Food Hazards

DEPARTMENT OF HOSPITALTY AND TOURISM EDUCATION

ASSIGNMENT 1

1. Food hazards may be defined as any agents that have the potential to cause adverse health consequences for consumers. Food hazards occur when food is exposed to hazardous agents which result in the contamination of that food.

 Food hazards may range from physical (Stones, animal droppings, wood), chemical (mercury, pesticides/agricultural products) and biological (bacteria, viruses, fungi) to allergic, nutritional and/or biotechnology – related.

These hazards may be introduced to foods during harvesting, packaging and labelling, transportation, storage, preparation and serving.

1.  Food hazards can be categorized into different types and notable among these are; physical, chemical, and biological. Four examples of each of the types of food hazards are given below;

PHYSICAL FOOD HAZARDS

Physical food hazards are usually non – toxic but associated with unsanitary conditions of production, processing, handling, storage and distribution.

Some examples are;  

1. Insects
2. Wood chips and glass
3. Hair
4. Stones and metal fragments

These are considered hazardous because they may cause perforations and wounds and may become a choking hazard during ingestion.

 CHEMICAL FOOD HAZARDS

Chemical food hazards occur when chemicals are present in foods at levels that can be hazardous to humans. Chemical food hazards can occur in different pathways such as manufacturing process, addition of food additives. Some of the examples of chemical food hazards are;

1. Veterinary drug residue

Veterinary drugs are mostly used in food – producing animals to control or prevent illness in the animal. If these drugs are used inappropriately or the withdrawal time prior to slaughter is not considered, residues from these drugs can be present in the food. These foods can be risky when taken in.

1. Pesticides/agricultural products  

Pesticides could be substances or organisms that are used to control, destroy, repel or attract a pest or lessen the effect of pest. Pesticides comprise insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides. Clethodim is an example of pesticide used on beans. When pesticides are used on food crops or when animals eat crops treated with pesticides, residues may remain on or in the food. When these foods with pesticides residue are ingested, they may pose a health risk.

1. Processing – induced chemicals

When foods are heat – processed (baked, deep – fried), reactions occur between components of food, resulting in the desired and undesired flavour, appearance and texture of the food. Some examples of processing – induced chemicals are acrylamide, furan, ethyl carbonate.

1. Natural toxins

These are biochemical compounds produced by plants in response to certain conditions or stressors. An example of a natural toxin is Glycoalkaloids in potatoes. Exposure to glycoalkaloids can cause burning in the mouth, diarrhoea, vomiting and severe stomach ache.

BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS

These are hazards which occur when hazardous or pathogenic organisms are introduced to food and as a result, pose a food safety concern to humans. These hazards include bacteria, viruses, parasite and prions.

1. Bacteria

These are examples of some bacteria that pose danger to consumers;                 

Vibrio cholerae, salmonella, staphylococcus aureus.

Ingesting food contaminated with any of these bacteria can lead to food borne illness.  

ii. Viruses 

Some viruses associated with food are;

Hepatitis A virus, Norovirus, rota virus and they are introduced into foods either through poor handling practices by people infected with these viruses or through contaminated food ingredients.

iii. Parasites

Parasites such as entamoeba histolytica, Faenia spp are also hazardous agents.

iv. Prions 

Prions are biological hazards which are infectious agents made of protein.

1. ‘Waakye’ made from beans and rice may potentially have some the physical hazards identified below. Some of the measures that can be employed to eliminate them are equally suggested below;

 Physical hazards are either foreign materials unintentionally introduced to food products      or natural occurring objects (bones in fish) that are hazardous to the consumer. These are non – toxic substances that are usually associated unsanitary conditions during production, processing, handling, storage and distribution.

“Waakye” is one of the local foods most cherished and patronised by Ghanaians. This local food could contain some biological, chemical and physical hazards if the necessary measures are not put in place. Some of the physical hazards associated with beans are;