Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 7.7
(continued
)
Factor
Hazard
Control
Shelf life
Growth of psychrotrophic
pathogens, e.g.,
Listeria
monocytogenes
,
Clostridium
botulinum
in perishable
chilled foods due to
exceeding shelf life
Shelf life allocation to in-store prepared
product taking account of open counter
life and customer shelf life to ensure the
maximum safe shelf life is not exceeded.
Physical
Foreign body
Contamination of food with
foreign objects from
colleagues preparing foods,
e.g. nails, jewellery, hair or
broken/damaged equipment
and utensils
Colleague hygiene, i.e. hand washing
and prevention of physical contamination
hazards e.g. covering hair, removal of
jewellery, no false nails, no nail varnish,
etc.
Physical hazard control through
equipment maintenance, utensil registers,
training of colleagues to report broken
utensils/equipment promptly
7.7
Pre-packaged Food (Fresh, Chilled and Frozen)
A large proportion of a supermarket's sales comes from fresh, chilled and frozen
foods including meat, fi sh, poultry, produce, prepared meals and dairy products.
A key characteristic of these foods, with the exception of some produce lines, is their
reliance on cold temperature to maximise shelf life. While some of these foods,
again predominantly produce lines, may be sold open and loose, the vast majority are
sold as pre-packaged units in boxes, fl ow wraps, cartons or some other form of con-
tainer that is usually hermetically sealed. The key hazards to these products tend to
include microbiological ones associated with contamination, shelf life and tempera-
ture abuse together with physical hazards predominantly affecting open, loose foods.
7.7.1
Microbiological
7.7.1.1
Contamination
For pre-packaged foods, the product should not in general be exposed to any further
contamination risks as it is enclosed. However, it is important to recognise that the
outside of the packaging can become contaminated if procedures are not employed
to minimise contact between RTE and raw foods. Therefore, it is normal practice in
most stores to keep raw and RTE foods displayed on separate shelves in a chiller or
freezer cabinet or, if stored in the same cabinet, the normal principles apply of
keeping raw food displayed in the well of the cabinet with RTE foods on higher
shelves or separated by physical divides in the cabinet to prevent any direct contact.
