What is the greatest threat to food safety?

Of all the microorganisms, bacteria are the greatest threat to food safety. Bacteria are single-celled, living organisms that can grow quickly at favorable temperatures. Some bacteria are useful. We use them to make foods like cheese, buttermilk, sauerkraut, pickles, and yogurt. Other bacteria are infectious disease-causing agents called pathogens, that use the nutrients found in potentially hazardous foods to multiply.

Some bacteria are not infectious on their own, but when they multiply in potentially hazardous food, they eject toxins that poison humans when the food is eaten.

Food handling practices are risky when they allow harmful bacteria to contaminate and grow in food. If you touch a food during preparation, you may transfer several thousand bacteria to its surface.

Under the right conditions, bacteria can double every10 to30 minutes. A single bacterium will double with each division—two become four, four become eight, and so on. A single cell can become billions in10 to12 hours.

Following can be considered as threats to food safety:-

1)   Improper storage of food (such as place, temperature, away from rodents & pests etc...)

2)   Improper handling of food, during preparation process (such as cutting, chopping, slicing etc....)

3)   Using expired products (which could affect the quality and health)

4)   Unhygienic practices (such as not washing hands, using gloves, using chef's cap (toque) to prevent hair from falling into the food etc...)

5)   Keep cooked food outside for a long time after preparation.

6)   Improper usage of vessels while cooking ( i.e., not cooking food in the right vessels)

7)   Not washing food well (as it may contain pesticides)

8)   Improper transportation of foodstuff at the right temperature.

Preventive action can be taken on all the above points, by following safety standards.