Food hygiene

What is good quality?

• When we reach compliance with customers’ requirements and expectations

• When we exceed customers requirements and expectations.

• A system enabling us with high consistency to produce products and service which are well suited for its purpose and intended use.

What is the “Weakest Link” principle in the food value chain?

Quality is only as strong as its weakest link

• Food value chain: raw materials → processing and transfer → filling machine → packaging → distribution

• A contamination in one stage compromises the safety and quality of the entire finished lot

How is food safety related to food spoilage?

• Food safety prevents food poisoning.

• Food poisoning occurs when food looks, smells, and tastes normal but contains ingested pathogens or toxins that cause illness

How is food quality related to food spoilage?

• Food quality prevents spoilage.

• Food spoilage involves sensory degradation (off-odors, discoloration, or altered texture). Spoiled food is tipically rejected by consumers befire ingestion and does not usually cause poisoning (with the exception of mycotoxins)

Why do we need to have food quality?

• Safe food is never a compromise → prevents illness

• Ethical reasons (e.g. less food waste)

• Increased cost effectiveness (high quality increases profitability)

• Improved internal motivation

• Legal/regulatory requirements

Who controls food safety and quality?

• The food industry → commercial companies, producers, packaging and retailers

• Regulatory bodies:

  • Food laws: European Union, FDA, FAO, WHO-UN

  • In Sweden: National Food Administration (Livsmedelsverket)

Who carries full legal and operational responsibility for guaranteeing safety across a “farm-to-fork” model?

The food producers

What are the three primary, overlapping groups of food mm?

• Starter cultures: beneficial mm intentionally introduced to carry out controlled biological transformations

• Spoilage microbes: bacteria, yeasts and molds that cause sensory degradation (off-odors, discoloration, texture breakdown or gas formation). They affect acceptability and shelf-life.

• Pathogens: disease-causing mm

They coexist, compete and interact

What does the ICMSF stand for?

International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods

What is the ICMSF?

It is an international body of scientific experts that evaluates microbiological food safety issues and provides guidance on newly emerging food safety concerns. → Helps determine what is good, what is bad and how to decide.

What is the framework for microbiological criteria established by the ICMSF?

• Microbiological standards: mandatory criteria established by legal regulation. → LAW

• Microbiological specifications: criteria used in commercial contracts between food buyers and suppliers to ensure ingredient quality. → BUSINESS

• Microbiological guidelines: advisory criteria used internally vy manufacturers to monitor process hygiene and quality. → QUALITY

What are the 5 components of the microbiological criterion defined by the ICMSF?

1. Description of the food

2. Description of the mm and toxins of concern

3. Analytical methods used for detection and quantification

4. Number and size of samples

5. Microbiological limits

Why sampling contributes to the largest uncertainty in the analysis?

The distribution of mm is not regular, which makes it difficult to collect representative samples

What has ICMSF done to help with sampling?

It has developed standard sampling plans → guidance, instruction and regulations for samplings

What is the multi-tiered framework of food safety control?

• Legistlation → ALOP, Risk Analysis

• Food safety objectives (FSO)

• Tools → HACCP (food safety knowledge), prerequisite programs (GHPs/GMPs/GAPs)

What is the multi-tiered framework of food safety control? altogether

• Legislation:

  • Governments and international bodies use the Risk Analysis framework (comprising risk assesment, risk management and risk communication) to establish high-level public health goals such as the ALOP (Appropriate Level Of Protection).

• Through a Food Safety Objective (FSO) set by governmental authorities, these polices translate into mandatory legal frameworks

• Tools → operational level:

  • Food safety managment: local and specific management at supply chain level make sure to meet FSO and legal standards.

  • Different tools used to meet the targets:

    • Food Safety Management System (FSMS): primarily driven by HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point).

    • Pre-requisite programmes (PRPs): includes GHP (Good Hygienic Practice), GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice), and GAP (Good Agricultural Practice)

What does the HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) system enable?

It enables the production of safe food by ensuring that all required activities are defined, implemented and mantained.

What are some examples of aspects in prerequisite programmes?

• Layout of the facility: production lines, installations, equipments

• Location of rooms: storage, separation of raw materials, intermediate products, end products, ventilation

• Production processes: purchasing, cleaning and disinfection, packaging, maintenance, water quality management, pest control, waste management

• Personnel: hygiene, knowledge on food hygoene and safety, diseases and infections, training.

