Module 5

An Overview of Potential Hazards in Food Service Operations

At the of this module you are expected to:

1. Define food safety hazard;

2. Identify and give examples of each of the three main types of foodborne hazards;
3. Discuss the food temperature danger zone;
4. Explain how temperatures in the danger zone affect bacterial growth; and
5. Identify the major types of potentially hazardous foods and the characteristics that
are common to this group of foods

A food safety hazard is a biological, chemical, or physical agent or condition in food

that could potentially cause an adverse human health effect.

Food safety hazards can also be found in animal feed and feed ingredients. They
can also cause adverse human health effects since they can be transferred to humans
through the consumption of animal products.

Simply said, it is anything in food that can cause harm to the consumer in the form
of foodborne illness. Foodborne illnesses are defined as diseases, either infectious or
toxic in nature, caused by agents that enter the body through the ingestion of food.
Myriads microbes and toxic substances can contaminate foods. There are more than 250
known foodborne diseases. Majority are infectious and caused by bacteria, viruses, and
parasites. Other foodborne diseases are poisonings caused by toxins and chemicals
contaminating the food. All foodborne microbes and toxins enter the body through
gastrointestinal tract and often cause nausea and vomiting, which are early symptoms of
a foodborne illness.

As indicated above, hazards are classified into three categories: biological,

chemical and physical: table 5.1 shows examples of these three types of hazards.
 Biological Chemical Physical
 Bacteria  Agricultural chemicals  Foreign objects in food
 Parasites and helminths (pesticides) such as:
 Virus  Natural plant toxins - Hair
 Fungi  Animal toxins - Pebbles
 Prions  Food additives - Glass shards
 Medications - Toothpick
 Radioactive substance - Plastic
 Alcohol - Metal fragments
- Fabrics
Table 5.1 Potential Hazards that can Result in Foodborne Illnesses

Sources of Food Safety Hazard

Risks of hazard resulting in foodborne illnesses can arise from every step in the
food process, from production to consumption. Risk of one or more hazards are always
present in each step or area. Hazards, can contaminate food through the following
factors: material, men, method, machine, money and environment.

Contamination is the unintended presence of a harmful substance in food while

cross contamination is the transfer of such harmful substances from one food to another
through a non-food surface, such as cooking wares, equipment and food workers.

Figure 5.2 Biological hazards such as

Figure 5.1 Cleaning chemicals as Figure 5.3 Physical hazards like nails,
bacteria, virus, fungi
Chemical hazards
plastics, bones, rocks, and glass

General Categories of Contamination

1. Inherent in Raw Material

Raw food materials may appear clean, but microorganisms, chemicals, even foreign
objects, may be found in the raw food as it is grown, harvested, caught or slaughtered. A
study done on several raw food indicates that no uncooked food should be considered
completely safe from bacterial pathogens (Synder, 2004).

2. Contamination through Time-Temperature Abuse

A food is said to have been time-temperature abused if it has been allowed to stay too
long at temperatures favorable to the growth of microorganisms. This temperature is
referred to as the Temperature Danger Zone.

Contamination due to time-temperature abuse includes:

 Failure to hold or store food at the required cold or hot temperature;

 Failure to cook and/or reheat to temperature that will kill harmful
microorganisms; and
 Long interval between food preparation and serving without appropriate
temperature.
3. Cross-contamination

Cross-contamination occurs when microorganisms are transferred from a

contamination food contact surface or food to a non-contaminated food contact surface
or food common cross-contamination instances are:

 Addition of a raw material to a cooked ingredient without it being heated or

cooked;
 Contamination from the dirty apparel of food handlers; and
 Contamination of food surfaces.
4. Poor Personal Hygiene
Individuals with poor personal hygiene practices can contaminate food and food
contact services. The most common source of foodborne illness can be traced to food
handlers. Common personal hygiene violations that can result in foodborne illness
include:
  Failure to wash hands properly
 Failure to follow proper hygiene habits
 Working when sick; and
 Lack of training in personal hygiene practices

Potentially Hazardous Food (PHF)

Some types of food have the ability to support the rapid, progressive growth of
infections and toxin-producing microorganisms. These foods are called Potentially
Hazardous and have the following characteristics:

 A history of being involved in foodborne illness outbreaks. Salmonellosis in

peanut butter from the Peanut Corporation of America in Blakely, Georgia has
become one of the worst known outbreaks of foodborne disease in recent years.
Nine are believed to die and an estimated 22,500 fell ill from the disease.
 A natural potential for contamination. Contamination occurs due to the methods
used to produce and process food. Examples are manually handled food (fresh
lumpia) and those that does not undergo heating (salads and sandwiches
).
 High moisture that supports bacterial growth. Food with high moisture are
likely to support microbial growth. Highly perishable (fresh) food and canned fruits,
vegetables, meat, fish, and milk are examples of PHF with high moisture content.
 High protein and carbohydrates. These kind of food provide a rich source of
bacterial food. These food includes meat, poultry, fish, dairy products, and eggs.
 Not acidic enough to inhibit the growth of microorganisms. Fresh fruits, vegetables
and some seafood have low acidity levels that can sustain microbial growth.

