Food Hygiene Handbook

Why Is Food Health Important?

The healthiness of foods is important for the safety of the food you sell. This helps protect your business's reputation and your customers. Additionally, by law, you must ensure that foods are healthy. Poor cleaning practices in your workplace can endanger your customers. Harmful microbes that cause food poisoning can spread very easily. Therefore, it is your responsibility to do everything possible to prevent this.

Food poisoning can cause serious illnesses and even death, especially among very young, very old, and sick individuals who are at higher risk.

What Is Hygiene?

For a healthy life, foods must be prepared safely. This prevents poisoning and avoids loss of business and customers. Keeping counters, workers, and equipment clean is very important for kitchen hygiene. Working cleanly prevents rats and insects and also attracts customers.

An important aspect of hygiene is the storage and preservation of food. Even in the cleanest place, if food is stored incorrectly, it can cause food poisoning.

Who Do Hygiene Rules Affect?

Hygiene rules apply to every place producing food, from street vendors to five-star restaurants. If you have a workplace where food is prepared and sold or food products are sold, you must follow the recommendations in this brochure. These rules apply everywhere, whether it is a commercial business or our home kitchen.

What If Hygiene Is Taken Lightly?

  • Foods can be contaminated with BACTERIA or TOXINS.
  • Production costs may increase. Fast and efficient (profitable) work is hindered.
  • There can be loss of work or money due to illness.
  • You may face legal action.

Food and Disease

Food can make people sick in many ways. Poisoning and illness usually result from bacteria found in foods. Food poisoning leads to serious illnesses. Some foreign substances in food (nails, fingernails, medicine, cleaning agents, etc.) also pose a threat to human health. Personnel, counters, tools, and equipment must be kept clean to reduce disease risk.

What Is Food Poisoning?

Food poisoning occurs when consuming foods containing high amounts of bacteria. If unwanted substances are present in the food, it is not hygienic.

Symptoms of poisoning:

  • Abdominal and stomach pain,
  • Diarrhea,
  • Vomiting,
  • Nausea,
  • High fever.

It is not necessary for all these symptoms to be present together. Symptoms may vary depending on the cause of poisoning. Symptoms appear within 1 to 36 hours and can last several days.

Those more sensitive to food poisoning include;

  • Children
  • Elderly
  • Pregnant women
  • Patients

Bacteria causing food poisoning are usually naturally present in foods. However, even a very small number of bacteria can multiply at an alarming rate in a short time. Under suitable conditions, a single bacterium can produce more than two million bacteria in just seven hours. Therefore, it is important not to provide an environment where bacteria can multiply rapidly.

How Do Bacteria Multiply?

What Causes Food Poisoning?

If you provide bacteria with suitable food, moisture, temperature, and time, they multiply by dividing. Some bacteria start dividing and multiplying within 10 or 20 minutes. Under suitable conditions, a single bacterium can produce more than two million bacteria in just seven hours.

What Is a Bacterium?

Bacteria are tiny living organisms invisible to the naked eye but visible under a microscope. They are everywhere but most do not harm humans. Some even help produce foods like yogurt and cheese. Some bacteria spoil foods. Harmful bacteria are called pathogenic bacteria.

We cannot detect pathogenic bacteria in food by smell or taste. Dangerous food may appear normal. Microbes that spoil food usually do not cause poisoning but can cause illness if present in large amounts.

Why Do Bacteria Make Us Sick?

Bacteria make us sick by entering our body themselves or through their toxins (poisons). For disease to develop, bacteria multiply inside the body or toxins produced by bacteria in food cause illness.

How Is Bacteria Diagnosed?

Bacteria are so small they can only be identified through laboratory tests. Experts take a suspicious food sample, culture it, and determine the type of bacteria.

Are Some Foods More Risky?

Some foods are high-risk. High-risk foods are usually moist or high in protein. Low-risk foods are less moist, low in protein, and less acidic. Extra care is needed when reheating high-risk foods.

Examples of high-risk foods:

  • Cooked meats
  • Dairy products
  • Raw eggs
  • Seafood

Examples of low-risk foods:

  • Dried or pickled foods
  • Foods with high sugar content
  • Foods with high salt content
  • Foods containing preservatives

How Does Food Become Contaminated?

The best way to prevent food contamination is to learn how bacteria and unwanted substances enter food. Contamination can occur at any time. It often happens accidentally but can also be intentional or malicious.

