FOOD HAZARS & ALLERGEN

1. FOOD HAZARDS
AND ALLERGENS
B Y AG N A YAS H I N
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2. OBJECTIVES
• In this session it is all about foods hazards including
allergens, effects of allergens and what we must do to
protect consumers. Some people can have extreme
reactions to certain foods, due to a physiological auto-
immune response which can cause hives, tongue
swelling and breathing difficulties among other
symptoms.
• For some people eating the wrong foods has
proved fatal!
• Understand the process flow for manufacturing
food products
• Identify sources of contamination in their
processes
• Gain better understanding of food hazards
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3. INTRODUCTIO
N
• When a food safety issue arises because of food
hazards including mishandling of allergenic
ingredients, everyone in the food processing
industry suffers. Consumers depend on food
companies to provide safe products.
• Consumers who particularly need to be careful
about the foods they eat because of potential
allergic reactions are especially dependent on
the industry’s ability to identify, process and
market foods that are labelled correctly to
disclose allergens and that are free of hazards.
• A risk assessment must be performed,
analysing the probability of contamination and
on the other hand the effects of such
contamination.
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4. TYPES OF
HAZARDS
A food hazard
is biological,
chemical or physical
agent or condition of
food with the
potential to
cause harm or
an adverse
health affect to the
consumer. When a
hazardous agent
comes into the food
– it is
called contamination
.
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This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-SA.

5. BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS
• They are they are organisms that can cause illnesses (infectious e.g. Salmonella sp.) or produce substances (food
poisoning e.g. Staphylococcus aureus) in the food that pose a threat to human health. They are a major concern in food
processing because they cause most food borne illness outbreaks. It can occur any stage of food processing.
• E.g: fungi,Viruses, Bacteria, Protozoa, Fungi and Parasites.
• Risk of illness or injury from a biological hazard are due to:
• Presence of an infectious organism
• Presence of a toxin producing organism and conditions allowing its growth
• Sources of biological hazards: process water, air, personnel (hands, clothing, illnesses – sneezing, wounds), pests, dirty equipment,
raw materials, packaging materials, pets etc.

6. THINGS TO AVOID BIOLOGICAL HAZARD
• Temperature through refrigeration/
• Freezing
• Cook thoroughly: Control the time product is in the danger range
• Keep the working environment clean
• Moisture: Reduce available water to control bacteria growth
• Control the PH: Bacteria tend to prefer pH 7.0
• Personnel hygiene
• Cleaning and sanitization
• Testing of water quality
• Pest control
• Movement control
• Premises design and maintenance

7. PHYSICAL
HAZARDS
• PHYSICAL HAZARDS: are any foreign matter that
comes to food from raw, preparation and any final
stage of food manufacturing that can cause illness or
injury.
• Intrinsic hazards: These are things that naturally occur
in the raw ingredients. These include bone from
animals and fish; shells from shellfish; nuts, seeds,
stones or stalks in fruits and vegetables.
• Added during harvesting: Hazards like stones can be
harvested with the crop (some farmers even add stones
to increase the weight of their bags).
• Machine parts items such as metal nuts and bolts
from tractors or harvesters, that have become loose.
• During transportation the most likely things to get
mixed into the raw materials will be the loose material
from packaging, splinters from a wooden crate, or
plastic strings or fasteners.
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8. SOURCE OF PHYSICAL HAZARD
1. People: hairnets, watches, pens, plastic gloves, plastic aprons, reading glasses, hair,
mobile phones, buttons, uniform threads.
2. Premises: metal racking, chipped tiles, perspex covers, laminate, wood, stones, glass
light bulbs, insulation.
3. Products: seeds, bones, feathers, animal hair, beaks, pests, skin, pitts.
4. Packaging: hard plastic from crates, plastic tags, metal clips, paper labels, metal cans,
ribbon, string, soft plastic liners, plastic, cardboard.
5. Plant: machine grease, string, metal filings, perspex covers, metal bolts, plastic ties, belt
frays, maintenance tape, wood splinters, glass displays, nut and screws.

