Food Hazards and Safe Food Handling Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards defining core terms, biological hazards, growth phases, temperature safety, and proper food handling concepts from the transcript.

Contamination

The unintended presence of harmful organisms or substances in food.

Hazard

Any substance in food that can cause illness, injury, or harm.

Biological Hazard

A danger to food safety caused by disease-causing microorganisms such as bacteria, molds, yeasts, viruses, or fungi.

Chemical Hazard

A danger to food safety caused by chemical substances, especially cleaning agents, pesticides, and toxic metals.

Physical Hazard

A danger to food safety caused by particles such as glass chips, metal shavings, bits of wood, or other foreign matter.

Allergen

A substance that causes an allergic reaction.

Direct Contamination

The contamination of raw food items or the plants or animals from which they come, in their natural settings or habitats.

Cross-Contamination

The transference of hazardous substances, mainly microorganisms, to food from another food or surface such as equipment, worktables, or hands.

Foodborne Illnesses

Diseases, usually either infectious or toxic, caused by agents that enter the body through the ingestion or consumption of contaminated food.

Foodborne Disease Outbreak

An incident where two ($2$) or more people experience a similar illness after eating a common food.

Pathogens

Bacteria or microorganisms that are dangerous when consumed by humans.

Intoxications

Food poisoning occurring when a pathogen produces a toxin or toxins while growing in food before it is eaten.

Infections

Foodborne illnesses caused when viable food pathogens survive through the host's stomach into the intestine.

Toxin-Mediated Infection

Foodborne illness caused by eating food that contains harmful microorganisms that produce a toxin once inside the human body.

Bacterial Growth

The reproduction of bacteria and the increase in the number of organisms.

Lag Phase

The resting period during which very little growth occurs while bacteria adjust to new conditions, lasting from $1$ to $4$ hours.

Log Phase

A period of accelerated bacterial growth.

Stationary Phase

A period of bacterial growth lasting until bacteria crowd others within their colony, creating competition for food, space, and moisture.

Decline Phase

The negative-growth phase during which bacteria die at an accelerated rate.

Temperature Danger Zone (TDZ)

The temperature range of $41^\text{o}\text{F}$ to $135^\text{o}\text{F}$ ($5^\text{o}\text{C}$ to $57^\text{o}\text{C}$) in which most disease-causing bacteria multiply rapidly.

Water Activity ($A_w$)

A measure of the amount of water that is not bound to food and is available for bacterial growth, measured on a scale of $0$ to $1.0$.

Viruses

Microorganisms much smaller than bacteria that require a living host to grow and reproduce, and do not multiply in food.

Parasites

Microscopic creatures that need to live on or inside a living host to survive and take nourishment from their host.

Fungi

Organisms ranging from single-celled to multicellular, including yeasts, molds, mildews, and mushrooms.

Minimum Internal Cooking Temperature

The internal temperature for a food product at which microorganisms are killed when held for a specified period.

Four-Hour Rule

A rule stating not to let food remain in the Temperature Danger Zone for a cumulative total of more than $4$ hours between receiving and serving.

Convenience Food

Any food product that has been partially or completely prepared or processed by a manufacturer.

First In, First Out (FIFO)

A storing method or principle where deliveries or stocks are rotated to ensure that old stocks are used first before newer ones.