Foods can be contaminated by;

  • Improper handling and storage, and insufficient personal hygiene of preparers and servers, leading to bacterial contamination.

Bacteria causing food poisoning are found everywhere including soil, animals, humans, and objects people use or touch. Therefore, bacteria causing food poisoning may be present in foods like meat or vegetables from the start.

Even if food does not contain bacteria, bacteria can be transferred through cross-contamination. This can happen in two ways:

While Preparing Food

Bacteria from raw foods can contaminate hands, knives, and cutting boards. If you prepare cooked or ready-to-eat foods without thoroughly washing contaminated hands and utensils, bacteria from raw foods can transfer to these foods. Unless these foods are cooked again before eating, bacteria will not die.

During Storage

If cooked or ready-to-eat foods are not stored separately from raw foods, bacteria from raw foods can contaminate them. Therefore, store these foods separately. If both cooked and raw foods are stored in the same refrigerator, raw foods should always be placed on lower shelves than ready or cooked foods. This prevents raw foods from dripping onto cooked foods.

Where Do Bacteria Come From?

Humans

Bacteria are often transferred from humans to foods. Bacteria that can cause food poisoning are usually found in the nose, hands, ears, and throat. Sneezing, coughing, and spitting spread disease. Especially under fingernails, harmful bacteria for food are found. Scratching your head or having long hair can easily transfer bacteria to food. Pimples also contain bacteria and can transfer them to food if touched. Harmful bacteria are also found in intestines and can easily contaminate hands after using the toilet, then transfer to food.

Air

There are bacteria in the air. Bacteria can easily enter uncovered foods.

Raw Foods

Raw foods brought into the kitchen contain bacteria. Salmonella bacteria are found in most poultry. Most fruits and vegetables also have bacteria on them. Root vegetables can be contaminated with bacteria from soil. Fresh fish may not have many bacteria but can spoil quickly, allowing bacteria to multiply.

Animals

All animals carry dust, dirt, and microbes. This includes pets, so it is dangerous to allow them near food. Rats can carry bacteria from sewage water to foods.

Insects

Insects carry bacteria on their bodies. Cockroaches and similar insects can walk on food and spread bacteria. Flies are very dangerous. They carry bacteria from one place to another without getting sick themselves. Flies collect bacteria from garbage and feces. They spray digestive acids on food to dissolve and suck it, spreading microbes from their previous meals. Flies also defecate rapidly while feeding.

Garbage

Garbage dumps, especially kitchen waste, contain leftover foods that rot and smell over time. Open garbage attracts flies and causes bacterial spread.

Dust and Dirt

Dust consists of dead skin, soil, and food debris. It can easily fly onto foods. Dust can also be transferred from clothes when moving food from the kitchen.

Water

Water used in food preparation can cause contamination with harmful bacteria.

How Do Bacteria Contaminate Food?

Bacteria cannot move on their own. They need to be transported to contaminate food. Bacteria can transfer from one food to another by contact. Kitchen utensils are vehicles for bacteria. For example, if a knife used for raw meat is used for cooked meat without washing, bacteria transfer from raw to cooked meat, making the knife a vehicle.

Physical Contamination

Ways physical materials contaminate food:

  • Branches or stones may enter when picking fruits and vegetables.
  • Small machine parts or debris may enter during food production.
  • Seeds, bones, and other parts may not be removed during food preparation.
  • Objects like rings, cigarette butts, and bandages may contaminate food when touched.

Chemical Contamination

Various pesticides used during growing of vegetables and fruits may still be present when brought to the kitchen. Bleach and other cleaning agents can contaminate foods. If cleaning agents and food items are stored in the same cabinet, foods can become contaminated. Some plastic containers can transfer chemicals to foods. Containers made specifically for food should be used.

Most causes of food poisoning are bacteria. There are three methods to prevent this:

  • Hands should touch foods as little as possible.
  • Animals should be kept away from kitchens.
  • Raw and cooked foods should be stored separately.
  • Garbage bags should be tightly closed and disposed of carefully.
  • Workplaces and workers should be clean.
  • Hygienic habits should be developed and maintained.
  • Forks and knives should be used once and washed.
  • Work surfaces should be disinfected frequently.
  • Only disposable cloths should be used.
  • Separate kitchen utensils should be used for raw and cooked foods.

