UNIT 10 - HYGIENE AND SANITATION IN FOOD SECTOR

GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF FOOD HYGIENE

The five key principles of food hygiene, according to WHO, are:


1. Prevent contaminating food with pathogens spreading from people, pets, and pests.


2. Separate raw and cooked foods to prevent contaminating the cooked foods.


3. Cook foods for the appropriate length of time and at the appropriate temperature to kill pathogens.

4. Store food at the proper temperature.

5. Use safe water and safe raw materials.

GOOD HYGIENE PRACTICES FOR COMMODITIES

Producers should as far as practicable implement measures to:

• control contamination from air, soil, water, feedstuffs, fertilizers

(including natural fertilizers), pesticides, veterinary drugs or any other agent used in primary production;


• control plant and animal health so that it does not pose a threat to human health through food consumption, or adversely affect the suitability of the product; and


• protect food sources from faecal and other contamination. In particular, care should be taken to manage wastes, and store harmful substances appropriately.

GOOD HYGIENE PRACTICES FOR EQUIPMENTS

Equipments should be located so that it:

• permits adequate maintenance and cleaning;

• functions in accordance with its intended use; and

• facilitates good hygiene practices, including monitoring.

GOOD HYGIENE PRACTICES FOR WORK AREA AND PERSONNEL

• Maintaining a clean work environment is critical in preventing foodborne illness.
• Bacteria can grow on unsanitary surfaces and then contaminate food. Just because a work surface looks clean does not mean that it is sanitary.
• Always ensure that you clean and sanitize a work area before starting to prepare food and after food preparation.

• Wash hands before performing the next job function after touching other food, and after smoking, chewing tobacco, eating and drinking, taking out the garbage, changing diapers, touching body parts such as the mouth or going to the washroom.
• Wash hands before and after handling raw food, especially meat and poultry.
• Report immediately any symptoms of illness or infection to your supervisor. It may not be appropriate for you to handle food while you are sick.
• Cover any cuts with a bandage and wear clean gloves. However, do not wear rubber or latex gloves near open flames or other heat sources.
• Gloves may melt or catch fire. Change gloves if you touch anything that would normally require you to wash your hands.
• Wear hair nets to help prevent loose hair from falling on food. The average person loses about 50 hairs per day.
• Use tools or utensils to serve food whenever possible. Touch food with your hands as little as possible.
• Use a clean spoon each time you taste or sample food.
• Touch only the handles of flatware/utensils when setting the table.
• Do NOT wear jewellery in food preparation areas, especially rings; they may collect dirt or bacteria and make it harder to clean your hands. Similarly, keep nails trimmed short and do not wear nail polish.
• Do NOT use aprons to dry your hands.
• Do NOT smoke in food preparation areas.

CLEANING AND DISINFECTION

• Cleaning and disinfection programmes should ensure that all parts of the establishment are appropriately clean, and should include the cleaning of cleaning equipment.
• Cleaning and disinfection programmes should be continually and effectively monitored for their suitability and effectiveness and where necessary, documented.
• Where written cleaning programmes are used, they should specify:

1. areas, items of equipment and utensils to be cleaned;
2. responsibility for particular tasks;
3. method and frequency of cleaning; and
4. monitoring arrangements.

Where appropriate, programmes should be drawn up in consultation with relevant specialist expert advisors.

CLEANING PROCEDURES AND METHODS

Cleaning can be carried out by the separate or the combined use of physical methods, such as heat, scrubbing, turbulent flow, vacuum cleaning or other methods that avoid the use of water, and chemical methods using detergents, alkalis or acids.

Cleaning procedures will involve, where appropriate:
• removing gross debris from surfaces;

• applying a detergent solution to loosen soil and bacterial film and hold them in solution or suspension;

• rinsing with water to remove loosened soil and residues of detergent;

• dry cleaning or other appropriate methods for removing and collecting residues and debris; and

• where necessary, disinfection with subsequent rinsing unless the manufacturers’ instructions indicate on scientific basis that rinsing is not required.

SAFETY ASPECTS OF WATER

❑In contact with food
Only potable water, should be used in food handling and processing, with the following exceptions:
• for steam production, fire control and other similar purposes not connected with food; and
• in certain food processes, e.g. chilling, and in food handling areas, provided this does not constitute a hazard to the safety and suitability of food (e.g. the use of clean sea water).

❑Water recirculated for reuse should be treated and maintained in such a condition that no risk to the safety and suitability of food results from its use.
❑The treatment process should be effectively monitored.

❑Recirculated water which has received no further treatment and water recovered from processing of food by evaporation or drying may be used, provided its use does not constitute a risk to the safety and suitability of food.

❑Water recirculated for reuse should be treated and maintained in such a condition that no risk to the safety and suitability of food results from its use.
❑The treatment process should be effectively monitored.

❑Recirculated water which has received no further treatment and water recovered from processing of food by evaporation or drying may be used, provided its use does not constitute a risk to the safety and suitability of food.

WASTE WATER

Hotels produce a lot of waste water and usually the waste water is disposed off in water bodies such as river, sea, lake or as landfill. But acc. to the norms of the PCB (Pollution Control Board) , sewage needs to be properly treated before it is disposed.

➢SEWAGE TREATMENT:
It is the process of removing the contaminants from sewage to convert it to a composition of clear liquid and solid, which are fit for discharge to the environment or for reuse.

•In the most sophisticated treatment, clear potable water can be obtained while leaving only 5 per cent to 10 per cent of solids after treatment.

•This solid part, called sludge, is further processed to produce what is called biosolid, which have many uses.

•While hoteliers can discharge their sewage to the public sewerage, along with town sewage, for treatment in the city sewage treatment plant and final disposal.

•Many hotels have opted for in-house, Sewage Treatment Plants, where they get fresh water for reuse and may use the sludge as manure for garden activities.

WASTE DISPOSAL

INCINERATION: It is a waste treatment process that involves the combustion of organic substances contained in waste material.

PULVERISATION : In this method, waste is simply pulverized into powder form without any chemical change. The powder thus formed may be used as manure or discharged through sewage line.

MECHANICAL COMPOST PLANT: A compost plant converts the garbage into manure, which is rich in nitrogen. This is the most hygienic method of waste disposal but only for organic wastes.

TRENCHING: In this method, waste is dumped in a trench and buried under soil. The garbage is converted to compost.

CONTROLLED TIPPING: This method is employed where land is available for redevelopment. Waste is tipped from dumper into hollow spaces in the ground about 4 to 7 feet deep and then buried under ground.

DISPOSAL INTO SEA: This method is relevant and available only to hotels near a sea. This is quite cheap but at times the non-soluble garbage may come back to the shore and cause problems.

FILLING OF LOW LYING AREAS: Waste is dumped into low-lying areas.