Category: Foods

Understanding food safety techniques first requires an understanding of key terms and concepts. This article will define and explain some of the most important terms you need to know to keep you and your family healthy.

BACTERIA: Microorganisms that can cause food borne illness and food spoilage. Bacteria are more commonly involved in food-related illness than viruses, fungi, or parasites. Some bacteria spores can survive freezing and high temperatures.

CONTAMINATION: The presence of harmful substances in food. Some contamination occurs naturally. Some may be introduced by humans or other environmental agents.

CROSS-CONTAMINATION: When harmful substances or bacteria is physically transferred from one source (e.g. human) to another.

FOOD CONTACT SURFACE: Any surface that touches food.

FOODBORNE ILLNESS: Sickness or disease transmitted to people via food.

FUNGI: Molds and yeasts are examples of fungi. Fungi can range in size from microscopic single-celled organisms to large, multi-cellular organisms. Fungi are often the cause of food spoilage.

INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT: Programs to prevent pests from infesting food sources and serving establishments and measures to eliminate any pest intrusions.

MICROORGANISMS: Tiny living organisms that can be seen using a microscope.
The four types of microorganisms that can contaminate food and cause food borne illness are bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi.

PARASITE: An organism that needs a host organism to survive. Parasites can live inside many animals that are used for food including cows, chickens, pigs and fish. Proper heating, cooking and freezing kills parasites. Avoiding cross-contamination and proper hand washing is also vital in preventing food borne illness caused by parasites.

PATHOGENS: Microorganisms that cause disease including disease in food.

POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS FOOD: Types of food in which microorganisms are able to grow quickly. Potentially hazardous food groups often has a history of being involved in food borne illness outbreaks, has potential for contamination due to methods used to produce and process it, and has characteristics that generally allow microorganisms to thrive. Potentially hazardous food is often moist, high in protein, and chemically neutral or slightly acidic.

PRODUCE TRACEABILITY: The ability to accurately track fresh produce from its point of origin (field) to the time of purchase by the end consumer. Complete traceability, known as whole chain traceability.

SANITIZE: The action and process of reducing the number of harmful microorganisms on a surface to make it safe for contact with food.

TOXINS: Harmful substances or poisons.

VIRUS: The smallest microbial food contaminants. Viruses require a live host to survive and reproduce. Virus usually contaminates food via a food handlers insufficient and improper handling and hygiene. Virus can survive some cooking and freezing temperatures.

The 15 terms described above are examples of the most important core food safety terms. Use this information to as a starting point for your deeper research.

Food Adulteration is the major problem related to food faced by all the countries all over the world. Not only the developing countries like India, all the developed countries are facing the problem of Food Adulteration. As a result of this the people who consume the adulterated food are badly affected and sometimes even may resulting to food poisoning. Sometimes the results of consumption of adulterated food are immediate. In other cases the affect may be delayed and the delayed affect may be more dangerous even which may lead to cancer. The best example of this delayed effect is consumption of metal contaminated food. Metals enter into the food through air, water, soil or by industrial pollution and contaminate the food. Metallic components of arsenic oxides, Barium carbonates may accidentally make their way into the foods. Packaging material, containers, metal machinery that is used during food processing and distribution are the other sources of contamination. Metals are naturally present in foods and even mere changes in the dietary uptake it leads to toxic effects. Some of the metals like lead, tin cadmium, mercury, arsenic, zinc, copper, aluminum, cobalt and chromium when consumed in large quantities are toxic. Studies conducted by scientists at Industrial Toxicology Research centre, Lucknow found that silver foil used for sweets and in pan masala contain nickel, lead, chromium, and cadmium. These metals when accumulated slowly in the body become carcinogenic and may result in cancer. Silver foil with a purity of 99% can be used in edible form. A survey conducted by the Indian Council of Medical research (ICMR) also found high levels of pesticide residues in bovine milk and metals like arsenic, cadmium and lead in infant canned products and turmeric. Nickel, a trace metal that could cause cancer is present in Indian chocolates, water, and hydrogenated vegetable oil and even in milk. These types of Adulterants which are incidentally which enters the food products are called as Incidental Adulterants or Unintentional Adulterants.
The Incidental adulterants pass sequentially through the food chian in the following way: Contamination begins when farmers use pesticides to protect crops. The Health department sprays pesticides to control malaria-causing mosquitoes. Residues remain long after spraying .Cattle, fodder and chicken feed are affected, and ground water, meat, fish, milk and egg get toxic. More spraying done to prevent fungus and rodents from attacking stored grain. Further increases the residue levels in foodstuffs. Sellers dip vegetables in pesticides to make them look fresh as well as to preserve them. Oils and sweets are adulterated with prohibited substances. Even after cooking toxic residues are not destroyed and when ingested pesticides are absorbed by small intestine. Fatty tissues present in the body store these pesticides which can lead to the damage of heart, Brain, kidney and liver. Strict control on various sources of contamination, established control of quality control by authorities, strict follow up with the accepted standards and food labeling will avoid the excessive contamination of food with metals. These standards and rules include Prevention of Food Adulteration Act 1954(PFA 1954), PFA Rules 1955, Standard weights and measures Act 1976, AGMARK, Bureau of Indian Standards (ISI) , Food Safety and Standard Act 2006( FSSA 2006 ).
The incidental poisoning can be prevented by doing the following things:
–>Regular market surveys to warn people dangerous build-up of toxins in food.
–>Stepping up the integrated pest-management programme to teach farmers to use pesticides judiciously. No spraying should be done a week, before harvest.
–>Taking up on a war footing the control of pests using their natural predators.
–>Using safer pesticides like synthetic pyrethroids or Malathion.
–>By washing vegetables thoroughly before cooking.