Keeping foods away from bacteria alone is not enough because most raw foods contain bacteria. Here, bacterial multiplication must be prevented. Foods should be kept away from areas where contamination can occur.

How Can Food Poisoning Be Prevented?

Food poisoning can be prevented by;

  • Preventing bacteria from contaminating foods;
  • Storing and keeping foods in a way that bacteria cannot grow and multiply.

Preventing Bacterial Multiplication

Four criteria are important for bacterial multiplication.

  • FOOD – high protein
  • MOISTURE – water
  • TEMPERATURE – 35°C
  • TIME – duration left outside

If you remove one of these criteria, you can stop or sometimes completely prevent bacterial growth.

The Effect of Temperature on Bacteria

Cooling slows bacterial growth but does not stop it (does not kill bacteria). If foods are heated above 70 °C, most bacteria die. The temperature range between 5 and 63°C is the most dangerous for foods.

Examples of foods between 5 and 63°C:

  • Food left in a warm room
  • Food insufficiently heated
  • Food cooling after cooking
  • Food left in the sun

These foods pose a danger to consumers.

To Prevent Danger

  • Do not keep foods at room temperature unless necessary.
  • Keep foods sufficiently hot or cold.
  • Keep cold foods cold enough to prevent bacterial growth.
  • Keep a thermometer in your refrigerator.
  • Do not put cooked foods in the fridge before they cool.
  • Food cooling should not exceed 1.5 hours.
  • Hot foods should be kept hot and not prepared too early to prevent cooling.
  • High-risk foods should be kept below 5 °C or above 63 °C.
  • Fish, cooked meats, and stews should be kept below 5 °C.

Eliminating Bacteria in Food by Temperature

Cross-Contamination

Raw foods contain various bacteria, including those causing food poisoning. If raw foods are cooked thoroughly above 60°C, most bacteria will die.

If raw foods come into contact with previously cooked or ready-to-eat foods, bacteria transfer to cooked foods. This is called cross-contamination. Therefore, it is very important to keep raw foods separate from cooked and ready foods.

Cooking and Heating Foods

Bacteria multiply rapidly between 50 and 60°C. This temperature range is called the Danger Zone. It is very important not to keep foods in the Danger Zone for longer than necessary.

Ensure all foods, especially meat, poultry, eggs, milk, and dairy products, are cooked until their internal temperature reaches 70°C. This process kills most bacteria.

Cooling Foods

Food just out of the oven should not remain at room temperature for more than one hour. After cooling, food should be placed in the refrigerator. Large pieces of food cool faster when placed in trays no deeper than 10 cm or cut into smaller pieces.

Handling Frozen Products

Never refreeze thawed food. When frozen foods thaw, bacteria inside begin to multiply. If food is refrozen, bacteria do not die and remain inside when thawed again.

Fresh food should be prepared, cooked, and eaten quickly without delay. Leftover foods should be refrigerated within 1.5 hours. Foods should not be reheated. If reheating is necessary, it should be done thoroughly at high temperatures. Frozen products should be cooked after thawing and not refrozen.

Cleaning at the Workplace

Kitchens, storage, and sales areas should be kept clean and orderly. They should be disinfected regularly, and cleaning should be planned to keep risks low.

Effective Cleaning

Effective cleaning requires hot water, detergent, and physical effort. Detergents dissolve grease and dirt, making cleaning easier. Even if a work surface looks clean, bacteria may still be present. To be sure, it should be disinfected. This method reduces bacteria to safe levels. The most common disinfection method is using hot water at 82 °C.

Before starting cleaning, all foods should be either refrigerated or covered.

For good cleaning, the following 6 steps should be applied. These steps apply to all cleaning tasks. For example, cleaning a work surface:

  1. Pre-cleaning - wipe food residues and debris with a cloth.
  2. Main cleaning - use clean hot water and detergent, clean carefully everywhere.
  3. Rinsing - use clean hot water and a clean cloth.
  4. Disinfection - use disinfectant and leave for a short time.
  5. Final rinsing - again use clean hot water and a clean cloth.
  6. Drying - leave to air dry.

Clean While Working

You should clean as much as possible while working. At the end of each day, work materials and surfaces should be washed, disinfected, and left clean. Hands and areas touched by food should be specially disinfected.