The presence of dangerous chemicals and micro- organisms results in the contamination of food and leads to the illness of the consumer. The contamination of food is sometimes also the consequence of substances such as cleaning compounds, pesticides and the practice of using inappropriate vessels for cooking or storage (Majeed, 2017). The food can be consumed after some time with the help of food storage methods rather than solely immediately. Also, personal hygiene plays an important role for the food handlers in order to protect the food from getting contaminated. This report focuses on the methods for the safe storage of food with an emphasis on the temperature control system. Moreover, this report also evaluates the significance of personal hygiene in the regulation for food contamination.
Food storage is considered to be a major issue when it comes to keeping the food safe. Spoilage or contamination of food can result from the incorrect method of storing the food. Food storage refers to keeping the food in the fridge, pantry, freezer or in a warming receptacle. Specific rules are needed to be considered in respect of temperatures at which the food must be stored at. If such rules are not followed appropriately then it may result in the illness of the consumer and can increase the risk of contamination. There are three methods for the safe storage of food or stocking of food i.e. dry store, cold storage (fridge) and freezer.
Dry Storage- The dry store room is especially meant for dry foods. The area or the safe storage of the dry foods should be dry and cool in order to prevent spoilage and swelling of canned goods. 10° C to 15° C is the ideal temperature for this method of safe storage. However, there are certain precautions which needs to be taken for such type of storage of food. The dry storeroom should be designed in a manner such that the supplies can be easily arranged and rearranged for the purpose of facilitating stock rotation (Karim, Hassan and Akanda, 2018). There should be shelves in the middle of the room such that the stock can be arranged from both the sides (Angourakis, Santos, Galán and Balbo, 2015). This method allows rotating the stock b pushing the older stock out from one side and sliding the newer stock in from another side. This is also known as the first in, first out or FIFO method of stock rotation.
Cold Storage (Fridge) – The other method of safe storage of food is the cold storage method. This method allows the food stored by delay their decomposition or deterioration. However, the basic rule is followed in this method which provides that the raw materials should be stored below the cooked and ready to eat products. 4° C or colder is regarded as the safe temperature for storage in refrigerator. FIFO system is also used for this method which provides that the items stored first should be consumed first such that they does not get spoiled due to storage for a longer period of time. Dairy products are the perfect example of the products which are required to be stored in the refrigerator at temperatures of 2° C to 4° C. On the other hand, bananas and potatoes should be stored in a refrigerator at higher temperatures (Marklinder and Eriksson, 2015).
Freezer- Another method of the safe storage of foods is storing the food in a freezer. The temperature of a freezer is -18° C or lower. The rise of temperature above -18° C may lead to the discoloring of the food along with the loss of vitamin content. Moreover, lowering the temperature after increasing it for certain period of time may not correct the damage. The use of right air tight package should be made in the freezer for the purpose of preventing the freezer burn which results in degrading the quality of food (Bouzari, Holstege and Barrett, 2015).
The storage of food should be made through the use of correct method such that it saves time, money and protects the wastage of food and ensures its instant availability (Touati, Barba, Louaileche, Frigola and Esteve, 2016). The safe storage of food should be ensured through the use of the following ways:
Correct temperature control- Different products are required to be stored at different temperatures and such temperature should be maintained for avoiding spoilage. For example, chilling temperature is needed by the meat products while normal temperature is sufficient for the vegetables.
Use by Date- The labelling of the foods clearly signifies the use by date of the food products. This use by date is the expiry date of the product after which the food starts getting contaminated. Even if the food looks fresh and smells fine, it is not advisable to consume such food (Leib et. al. 2016).
Stock Rotation- The inventory of the stock should be properly managed by the food handlers in a proper manner by using the first in first out method. This method ensures that the older stock is utilized first and newer stock can be stored. This further reduces the consequences of food spoilage which are hazardous for the consumers of food (Leithner and Fikar, 2018).
Temperature control system plays an important role in the safe storage of foods. The food gets deteriorated due to the improper use of time and temperature. Adequate knowledge is necessary for the accurate use of heat, freezers and chillers in order to prevent the perishable products and food from the attack of poisonous bacteria. Temperature control system is regarded as a safe tool for controlling and maintaining the temperature from causing damage to the food products.
Following are the key steps in the temperature control system:
Firstly, the temperature required for diverse foodstuffs need to be determined. For example, sea food and meat requires high chilling while average temperature is required by the raw materials. The next step demands the identification of temperature procedures for the purpose of meeting the temperature standards. After this, the next step aims at achieving the proper controlling and monitoring for ensuring the temperatures achieved. In the last step, a list is formulated for the purpose of recording the temperatures for the effective storage of meat, dairy products, sea food products, fresh food and vegetables, etc.
Personal hygiene plays an important role in the prevention of food from getting contaminated. The term personal hygiene implies the cleanliness and tidiness of the food handler while dealing with the food which includes hand and hands. It further includes the avoidance of unhygienic habits, keeping the hair covered and wearing clean protective outer clothing. Personal hygiene is further concerned with washing the hands on regular basis especially after going to the toilet or after handling poultry or raw meat. The importance of personal hygiene is due to the fact that it has an impact on the health of the consumer of the food (Baluka, Miller and Kaneene, 2015). The consumption of the contaminated food often results in food poisoning. The food workers act as the carriers of food poisoning bacteria. A carrier can be defined as a person who may pass on harmful bacteria even when such person does not show any signs of illness. People recovering from diseases such as Salmonella food poisoning may become their carriers for a number of months. There is a route of contamination of food which leads to the spoilage of the food. Bacteria is found in the nose, urine, cuts, hair and in the faeces which, in turn, gets transferred to the hands thereby transferring food poisoning bacteria from our bodies onto the food. In other words, if high standards of personal hygiene are not maintained by the food handlers then the food is likely to be contaminated. Furthermore, personal hygiene is also important for the purpose of complying with the law. A legal responsibility is placed on the food workers by the food hygiene legislation for maintaining a high degree of personal cleanliness. The legislation further requires the food workers to keep their body clean by showering daily along with removing the layers of dead skin, dirt and bacteria building up on the body that have the possibility of passing onto the food (Lelieveld, Holah and Napper, 2014).