What is the Codex Alimentarius Commission?

It is a commission established by FAO and WHO in 1963 that develops harmonised international food standards, guidelines and codes of practice to protect the health of the consumers and ensures fair trade practices in the food trade.

What is the EFSA?

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is the keystone of European Union (EU) risk assessment regarding food and feed safety.

In close collaboration with national authorities abd un open consultation with its stakeholders, EFSA provides independent scientific advice and clear communication on existing and emerging risks.

What are the three federal organizations that are in control of food safety in the United States?

• U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA): it is responsible for protecting and promoting public health including food safety.

• United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) → Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is an agency of USDA: it is responsible for ensuring commercial supply of meat, poultry, and egg products are safe

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) → national public health agency, its main goal is the protection of public health and safety through prevention and control

What are the food safety tools and management systems?

• Hygienic process design

  • Facilities, lay-out and operations

  • Equipment

  • Personnel

• Cleaning and disinfection

• GMP and GHP

• HACCP including PRP

• Quality management systems

  • ISO, BRC, FSSC, ethical standards, industrial guidelines

• Risk analysis

Hygienic process design → explain the characteristic that the environment and facilities should have:

The surrounding and building should:

• be a suitable area and size

• be well mantained

• have good infrastructure (e.g. roads)

• have waste handling

• have a robust and sound construction

Hygienic process design → explain the characteristics that the operation should have:

The interior part of the building should have:

• Controlled light, ventilation, temperature and humidity

• A directed flow of process from dirty to clean

• A smooth, easy to clean floors, walls and ceilings

• A toilets, changing rooms and canteen available

• A safe working environment

• Environmental control (have microbiological testing)

Hygienic process design → explain the characteristics that the equipment should have:

The surface of the equipment should be:

• Inert

• Smooth and non-porous

• Visible for inspection

• Accesible for cleaning

• Self-draining

It should also:

• Have protection against contamination

• If it is a exterior surface, it should not be collecting dirt

• Have probes for measuring temperature, flow and pH

Hygienic process design → explain the characteristics that the personnel should have:

• Knowledge and training of:

  • Microbial contamination and growth

  • Handling and storage of food

  • Cleaning procedures

  • Food legisltaion

• They should show active participation and awareness

Cleaning and disinfection → what is the difference between physical cleaning and microbiological cleaning?

• Physical cleaning: removing dirt

• Microbiological cleaning: sanitizing/disinfection

Cleaning and disinfection → how should microbiological cleaning be done?

Detergent: physico-chemical activity + Heat + Mechanical energy (e.g. scrubbing) → dry → disinfection: moist heat or chemical agents

Cleaning and disinfection → what are the different levels of cleaning?

• Antisepsis

• Sanitization

• Disinfection

• Sterilization

Cleaning and disinfection → explain the antisepsis level of cleaning:

• Antisepsis: causes a substantial reduction of the total microbial population and destroys potential pathogens. Applies to living tissue/skin.

Cleaning and disinfection → explain the sanitization level of cleaning:

• Sanitization: the microbial population is reduced to levels that are considered safe by public health standards.

Cleaning and disinfection → explain the disinfection level of cleaning:

Causes a substantial reduction of total microbial population and the destruction of potential pathogens. Applies to inanimate objects/surfaces.

Cleaning and disinfection → explain the sterilization level of cleaning:

All living cells, spores and acellular entities are destroyed/removed.

Cleaning and disinfection → what is CIP?

CIP stands for cleaning-in-place. This system usually uses a network of tanks, pumps, automated valevs and chemical dosing units to circulate cleaning liquids through the process equipment.

Cleaning and disinfection → what are the benefits of a CIP system?

• Safety

• Accessibility

• Time

• Cost

• Automation

• Reliability

• Traceability

• Environment

Cleaning and disinfection → explain the safety benefit of a CIP system:

Operators are not required to enter the plant to clean and do not need to handle hazardous cleaning materials.

Cleaning and disinfection → explain the accessibility benefit of a CIP system:

Difficult areas to access can be cleaned

Cleaning and disinfection → explain the time benefit of a CIP system:

Production stop between product runs is minimized.

Cleaning and disinfection → explain the cost benefit of a CIP system:

Cleaning costs can be reduced by recycling cleaning solutions.

