

 Food dates
There are two types of date mark that are a legal
requirement in the UK. They are:
• Use by – highly perishable packaged food, such as
cooked meat, fish, dairy products and ready meals,
must by law be marked with a use by date. Do not use
any food or drink after the end of the use by shown on
the label even if it looks and smells fine. Using it
after this date could make you ill from pathogenic
(harmful) bacteria – remember that you can’t see,
smell or taste the bacteria that cause food poisoning.

It is against the law to sell or serve food beyond it’s use

by date.

© Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

 Food dates
• Best before – this would appear on less perishable
foods such as tinned or frozen foods, bags of flour,
crisps and biscuits along with bottles and cans of
drink. It should be safe to eat food after the best
before date shown on the label, but food might begin
to lose its flavour and texture, e.g. a white ‘bloom’
might appear on chocolate that is out of date. It is
safe to eat but might not be the quality that you would
normally expect.

© Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

 Food storage
Storing food safely in the correct place for the correct
amount of time can reduce the risk of food poisoning
considerably. Correct storage helps to:

• Prevent illness linked to food;

• Preserve the food’s taste, appearance and
nutritional value;
• Avoid spoilage and wasted food.

© Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

 Food storage
Correct storage also helps a food business to:

• Provide adequate supplies when they are needed;

• Control costs and keep within a budget;
• Comply with food laws and avoid prosecution for
selling unfit or unsafe food.

© Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

 Dry storage
‘Dry stores’ would be anywhere that non-perishable
foods would be stored such as bags of flour and sugar. A
dry store could be a cupboard on the wall at home or a
large walk in industrial larder. In order to prevent food
spoilage and pest infestation, dry stores should:

• Be well ventilated, clean and light;

• Food should be stored off the floor and away from
walls to prevent pest infestation;
• After shopping new tins and packets should be stored
behind older ones so that they are used in date order
which helps to prevent wastage.

© Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

 Chilled storage
High risk, or perishable foods should be stored in a fridge
below 5°C* to slow down bacterial multiplication. It is
also important to organise your fridge to prevent bacterial
cross-contamination, i.e. juices from raw meat dripping
onto cooked foods.

Always ensure food is cold before storing in the fridge.

If it is too warm, the heat will raise the temperature of the
other foods in the fridge increasing the risk of bacterial
* Below 5°C is the
multiplication. recommended
temperature for good
Store food in containers large enough to hold any juices, practice but 8°C is the
cover and label. legal maximum
temperature for cold
storage
© Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015
 Chilled storage
Store raw food below cooked foods.

Decant the contents of tin cans into plastic containers

otherwise the metal can leach into the food.

Empty and clean fridges regularly with an anti-

bacterial spray.

© Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

 Frozen storage
When food is stored in a freezer, the liquid that bacteria
needs to multiply is turned to ice and growth is stopped.
Food should be stored between -18°C and -23°C.

It is important to remember that once the food is

defrosted, bacteria may start to multiply so it should be
stored below 5°C to slow this down or cooked straight
away.
*Below 5°C is the
recommended
temperature for good
practice but 8°C is the
legal maximum
temperature for cold
storage

© Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

 Frozen storage
Freezers, like fridges, should be kept clean and tidy:
• Cover and label food;
• Keep food tidy;
• Don’t over stock;
• No warm food – the heat will melt the liquid in the
other foods allowing any bacteria present to multiply;
• Clean and defrost regularly;
• Use food in date order to prevent wastage.

© Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

 Food preparation
Preparing food too far in advance and not storing it
correctly is one of the major causes of food
poisoning.

It is important that high risk foods, in particular, are

kept either very cold (below 5°C) or very hot
(above 63°C). The temperature range between
these is known as The Danger Zone and bacteria
can multiply easily if they have food, warmth,
moisture and time.

© Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

 Bacterial multiplication
Bacteria multiply through a process called binary
fission. If the circumstances are right, bacteria can
divide in two every 10 – 20 minutes. In just 3½ hours
one bacterium may become more than 1 million!

Therefore, it is essential that time and temperature

controls are followed to reduce the risk of food
poisoning.

© Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

 Time and temperature control
5-63°C – the danger zone where bacteria grow most readily.
Keep food out of the danger zone.
37°C – body temperature, optimum temperature for bacterial
growth.
8°C – maximum legal temperature for cold food, i.e. your
fridge. Check fridge temperatures regularly.
5°C – the ideal temperature your fridge should be. Do not
overfill your fridge. Air needs to circulate to keep the food
cold.
-18°C - the temperature your freezer should be. Never put
warm food in a freezer.
70°C - cooking at this temperature or above will kill most
bacteria. If you don’t have a food probe, make sure your
food is piping hot.
85°C – food should be reheated to at least 85°C. Only reheat
once.
© Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015
 Cooling hot food quickly
In order to reduce the risk of bacterial multiplication,
hot food should be cold enough to go in the fridge
within 90 minutes. This can be achieved by:
• Dividing dishes into small portions, e.g. a lasagne
or cottage pie. This increases the surface area
which means quicker cooling;
• Decanting food into chilled containers or ice baths;
• Use cooling areas (but not the fridge or freezer);
• Cold running water for cooling rice and pasta.

© Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

 Rice
Rice can be contaminated with spores of the food
poisoning bacteria, Bacillus cereus. These spores
protect the bacteria during cooking, preventing
them from being destroyed.

However, when the cooked rice is left at warm

temperatures (between 5°C and 63°C) and not kept
hot (above 63°C) or cold (below 5°C), the spores
will burst releasing the bacteria inside to multiply.

© Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

 Rice
The longer the rice is kept at a warm temperature,
the more the bacteria will grow and multiply.
These bacteria then produce a special chemical (a
toxin) which can cause illness. The toxin is not
destroyed even if the rice is reheated.

In order to reduce the risk of food poisoning, it is

essential that any rice dish is cooled as quickly as
possible and then stored in the fridge if not being
eaten straight away.

© Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

 The 4Cs
An easy way to remember the rules for good food
hygiene is to remember the 4Cs:
• Cleaning – you can prevent the spread of harmful
bacteria by keeping your hands, work surfaces and
utensils clean;
• Cooking – proper cooking kills the harmful bacteria
that can cause food poisoning. It is important to
cook food, especially meat, thoroughly. Make sure
that food is cooked right through, and that it is piping
hot in the middle;

© Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

 The 4Cs
• Chilling – It is very important to keep certain foods at
the right temperature to prevent bacteria growing and
toxins (poisons) forming. Always look at food labels
to see whether foods should be kept in the fridge.

• Cross-contamination – this is when bacteria spread

from one food to another. This could be through raw
foods touching or dripping onto ready to eat foods,
dirty equipment, pests or poor personal hygiene.

© Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

 Acknowledgement

For further information, go to: www.food4life.org.uk

© LMC 2015

© Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015