The FDA Food Code classifies the following as PHF:

1. Animal products that are raw or heat-treated

2. All cooked meat and poultry
3. Cooked meat products with sauces and stocks, especially those with tomatoes
4. Dairy products like milk, cream, cheese, ice cream and yogurt
5. Cooked eggs and products made from eggs, like mayonnaise
 6. Cooked shellfish and other sea foods
7. Cooked rice and beans, and baked or boiled potatoes
8. Desserts consisting of eggs and milk
9. Gravies and stuffing for meat and poultry
10. Food products made with high-risk foods and exposed to more handling, such as
meatloaf, hamburgers, salad (pasta, coleslaw, chicken egg and tuna salads.
11. Chinese and Mexican dishes, some baked goods and cream fillings, French toast,
meringue and eggnog
12. Foods of plant origin that are heat-treated or consist of raw seed sprouts
13. Cut melons, and garlic and oil mixtures that are not modified in a way to inhibit the
growth of microorganisms.

Symptoms of Foodborne Illness

In most cases of foodborne illnesses, symptoms resemble intestinal flu and may
last for a few hours or even several days. Symptoms can range from mild to serious and
include:

 Abdominal cramps
 Nausea
 Vomiting
 Diarrhea, which is sometimes bloody
 Fever
 Dehydration, and
 Headache

Risk Factor of Foodborne Illnesses

 Some people are at a greater risk for bacterial infections because of their age or
an unhealthy immune system. Individuals who are susceptible to the effects of foodborne
illnesses are:

 Infants and young children;

 Pregnant women;
 Elderly persons over 65 years old;
 Persons with chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes, mellitus and tuberculosis;
 Persons whose immune systems are compromised as in case of HIV/AIDS,
those who had organ transplants and multiple surgeries, and those undergoing
radiation and chemotherapy;
 Malnourished individuals who are anemic, emaciated and have depleted body
proteins;
 Individual with unhealthy lifestyles, such as poor eating habits, alcohol and drug
abuse, smoking, and
 People under certain medication such as prolonged use of antibiotics and
antacids, thereby reducing the normal beneficial microflora of the
gastrointestinal tract.

Treatment of Foodborne Illness

Most cases of foodborne illness are mild and can be treated by increasing fluid
intake, either orally or intravenously, to replace lost fluids and electrolytes. People who
experience gastrointestinal or neurologic symptoms should seek medical attention.
Key Points
1. Food safety hazard is a biological, chemical, or physical agent or condition in food
that could potentially cause an adverse human health effect.
2. Hazards, can contaminate food through the following factors: material, men,
method, machine, money and environment.
3. Contamination is the unintended presence of a harmful substance in food while
cross contamination is the transfer of such harmful substances from one food to
another through a non-food surface, such as cooking wares, equipment and food
workers.
4. Poor Personal Hygiene, Individuals with poor personal hygiene practices can
contaminate food and food contact services. The most common source of
foodborne illness can be traced to food handlers.
5. Inherent in Raw Material may appear clean, but microorganisms, chemicals,
even foreign objects, may be found in the raw food as it is grown, harvested, caught
or slaughtered.
6. Contamination through Time-Temperature Abuse, A food is said to have been
time-temperature abused if it has been allowed to stay too long at temperatures
favorable to the growth of microorganisms. This temperature is referred to as the
Temperature Danger Zone.
7. Hazards are classified into three categories: biological, chemical and physical.
8. Symptoms of foodborne illness are, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting,
diarrhea, fever, dehydration, and headache.
9. Most cases of foodborne illness are mild and can be treated by increasing fluid
intake, either orally or intravenously, to replace lost fluids and electrolytes. People
who experience gastrointestinal or neurologic symptoms should seek medical
attention.
10. Risks of hazard resulting in foodborne illnesses can arise from every step in the
food process, from production to consumption. Risk of one or more hazards are
always present in each step or area. Hazards, can contaminate food through the
following factors: material, men, method, machine, money and environment.
References and Supplementary Materials
Books
1. Ang, Balanon (2010) Food Safety and Sanitation

Online Supplementary Reading Material

1. http://nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodborne/USDA/FDA (Foodborne illness education

information Center)