Food hygiene are the conditions and measures necessary to ensure the safety of food from production to consumption. Food can become contaminated at any point during slaughtering or harvesting, processing, storage, distribution, transportation and preparation. Lack of adequate food hygiene can lead to foodborne diseases and death of the consumer. (World Health Organization, WHO)
The principles of food safety aim to prevent food from becoming contaminated and causing food poisoning.
Reviewing the available statistics, The Center for Disease Control and prevention (CDC) estimates that each year 48 million people get sick from a foodborne illness, 128,000 are hospitalised, and 3,000 die from food poisoning.
There are “Five keys to safer food”, which were developed to educate safe food handling behaviours to all consumers and food handlers.
Promoting safe food handling:
1) Keep clean
2) Separate raw and cooked
3) Cook thoroughly
4) Keep food at safe temperatures
5) Use safe water and raw materials
Each year, 1 in 10 people get ill by eating unsafe food. While food safety is a shared responsibility, individual consumers and food handlers play a huge role in preventing foodborne diseases. “Five keys to safer food” messages were therefore developed, and validated by an independent body of international scientists in 2001, to empower all consumers worldwide with a simple and applicable set of actions to prevent foodborne diseases. (WHO)
How To Ensure Food Hygiene
1) Separate raw foods from ready-to-eat foods.
2) Wash your hands before handling foodstuffs.
3) Wash vegetables and fruits before use.
4) Clean utensils and kitchen equipments.
5) Keep foodstuffs in a conducive environment.
The next episode on “Food Hygiene” will give details of each point mentioned here. Do well to visit our blog often.
Nourish well, live well.
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