Food hygiene is a very serious issue and has to be firmly managed - not only in a commercial setting, but in addition in your own home or the implications might be damaging to human health and even cause loss of life. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation have also issued a directive on food hygiene, which is modified on occasion.
Food hygiene is far more than washing your hands before food preparation and a neat and clean kitchen - it has further to do with variables such as the five major principles of food hygiene as established by the World Health Organisation. These components are:
The protection against the spreading of pathogens. Pathogens or infectious agents are distributed by people, pets and pests. In daily life we call them germs, which are microorganisms like viruses, bacteria or funguses that induce diseases in their host, which may be animals or plants. Although medical science has seen to the availability of anti-biotics and vaccinations and hygienic standards are now being set and water is purified to strict standards pathogens still threaten the health of individuals. The various types of pathogens are: Viral, like influenza, the much feared Ebola and rubella. Bacterial, like tuberculosis, the bacteria that cause pneumonia and certain food borne diseases like salmonella. Others cause diseases such as tetanus, diphtheria and even syphilis. Fungi might cause disease in humans, animals and plants. Parasites can cause disease, which of malaria is well known.
The separation of raw and cooked foods. Chefs label this cross contamination of food. This even implies that separate chopping blocks and knives be utilized for raw and cooked preparing food. The modern chopping blocks are no longer wood as that medium is thought to be unhygienic, but differently colour coded synthetic chopping blocks. The colour codes are for various food types. Foods like poultry and fish are particularly vulnerable to cross contamination.
Food must be cooked for the correct time and heat to kill pathogens. Foods like chicken and particularly pork has to be cooked well and needs a certain inner temperature to be fully cooked. To achieve this temperature the stove or oven has to be set at an appropriate temperature and it needs to be cooked for long enough to reach the correct inner temperature.
Food must be stored at the correct heat. This is a very important aspect in food hygiene and particularly crucial in the storage of meat and seafood products. It is generally advised that raw meat be stored at 4-5 degrees Centigrade. The habit of leaving left over meat outside the freezer overnight is not a good plan.
Use safe water and cooked supplies. Food hygiene is highly dependent on the use of safe water. Toxified water particularly where water is contaminated with human waste is highly dangerous and could lead to cholera. This is a distinct problem in many rural areas and brings about many deaths per year. Adding unsafe cooked food to other food can lead to food poisoning and even death.
It is important that you consider and practise safe cooking and food preparation methods and it is incredibly important not to buy food from suspicious sources. Be careful of any take away food outlets that you are not aux fait with, in particular road side stalls in rural areas.
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