What are the rules for food safety practice?

38°

2021-08-03

In the 1990s, the World Health Organization (WHO) developed ten criteria for safe food production, which food firms can follow as guidance on how to manufacture food safely.

These standards were developed by the WHO in order to limit and prevent the number of people who contract foodborne infections and illnesses as a result of consuming contaminated food.

As a result, the ten rules established by the WHO is a good guide for food businesses to follow. The 10 rules for safe food practices established by the World Health Organization (WHO) are as follows:
h2. 1) Select foods that have been processed to ensure safety
Certain foods, such as fruits and vegetables, are safe in their natural state and usually simply require thorough washing with clean water.

Certain foods, on the other hand, are not safe unless they have been processed in a specific way. Milk is a wonderful example. Pasteurized milk is far healthier and safer to drink than raw milk. As a result, constantly think about how foods have been prepared for safety and how this can increase the food’s safety.
h2. 2) Make sure the food is well cooked
It is especially necessary to fully cook raw items, such as meat, to guarantee that all bacteria, viruses, and germs are entirely eliminated.

The food must attain a core temperature of 75 degrees Celsius. Use a clean thermometer or probe to check the temperature of the meal throughout the cooking process.
h2. 3) Consume cooked food as soon as possible
Cooked food that is left out at room temperature contains germs that can multiply at that temperature. As a result, cooked food should not be kept out for more than 2 hours. It must be thrown out if it is left out on the side for more than 2 hours.

4) Store cooked foods with caution.
If you’re going to store prepared food, make sure it’s in a cool place, like the refrigerator. Refrigerated goods should be kept between 0 and 5 degrees Celsius, thus refrigerators should be set to 3 or 4 degrees Celsius.

It’s vital to avoid storing a significant amount of prepared food in one refrigerator, as this prevents the food from cooling to the core as rapidly as it should. The food must be completely chilled. The bacteria will be able to proliferate and infect the food if it is not cooled to the core. Cooked foods are therefore only safe to eat if they have been properly kept.

5) Thoroughly reheat cooked foods
Cooked food must be thoroughly reheated to ensure that it is boiling hot throughout, killing any bacteria that have managed to thrive. As a result, food must be heated to a core temperature of 75 degrees Celsius.

6) Avoid mixing raw and cooked foods together.
Raw food should never be mixed with cooked food. Using the same chopping board to cut raw meat and then prepare cooked food, for example, allows bacteria from the raw meat to travel to the cooked meal, resulting in cross-contamination. This can be extremely hazardous.

7) Wash your hands several times.
To limit the chance of bacteria from the hands being transferred to the food, wash hands before cooking, in between cooking tasks, and after cooking.

Hand sanitiser is useful for washing hands, although it is ineffective when compared to soap and hot water. Make sure you’re properly and completely cleaning your hands.

8) Keep all surfaces in the kitchen clean.

To prevent cross-contamination between foods and to guarantee that germs from the surrounding area do not contaminate the food, all surfaces, equipment, utensils, and areas that food comes into touch with must be well cleaned.

9) Keep Insects, Rodents, and Other Animals Out of Your Food
Ensure that no insects, rodents, or animals are allowed to enter your workplace. Food must be stored in closed containers where insects and other animals cannot enter.

10) Drink Only Safe Water

Water that is safe to drink is crucial. When it comes to food preparation, water is required for everything from washing fruits and vegetables to boiling foods.

Understanding the WHO’s 10 standards can thus assist food enterprises in conducting food activities in a safe and hygienic manner.