In this blog post, we will investigate ways that foods can be contaminated , and the control measures to put in place to avoid this.
- Foods can be contaminated in various ways including : By micro-organisms e.g,. bacteria, fungi-
- Spillage of chemicals into food
- A damaged food package
- Expired
- Contaminated with chemicals
- Cross contamination occurs
- Food poisoning Micro-organisms survive through food processing
- Harmful chemical are stored along with food products
To minimize the probability of food contamination:
- Practice personal hygiene measures i.e. the thorough washing of hands before handling or consuming food.
- Wash foods thoroughly before preparing them.
- Store food in containers- Preserve dry food from rodents and insects that may cause infections by storing in airtight containers. Utilizing appropriate temperatures when storing food-Storing food with recommended temperatures is important to prevent invasion by micro-organisms
- Avoid cross contamination
- Check nutrition label to determine date of expiry
- Check for bulges and dents on food packages-food packages with bulges and dents are likely spoil therefore should be avoided.
- Purchase form a reliable source-this will prevent you from purchasing foods with too much chemicals in them
- Avoid partial cooking of foods .Cook foods thoroughly to destroy potential bacteria that may withstand high temperatures.
- Defrosting of frozen foods in the fridge-defrost foods properly to avoid bacteria
- Store food products away from chemical supplies nod household-this to prevent the spillage of chemicals into foods.
- Raw food items should be kept on lower shelves to prevent their juice from leaching into other food items.
- Dispose expired products
- Serve food immediately once it is prepared.
- Store raw and cooked foods separately- to avoid the raw foods from contaminating cooked foods.
- Equipment and cooking surfaces should be kept clean
- Cook food at correct temperatures
Foods can be contaminated in various ways .Food contamination predisposes one to food-poisoning and food borne illnesses.It is important that you employ proper handling measures to reduce food contamination