Dubai Food explains what food hygiene is all about.
Food hygiene is a term used for all processes that are essential to guarantee, at all stages of the food chain, the safety and suitability of food.
The expression ‘food hygiene’ does not only refer to the cleanliness of the food handlers and the premises in which the food is prepared but also refers to the growth of the food products and the raising of food animals through every stage until the food reaches the shelves for sale.
It is of equal importance (or possibly more important) to have good temperature control and to avoid cross contamination when maintaining good standards of food hygiene.
Cross contamination happens when bacteria from contaminated food is passed to food that is not contaminated. This is usually from raw food to ready to eat food. There are three ways in which this cross contamination can happen.
1) Raw meat comes into direct contact with ready to eat food.
2) Raw food juices (blood) dripping onto ready to eat food.
3) The handling of raw food and ready to eat food without washing the hands.
Good temperature control is necessary to attain acceptable food hygiene standards. After an outbreak of a food borne disease, investigations find that temperature control is one of the causes for the outbreak on many occasions. Foods that are moist and high protein such as meat and dairy products are the ideal media for pathogenic bacteria to grow. These types of foods must be kept either hot or cold. They should not be allowed to sit in temperatures between 5°C - 63°C for longer than completely necessary.
The practice of good food hygiene means that cold food should be stored at a temperature no higher than 5°C and hot food must be at a temperature no lower than 63°C. Good food hygiene also entails that food is properly cooked and if hot food is not used immediately then it should be cooled quickly to 5°C to be stored. When reheating food this should also be done quickly and be reheated to a good temperature. The normal recommendation for a good temperature is 75°C and should be at this temperature for no less than 30 seconds.
Along with the above mentioned practices there should also be a safe supply of clean water for the preparation of food and the cleaning of the area. Pest control and the correct training for staff in the preparation of food is also a must.
Good food hygiene requires a great amount of commitment and an investment of time and money of those people who are responsible for providing food for public consumption.
Dubai Food will present you with some of the best food distribution and manufacturing companies found across the globe. All of which practice good food hygiene to ensure that the food products you buy are completely safe to eat.
