So I’ve been on a food hygiene course run by the tourism training in Cardiff.
Just want a short RAGHGH…. Food was provided for this day-long course. Though we (Wales Outdoors) informed them that there would be one vegetarian and one vegan attending there was minimal provision for vegetarians (cheese sandwiches) and next to none for vegans. Which meant I survived the day on my three allocated wedges and mixed salad leaves, it doesn’t take much effort to say ok can you bring a packed lunch along then.
Anyway I thought it would be useful to write a bit of a summary here. The rules and guidelines are aimed at commercial cooking not home cooking, but some of this stuff is useful to know anyway.
BASICS/ TERMINOLOGY;
Hazard – the potential to cause harm.
Risk – the likelihood to cause harm.
Control – how to reduce the risk.
Diligence – keep up to date records of temperatures, training, and where you source food.
BACTERIA;
Is the cause of 97% of food related illness, luckily the best way to kill bacteria is to cook it.
There are two types of bacteria;
SPOILAGE BACTERIA – this causes food to go off.
PATHOGENIC BACTERIA – these are the harmfull bacteria that cause illness.
-it is not possible to see or smell the presence of these.
PATHOGENS INCLUDE; Samonella, Campylobacter, Botulism, Ecoli, Listeria, Staph, Bacilus Cereus.
Us veggies are lucky that most are commonly found in meat but;
• Botulism is most commonly found in tinned food. This doesn’t need oxygen to survive. (Important to know about the controls for this if you can your own food.)
• Ecoli can be found in contaminated water.
• Listeria is found in unpasteurised dairy and sometimes salads. This will still live in fridges.
• Staph lives on people and animals and is passed on by coughs, sneezes etc. (Why you shouldn’t cook for others when you’re ill.)
• Bacillus Cereus is mainly found in rice and pulse dishes. This survives heating. (Why you shouldn’t reheat your takeaway rice.)
For bacteria to grow it is essential they have;
• Water
• The right Temperature
• Food
• Time
VIRUS;
Are different from bacteria.
They do not depend on food or water and cannot live on dead bodies. So they rely on carriers i.e. humans, animals such as pets, rats, birds, insects.
It is possible for viruses to not show symptoms, this makes you a carrier.
TEMPERATURES;
To check temperatures keep a thermometer in the middle of the fridge/ freezer, check food temperature at it core.
For food to be safe to eat the core temperature should be 70c for 2 minutes.
Bacteria begins to be destroyed above 63c.
The danger zone when bacteria are most active is between 63c – 5c. Food should not be at this temperature for more than 90 minutes.
The ideal temperature for bacteria is 37c.
The highest temperature a fridge should be is 8c.
The target temperature for a fridge is 1c- 4c.
The closest to 0c a freezer should get is 18c. Under this bacteria are dormant.
(To help food cool down more quickly chop it into smaller pieces.)
CONTAMINATION;
Contamination is the presence of any harmful substance or object in food.
This can be;
Microbial – living objects, bacteria.
Physical – Objects like plasters
Chemical – such as pesticides, or residues.
Cross contamination occurs where raw food touches cooked food or between different types of food ie; dairy and vegetables, meat and dairy etc.
Cross contamination can occur due to direct contact where the food actually touches each other. Or indirect contact where hands, utensils, wash cloths touch one food then another.
Chopping boards, our hands and cloths used to wipe surfaces are areas to watch.
HACCP;
Hazard Analysis of Critical Control Points.
This means identifying hazards and implementing controls.
Critical control points are where things can go wrong- storage, preparation, cooking and delivery.
HIGH RISK FOOD;
Good news again for us veggies high risk foods are high protein, high moisture and ready to eat.
High protein foods are animal products, rice and tofu.
Sweet or salty food is less high risk as salt and sugars work as preservatives.
Important controls include; Cleaning, disinfection, hygiene, personal and kitchen, well maintained kitchen, control of clothing, good stock rotation, reducing risk of pests, keeping foods at correct temperatures.
(water above 82c will disinfect.)
The Crazy Vegan Lady 