physical hazards

foreign objects

- extraneous materials

- may pose a threat to consumer health

- physical entities that can be choked on, cut the mouth or digestive tract, or break teeth

harvesting, manufacturing, or intrinsic to the food

- categorize the source of physical hazards in food science

- can originate at different stages of the food supply chain or be a natural component of the food itself

control

- prevention

- optical scanning technologies

- x-rays

unavoidable extraneous materials

- harmless, naturally occurring foreign objects or contaminants that remain in a food product despite the manufacturer's use of current Good Manufacturing Practices

- by-product of the processing system of something inherent to the product

- stems in berries, dirt in potatoes

avoidable extraneous materials

- should not be present in food is proper sanitation controls and Current Good Manufacturing Practices are consistently followed

- less tolerated as they are preventable

- foreign matter

- pieces of jewelry, plastic

- > 25mm: adulterated

- > -25mm: will depend on preparation