Personal hygiene is also important for the purpose of maintaining the appearance and staff morale. The consumers of food usually observe its handling and serving. The clean appearance and personal hygiene standards of the food handlers results in creating a good impression and is a good practice for the businesses (Lee, Abdul Halim, Thong and Chai, 2017).
During the preparation of food, it is recommended that the food does not come in contact with the body of the food handler or anything that the food handler is wearing, for example, saliva, hair, mucus, blood, sweat, jewelry, clothes, fingernails or bandages. For the purpose of ensuring that the food does not get contaminated with bare hands, gloves can be worn by the food handler. Furthermore, such gloves should be changes from time to time and should be washed after using it. It is not possible to describe the importance of the personal hygiene in the control of food contamination in just few words. The lives of a large number of people fully depend on the manner in which the food handlers pay attention to the requirements of personal hygiene and take care of their health. The use of dirty hands in the kitchen can result in a number of infections, illnesses and can even lead to the death of an individual. The contamination of the food can be easily caused by any of the food handler if he or she takes poor personal hygiene. The bodies of humans are the home for a variety of dangerous bacteria which can easily get into the products thereby leading to their spoilage and along with harming the health of the humans (Jianu and Gole?, 2014).
Therefore, proper steps should be taken by the food handlers in respect of their personal hygiene by washing their hands from time to time as a priority for good health care and personal cleanliness. Moreover, the food handlers are also responsible for taking care of their own health. This is due to the fact that when their body will remain infection free, they will not transfer any bacteria and germs onto the food. If the food handler is suffering from ill health then he or she should immediately consult the doctor for ensuring that their overall health is alright (Tersoo, 2018). The next measure that can be taken by the food handlers is wearing clean clothes. The dirty clothes contaminate the food by way of transferring the infections and bacteria to the people who eat the food.
Conclusion
Therefore, it can be concluded that the presence of harmful chemicals and microorganisms results in the contamination of food and leads to the illness of the consumer. With the help of the methods for the safe storage, the food can also be consumed after certain period of time as such methods prevents the food from getting deteriorated or decomposed. Food storage refers to keeping the food in the fridge, pantry, freezer or in a warming receptacle. There are three methods for the safe storage of food or stocking of food i.e. dry store, cold storage (fridge) and freezer. The use of FIFO method is of great use in the safe storage of food. Moreover, personal hygiene plays an important role for the food handlers in order to protect the food from getting contaminated. The consumption of the contaminated food often results in food poisoning.
References
Angourakis, A., Santos, J.I., Galán, J.M. and Balbo, A.L., 2015. Food for all: an agent-based model to explore the emergence and implications of cooperation for food storage. Environmental Archaeology, 20(4), pp.349-363.
Baluka, S.A., Miller, R. and Kaneene, J.B., 2015. Hygiene practices and food contamination in managed food service facilities in Uganda. African Journal of food science, 9(1), pp.31-42.
Bouzari, A., Holstege, D. and Barrett, D.M., 2015. Mineral, fiber, and total phenolic retention in eight fruits and vegetables: a comparison of refrigerated and frozen storage. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry, 63(3), pp.951-956.
Jianu, C. and Gole?, I., 2014. Knowledge of food safety and hygiene and personal hygiene practices among meat handlers operating in western Romania. Food Control, 42, pp.214-219.
Karim, A.B., Hassan, A.Z. and Akanda, M.M., 2018. Monitoring food storage humidity and temperature data using IoT. MOJ Food Process Technol, 6(4), pp.400-404.
Lee, H.K., Abdul Halim, H., Thong, K.L. and Chai, L.C., 2017. Assessment of food safety knowledge, attitude, self-reported practices, and microbiological hand hygiene of food handlers. International journal of environmental research and public health, 14(1), p.55.
Leib, E.B., Rice, C., Neff, R., Spiker, M., Schklair, A. and Greenberg, S., 2016. Consumer perceptions of date labels: National survey. safety, 23(54), p.19.
Leithner, M. and Fikar, C., 2018. Simulating fresh food supply chains by integrating product quality. In Operations Research Proceedings 2017 (pp. 671-676). Springer, Cham.
Lelieveld, H.L., Holah, J. and Napper, D. eds., 2014. Hygiene in food processing: principles and practice. Elsevier.
Majeed, A., 2017. Food toxicity: contamination sources, health implications and prevention. J Food Sci Toxicol, 1(1), p.2.
Marklinder, I. and Eriksson, M.K., 2015. Best-before date–food storage temperatures recorded by Swedish students. British Food Journal, 117(6), pp.1764-1776.
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Touati, N., Barba, F.J., Louaileche, H., Frigola, A. and Esteve, M.J., 2016. Effect of storage time and temperature on the quality of fruit nectars: Determination of nutritional loss indicators. Journal of Food Quality, 39(3), pp.209-217.
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