There may be several food safety standards, but their goal is always the same. Each set of rules aims to ensure that food items will not cause harm to consumers. There are no distinct boundaries to tell these standards apart, although there are different ways to look at it. These regulations can be grouped according to food service, import or distribution. Each division is governed by different agencies, which may enforce diverse sets of standards:

1. Imports

Food safety standards that deal with this division are the most widespread among all regulations. Government agencies for agriculture are usually in control of these standards. Politics may also play an influential role in decision-making, especially since this division deals with trade and import. European countries, for instance, have firmer rules on importing genetically modified crops compared to the United States. Some countries may also restrict dairy products made with unpasteurized milk.

2. Distribution

Another way to look at food safety standards is through distribution. Processing is an example of this division. Most cases of contamination begin during production and processing, which is why prevention is crucial at this stage. Standards that focus on this division emphasize the importance of stopping contamination at an early level, before it causes widespread harm. A country-wide contamination can easily spread to a full-blown worldwide disaster if food safety is not practiced from the very beginning. Not only will it require immense effort in recalling contaminated items, but food safety malpractice may also lead to poisoning and illness. Both consequences have an enormous impact on the country’s economy and may lead to greater expenses and losses in profit.

The national agency of agriculture is held responsible for making sure that standards in distribution are met. All methods and precautions should be exercised to prevent cross-contamination and ensure food sanitation.

3. Food Service

Food safety regulations that are included in this division are more focused on food presentation and handling. This includes maintaining the appropriate temperature in salad bars and storage freezers. Meat and poultry should be prepared in accordance with the recommended heat level. Otherwise, consumers should at least be informed that the meat was undercooked. For instance, customers may have different preferences with how their steak is prepared.

Good hygiene goes hand in hand with food safety. Employees who are directly in contact with food items should practice proper hygiene in food preparation and handling. The local health department is in charge of implementing these guidelines in the food service industry. Depending on the government, these policies may require overall hygiene in the workplace and service area. Some employees are even encouraged to wear hairnets while preparing food.

Food safety should not be taken lightly, especially by those who are engaged in the food service industry. Business who are non-compliant to these standards are at risk of losing their license to operate, and may even be required to pay fines. The local government reprimands uncooperative businesses by revoking their licenses until proper action is taken.

If pets had their way, they’d raid the bags containing their kibble and help themselves to an all-day feast, every day. This is hardly a desirable scenario, as it leads to obesity and digestive upset, so take care to store food where pets can’t get at it while you’re not looking.

Dogs, by the way, are not the only ones guilty of raiding bags of kibble; hungry cats have also been known to apply their claws and teeth to almost-full bags – even those heavy-duty foil models! – and help themselves to heaps of between-meal snacks.

Most pet-food storage containers are made of plastic, which is porous (so their contents are not safe from bacteria) and easily gnawed open by a large, determined dog.

Pet-supply stores sell large clips to “reseal” opened bags of kibble – but these do nothing to prevent the contents from growing stale, or permitting the entry of hungry insects.

Happily, there are much better, more sanitary ways to store large bags of opened kibble.
If there’s room in your refrigerator, stick the opened bag of kibble in there. Or, decant the contents of the bag into glass food-storage jars. These are widely available at kitchen-supply stores and online, and they come in a variety of sizes and shapes, from round to square. Some have threaded metal lids, others close with a rubber washer that securely closes with a metal clamp.

If you’d like double protection – refrigeration plus a glass jar – investigate refrigerator glassware, widely available in nesting sets, complete with convenient plastic lids. Just don’t subject glass that isn’t made for refrigerator storage to your fridge’s chilly atmosphere, or it will crack and break, and you’ll have wasted all that kibble.

In the fridge or out, glass jars keep pets and bugs away from the food, and they look quite decorative just sitting there on your kitchen counter or shelf. The good habit of transferring kibble from the bag to the jar could even inspire you to be better about putting away flour, sugar, and other bagged food items!

If you like to brew your own beer then chances are that you will have some potassium sorbate lying around the house. And if you don’t, you can always find some quite easily in places that sell home brewing products. Of course you can also find it in natural food stores, but it is definitely more colorful to be able to tell someone to get there potassium sorbate from a home brewing supply store!

Anyway the whole reason that you want potassium sorbate yeast infection remedy in the first place is because it stops the growth of yeast in their tracks, so to speak. It’s known as a highly effective fungicide, and is used in the process of brewing beer to stop the yeast from growing when it’s no longer needed for the fermentation process.

On an added note, if you look on the labels of some preserved foods, you might find that potassium sorbate is listed as one of the preservatives. This is naturally enough to suppress the growth of fungus or other harmful bacteria in the food.

The way to take potassium sorbate yeast infection remedy as a cure for yeast infections is very simple really. Use: 1 tbsp Potassium Sorbate, 1 cup Water, 1 Tampon Syringe. Dissolve the potassium sorbate in the water. Insert the tampon into the vagina and then, using the syringe, douse the tampon with the potassium sorbate solution.

You can keep the tampon in overnight if you wish to, and the remedy can be repeated over several nights. However don’t go on for more than a week with potassium sorbate yeast infection remedy. If by that time your yeast infection hasn’t cleared up you might try another cure altogether or barring that, want to check with a doctor.

Remember that potassium sorbate yeast infection remedy is not a substitute for proper medical advice, and since I’m not a doctor you should always check with your doctor before trying any of these out.

Muna wa Wanjiru is a Web Administrator and Has Been Researching and Reporting on Yeast Infections for Years. For More Information on Potassium Sorbate Yeast Infection Remedy, Visit His Site at Potassium Sorbate Yeast Infection Remedy