Cleaning and disinfection → explain the automation benefit of a CIP system:

The cleaning system can be fully automated.

Cleaning and disinfection → explain the reliability benefit of a CIP system:

They give a guaranteed and repeatable quality assurance.

Cleaning and disinfection → explain the traceability benefit of a CIP system:

Can provide full data logging for quality assurance requirements

Cleaning and disinfection → explain the environment benefit of a CIP system:

The use of cleaning materials is more effectively controlled using a CIP system, water consumption is reduced.

GMP and GHP → what are GMP and GHP?

They are prerequisite programms (PRPs) withing a food management system.

Together, they establish the necessary production environment, hygiene conditions and operational procedures required to guarantee safe, high-quality food before site-specific HACCP plans are implemented.

GMP and GHP → what does GMP stand for?

GMP: Good Manufacturing Practice

GMP and GHP → what does GMP demand?

It demands the existence and following of precise methods, instructions and directions.

GMP and GHP → what are the goals of GMP?

• Ensure a correct and even quality

• Ensure that mix-ups do not occur

• Ensure that contamination does not occur

GMP and GHP → what is GHPs objective?

It is to identify and enforce essential food hygiene principles across every stage of the food chain.

• Environmental hygiene: managing hygiene at the raw material source, during handling, storage, transport, cleaning, maintenance and personal conduct.

• Location: properly positioning equipment, premises and storage room to allow easy cleaning and prevent cross-contamination.

GMP and GHP → what is the source of GHP?

The codex Alimentarius General Principles of Food Hygiene

HACCP including PRP → What does HACCP stand for?

HACCP = Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point

HACCP including PRP → how is HACCP defined?

It is defined as a systematic and preventative approach to identifying hazards and defining means of control, serving as the standard system of choice for assuring food safety.

HACCP including PRP → what is the definition for hazard?

A biological, chemical or physical agent in food with the potential to cause an adverse health effect.

HACCP including PRP → what is the definition of risk?

The degree of certainty that the hazard will be absent or that it will be present.

HACCP including PRP → what are the 7 essential principles of HACCP?

1. Conduct a hazard analysis

2. Determine Critical Control Points (CCPs)

3. Establish critical limits

4. Establish a monitoring system

5. Establish corrective actions

6. Procedures to verufy that HACCP system is working

7. Documentation

HACCP including PRP → what are TACCP and VACCP?

They are critical control points that are specialized to adress intentional adulteration, contrasting with HACCP, which focuses on accidental or non-intentional hazards.

HACCP including PRP → what is TACCP?

TACCP: threat assesment critical control point

• domain: food defence

• focus: threats

• objective: prevents intentional adulteration motivated by human behaviour

HACCP including PRP → what is VACCP?

VACCP = Vulnerability Assessment Critical Control Point

• Domain: food fraud

• Focus: vulnerabilities across the supply chain

• Objective: prevents intentional adulteration motivated by econnomic gain

Quality management systems → what is QMS?

It refers to the overaching organizational framework, standards, and management tools designated to ensure that food products consistently meet safety requirements, regulatory standards and consumer quality expectations.

Quality management systems → what are some examples of QMS?

ISO, BRC; FSSC, Ethical standards, Industrial guidelines

Risk analysis → what is risk analysis?

It is the framework developed by international bodies like the FAO and WHO to build food safety control programs in the global food market.

isk analysis → what are the goals of risk analysis?

1. To estimate the impact of a particular hazard on public health

2. Define an appropriate level of public health protection against that hazard

3. Establish guidelines to ensure the supply of safe foods

Risk analysis → what are the 3 components of risk analysis?

• Risk assessment (RA)

• Risk management

• Risk communication

Risk analysis → explain risk assessment:

• It is the probability of occurence and the severity of adverse health effects by a hazard

• It follows four sequential steps:

  • Hazard identification

  • Hazard characterization

  • Exposure assessment

  • QMRA (quantitative microbiological risk assessment)

Risk analysis → explain risk management:

• Evaluates the outcome of RA

• Implements control options

• 4 steps:

  • Risk evaluatipm

  • Optopm assessment

  • Option implementation

  • Monitoring and review

Risk analysis → explain risk communication:

• It is the dialogue between Risk assessors, Risk managers, Stakeholders and consumers.

• Stakeholders communicate the outcome of decisions.