Week 4 – Food Safety, Hazards & Risk Management

These Q&A flashcards cover core definitions, frameworks, types of hazards, illustrative examples, statistics, agencies and control systems discussed in the Week 4 Food Safety lecture. Use them to test your understanding of hazard identification, risk analysis, HACCP and the global–Australian regulatory context.

What is the definition of food safety?

The practice of ensuring that food will not cause harm to the consumer when it is prepared and/or eaten according to its intended use.

How does food safety differ from food security?

Food safety concerns freedom from harm in the food consumed, whereas food security is reliable, year-round access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food for all people.

Give the FAO–style definition of food security.

At all times all people have physical, social & economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active, healthy life.

What is a hazard in food science?

Anything capable of causing harm or danger (physical, chemical, biological or allergenic) in food.

Define risk in the context of food safety.

The probability or likelihood that exposure to a hazard will cause harm; mathematically, Risk = Hazard × Exposure.

Differentiate poison and toxin.

A poison is any substance capable of causing harm; a toxin is a poison produced by living cells or organisms.

What does toxicology study?

The science that investigates poisonous substances and their effects on living organisms.

State Paracelsus’ famous principle.

"All things are poison and nothing is without poison; only the dose differentiates a poison from a remedy."

What shape is a typical dose-response curve plotted on a log concentration axis?

Sigmoidal (S-shaped).

What do ED50, TD50 and LD50 represent?

Effective, toxic and lethal doses that cause the stated effect in 50 % of the test population, respectively.

List the four main categories of food hazards.

Physical, Biological (microbiological), Chemical and Allergenic.

Give three common examples of physical hazards in food.

Glass splinters, metal fragments, and stones.

Name three key biological hazards that frequently trigger food recalls.

Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., and Escherichia coli O157:H7.

Provide two examples of naturally occurring chemical hazards.

Aflatoxins produced by molds and oxalic acid present in rhubarb leaves.

What are endocrine disruptors? Give one food-related example.

Chemicals that mimic or interfere with hormones; e.g., bisphenol A (BPA) from some food contact plastics.

Which eight foods make up the global ‘big eight’ allergens according to Codex?

Peanuts, tree nuts, soy, milk, egg, wheat (gluten), crustacean shellfish and fish (plus sulfites).

Which two additional allergens are declared in Australia and New Zealand?

Sesame seeds and lupin.

Quote the WHO global burden of foodborne disease (illnesses & deaths per year).

≈ 600 million illnesses and ≈ 420 000 deaths annually from contaminated food.

Explain why food safety, nutrition and food security are said to be ‘inextricably linked’.

Safe food underpins nutritional adequacy and reliable food supply; without safety, food cannot fulfil security or nutrition goals.

Identify the global standard-setting body for food regulations.

Codex Alimentarius Commission.

What does FSANZ stand for and what is its role?

Food Standards Australia New Zealand; it develops and administers the binational Food Standards Code.

Name the three pillars of the Codex Risk Analysis Framework.

Risk Assessment, Risk Management, and Risk Communication.

Is risk assessment science-based or policy-based?

Science-based.

List the four basic steps of a food risk assessment.

Hazard identification, hazard characterisation, exposure assessment, risk characterisation.

What is Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI)?

The estimated amount of a substance that can be ingested daily over a lifetime without appreciable health risk.

What does GRAS mean in food additive regulation?

Generally Recognised (or Regarded) As Safe – substances accepted as safe under the conditions of intended use.

Expand HACCP.

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points.

How many core principles/steps does a HACCP plan include?

Seven.

Name three of the seven HACCP principles.

1) Conduct a hazard analysis; 2) Determine critical control points (CCPs); 3) Establish critical limits (Others: monitoring, corrective actions, verification, record-keeping).

Which agency registers agricultural and veterinary chemicals in Australia?

Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA).

Give one reason food allergies are believed to be increasing worldwide.

Reduced early-life microbial exposure (hygiene hypothesis) leading to more sensitisation.

Approximately how much insect material does the average person inadvertently consume per year?

About 200 g.

Define mycotoxin and give one health impact of aflatoxin B₁.

A toxic secondary metabolite produced by molds; aflatoxin B₁ is hepatotoxic and strongly linked to liver cancer.

What are dioxins and why are they a concern?

Persistent, lipophilic, highly toxic chlorinated organic pollutants formed during combustion of chlorinated materials; they bioaccumulate and pose serious health risks.

State two socio-economic consequences of widespread foodborne illness.

Increased healthcare costs and impeded economic development, especially in vulnerable communities.

Why are glass splinters in infant food considered a ‘nightmare’ hazard for manufacturers?

They are difficult to detect, can cause severe injury, and trigger costly recalls and reputational damage.

What is the role of risk communication in food safety?

To share accurate, transparent information about risks and controls without causing undue alarm.

What does ISO 22 000 certify?

A food safety management system that integrates HACCP with ISO-style quality management.

Explain ‘bioaccumulation’ in one sentence.

The process by which a chemical builds up in an organism over time because it is absorbed faster than it is metabolised or excreted.

Give two intentional chemical additives that may become hazards if mis-used.

Sodium nitrate (curing agent) and sulfites (preservatives).

What everyday practice illustrates Paracelsus’ dose principle in nutrition?

Essential nutrients like salt are beneficial in small amounts but toxic in large doses.

Which Australian academic is internationally known for food safety expertise and often appears as ‘Santa’ on campus?

Professor Julian Cox.