UTILIZE STRATEGIES OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH IN PROMOTING FOOD HYGIENE.

By the end of this session student are expected to be able to

Describe food hygiene

Describe methods of preserving food

Describe importance of food preservation

Describe methods of disposing unsafe/ unfit food

List food borne disease

Identify methods of preventing food borne disease

Conduct health education on food hygiene

Food: Anything, which when consumed, serves to nourish, build up the tissue or to supply heat to the body.

Food is essential for growth, development and energy production.

Hygiene: A practice, such as frequent hand washing, that helps to ensure cleanliness and good health.

Food hygiene: All measures necessary to ensure the safety and wholesomeness of food during preparation, processing, manufacture, storage, transportation, handling and offering for sale or supply to the consumer.

Food hygiene is more than cleanliness, it includes all practices involved in

Protecting food from risk of contamination, including harmful bacteria, poisons and foreign bodies.

Preventing any bacteria present from multiplying to an extent which would result in the illness of consumers or the early spoilage of the food.

Destroying any harmful bacteria in the food by thorough cooking or processing.

Discarding unfit or contaminated food.

Food preservation: The process of treating and handling food in such a way as to stop or greatly slow down spoilage to prevent food borne illness while maintaining nutritional value, texture and flavour.

Preservation by Addition of Chemicals

These include salt, nitrates and nitrites, sugar, benzoic acid or sodium benzoate, sulphur dioxide/sulphite, sorbic acid/potassium sorbate, acetic and lactic acid and sodium and calcium propionate

Preservation by Physical Methods

Preservation at low temperatures

Most common pathogenic organisms cease multiplication below 5°C

Above freezing refrigerators usually operate at between 1°C and 4°C

They are suitable for storage of most perishable foods over a relatively short period of time

Preservation at high temperatures

Pasteurization ƒ Involves heating food at a relatively low temperature for short time, which destroys pathogens ƒ For example, milk is heated to 72°C for 15 seconds and then rapidly cooled

Sterilization ƒ Involves the destruction of all microorganisms by means of steam under pressure.ƒ This process is only relevant to the control of food poisoning and spoilage in the process of canning ƒ After the can has been sealed it is heated by steam in a large pressure vessel to sterilize the content

Cooking ƒ A form of preservation, but is essentially used to make food more palatable and safe for immediate consumption

Dehydration ƒ Reducing water and drying food which normally contains less than 25% moisture

Controlled Atmospheres ƒ Modification of proportions of gases normally present at low or high oxygen concentration mixed with nitrogen or carbon dioxide which not favourable for microorganism to survive

Restriction of oxygen by removal of oxygen which does not allow the growth of microorganism

Canning and bottling ƒ A method of killing all bacteria in a food and then sealing it to prevent more bacteria from getting in

Smoking ƒ Suspending the food over shouldering hardwoods such as oak and ash to allow smoke to rid the inside and outside of food from chemical preservatives

Food Irradiation ƒ Involves subjecting the food to a dose of ionizing radiation

Help to prevent food spoilage until it can be consumed

Help to offers the opportunity to have a wide variety of foods year-around

It gives food more variety

It expands the supply of food

It cuts down food waste

Helps to reduce dietry deficiencies

Landfill

Incineration

Waste compaction

Compositing

Biogas generation

Food Borne Diseases, Poisoning and their Sources

Food borne disease: an illness caused by microorganisms, such bacteria, which use food as vehicle to move to humans where they can multiply and produce symptoms.

Food borne diseases are associated with contaminated water sources as well as with contaminated food and are responsible for many outbreaks of serious illness.

In food borne diseases, food acts as a vehicle for the pathogens which do not multiply in the food before causing illness, instead the pathogens multiply in the person who has eaten the food.

Bacillary dysentery; source is feaces of infected people

Typhoid; source is feaces of infected people

Paratyphoid; source feaces of infected people

Campylobacter enteritis;source is animals,including wild animals and untreated water, raw meat.

Listeriosis; widely distributed in environmental soil,water, vegetation, human and animal feaces.

Methods to Protect Food from Contamination

Purchase food from reputable suppliers

Require a high standard of personal hygiene and good hygiene practices

Well designed and constructed food premises

Separate raw and high risk food at all stages of delivery, storage, preparation, serving and distribution

Effectively store and dispose of waste and unfit food

Utilize well designed and suitable equipment/ utensils

Methods to Prevent Bacteria within Food from Multiplying

Store food out of the danger zone

Food should be kept below 5°C in a refrigerator or kept above 63°C in a Bain-Marie (a pan of hot water in which a cooking container is placed for slow cooking)

Cool food as rapidly as possible

Do not allow dried foods to absorb moisture

Use suitable preservatives such as salt, sugar or vinegar (acids)

Always wash your hands before handling food and after using the toilet

Always remove nail polish and jewels before handling food and keep nails short

Always ensure cuts and sores are covered with brightly coloured and water proof dressing and change them frequently

Always wear clean, washable light coloured over clothes

Always keep your hair covered

Never handle food unnecessarily

Never cough or sneeze over the food

Always clean as you go, wipe up any spills straight away

Always prepare raw and cooked food in separate area

Always keep food covered and either refrigerated or hot

Eating, drinking, smoking and chewing gum or tobacco should not be allowed when food handlers are preparing or saving food or working in food preparation area

Food handlers should be encouraged to report health problems to management before working with food

The hygienic status of food premises is very important in preventing the occurrence of food borne disease, including food poisoning

The minimum standards for food premises includes

Foundations should be constructed of permanent materials (cement block, building stones etc.)

Floors should be constructed of permanent materials and be durable

Wall finishes should be smooth, impervious, non-flaking, durable, light coloured and cable of being thoroughly cleaned

Ceilings should be smooth, fire-resistant, non-flaking, light coloured, covered at wall joints and easy to clean

There must be adequate facilities for storage and disposal of waste, suitable receptacles should be provided both inside and outside food premises for the disposal of waste food and debris

There must be adequate facilities for collection of liquid and solid wastes

There should be a sufficient number of toilets, depending on premises capacity, including separate rooms for males and females

In large food premises, like bars, hotels and markets urinal apartments must be provided

All equipment, working surfaces and other utensils which are used in food premises should be designed and constructed to minimize harbourage of soils, bacteria, or pests, and to enable them to be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected

Surfaces in contact with food should be smooth, impervious, non-toxic, non-flaking, corrosion-resistant, durable and suitable for their intended use

Cracked, chipped, broken and badly-pitted equipment harbours dirt and bacteria and should not be used

All food premises must be registered by relevant authorities

What is food hygiene?

What are the methods of food preservation?

What are food borne diseases?

What are the health requirements of food handlers?