Hygiene Control

Hygiene control is the adoption of practices which reduce the risk of clean food being contaminated.

The aim of hygiene control is to prevent the spread of bacteria.

Direct contamination may occur when high risk food has close contact with a contaminated source. Indirect contamination is more frequent. This happens when something else, such as boards, cloths, knives, etc, transfers the bacteria.

Food can also be contaminated by the food handler and by pests and waste.

The transfer of bacteria from a contaminated food to an uncontaminated (clean) food is called “cross-contamination”.

Food-to-food contamination

Best practice is to assume that all raw meat, especially raw poultry, are heavily infected with bacteria. Keep raw meat and poultry, and their juices, away from cooked food.

Many other raw foods carry bacteria which will infect clean food if they come into contact.

Take special care with shellfish, eggs, and soil from vegetables. Also remember that the bacteria on the outside of an egg shell may be transferred to the inside if the egg is not broken carefully. (Don’t use cracked eggs.)

This is Chapter Three, Part Five in a series of articles broadly similar to the course offered by the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health for its Food Hygiene Certificate.
Part Six: Prevent cross-contamination
Return to the start of Chapter Three