HACCP School Development Project Chapter 11 Quality and Food Safety By Andrea Boyes and Julia Wood Srednja šola Zagorje

HACCP School Development Project Quality and Food Safety By Andrea Boyes and Julia Wood Srednja šola Zagorje

Quality Quality may be described as many different things: Quality must not be confused with food safety they are two separate areas. In the food industry we must supply goods of the quality demanded by the consumer. Some of the following points are essential to ensure good quality  use of reputable suppliers is essential to ensure the ingredients are wholesome and fit for purpose

Quality  Clean premises are essential  Quality control systems should be put in place; this is to help assess compliance and such systems should be audited on a regular basis  BRC accreditation may be given if businesses reach the required standards

Quality  Staff must be trained to the relevant standards

Quality  The customer often tells the supplier exactly what they require this is what we refer to as “product specification”  Delivery monitoring is the first step to be taken to check part of the specification, this activity should be recorded to prove it has taken place  Storing food at the correct temperature also helps maintain the quality as it helps to slow down spoilage organisms

Quality  Environmental Health Officers also have to be satisfied that you are maintaining the standards

Quality Control & Quality Assurance  Quality assurance is a proactive system this is to try and stop things going wrong, it is ongoing and corrects problems throughout production.  Quality control is a reactive system problems are often found through microbiological testing

Quality Control & Quality Assurance  Product testing such as taste panels are also a method of quality control

Food Safety  Food safety is essential to make sure that we produce food that is safe for human consumption. In the UK we have The Food Safety Act 1990, this contains all the food hygiene legislation that applies to the UK. There are many regulations under this act and they deal with specific areas.  Environmental health Officers carry out the inspection of food businesses and can offer help and advice, serve improvement notices and close premises down that pose a risk to public health

Food Safety  Food becomes unsafe when the bacteria on it or bacteria introduced by cross contamination are allowed to grow to high numbers therefore when the food is consumed it causes food poisoning.  Food poisoning bacteria can be controlled by temperature; keeping food chilled below 8°C will slow down bacterial growth  Cooking food to above 75°C will kill bacteria  Hot food must be stored above 63°to stop it falling into the “Danger Zone”

Food Safety Other areas that are essential to maintain food safety are:  Personal hygiene  Protective clothing  Hand washing  Cross contamination  Waste Control  Storage of foods  Pest Control

Food Safety  Reporting of illness  Cleaning  Staff training