9. THINGS TO AVOID
PHYSICAL
HAZARD
• Ensure equipment is properly
maintained.
• Raw materials delivered in metal
containers should be opened carefully
and outside the main production area.
• All products should passed through a
metal detected at least once in the
production process.
• Remove foreign matter from raw
materials through Sieving, floatation
tanks or centrifugal separators.
• Prevent personnel from bringing any
foreign items into the production area.
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10. CHEMICAL
HAZARDS
• Such as pesticides, cleaning agents, etc, they
are any chemical present in food that has the
potential to cause illness or injury. It can be present in
foods when foods are cultivating, harvesting,
manufacturing.
• There are 3 categories of chemical hazards.
• Natural: Mycotoxins, Algal and plant toxins such as
cyanide in cassava, marine toxins
• Unintentionally added: Cleaning chemicals, System
sanitation, Pesticides, Field applications,
Manufacturing location applications, Toxic Metals,
Environmental: soil/water and packaging through
plasticizers and packaging migration.
• Intentionally added: Antioxidants, Vitamins, Colour
additives but that become a hazard because too much
is added
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11. THINGS TO AVOID
CHEMICAL HAZARD
CONTAMINATION
• Make sure that you are
adding the right chemical in
the right amount following the
standard operating
procedures
• You must check when to add
the chemical so that the
desired impact can
be achieved
• Use accurately set, well-
maintained calibration
equipment or scale
• Wash raw materials properly
prior to use
• Keep all chemicals away from
the processing area
• Store chemicals separately
from food items
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12. CONTROLLING CHEMICAL HAZARD
Control of chemical hazards will be dependent on category:
• NATURAL
– Raw material control
– Process control
– Proper storage conditions
– Proper preparation procedures
• UNINTENTIONAL
– Use of non-toxic food grade cleaning chemicals
– Design and management of appropriate sanitation procedures.
– Post-cleaning equipment inspections
– Adequate training of staff
– Strict control on the pesticides that can be used
– Residue limits that are acceptable.
– Knowledge of all pesticides applied to all raw materials at any stage in their production, storage, handling, and preparation
– Knowledge of permitted pesticides
– Knowledge of maximum safe residue in each case
– Avoid cross-contamination with pesticides at any stage in food production.
• INTENTIONAL
– Special storage in covered, designated labelled containers
– Safe operating practices and written additive instructions
– Validation of levels through usage rate, sampling and testing

13. ALLERGENS • They are substances in food
that can trigger an allergic
reaction in some people –
even though most people will
be unaffected. It is an
adverse reaction to food
mediated by immune
system (food protein). Some
people only have allergic to
foods like milk, eggs,
gluten, nuts, mustard, etc.
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14. CAUSE OF FOOD ALLERGY
Some people can have extreme reactions to certain
foods, due to a physiological auto-immune
response which can cause hives (skin rush),
tongue swelling, breathing difficulties, stomach
crumps, vomiting, diarrhea and anaphylactic
shock (low blood pressure and low heart rate).
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15. COMMON FOOD ALLERGENS
Four are of animal-origin:
Milk - cow’s milk allergy is the most common
Eggs - proteins in egg whites and/or yolks
Fish - most commonly salmon, tuna and halibut but also tilapia
Shellfish – usually crustacean shellfish such as crab, lobster, shrimp
Four are of plant-origin:
Groundnuts - particularly peanuts, sometimes called monkey nuts
Soy - or soybean used in many different forms and in many products
Tree nuts - these including, almond, brazil pecan, pine and walnut. Allergies to cashew nuts are also increasing
Gluten – a substance in most cereal grains including wheat, barley, rye and oats.
Other minor allergens may include molluscs, lupin, sulphites, sesame, celery, mustard, pineapple,
macadamia nuts, and okra.

16. THINGS TO AVOID FOOD ALLERGEN
• Store allergens away from other ingredients
• Ensure dedicated equipment for these ingredients
• Clean down machines fully to minimize the risk of contamination from allergens
• Production planning: production runs for products containing allergens are undertaken at
the end of the shift
• Documentation is important so you know exactly what ingredients including allergens are in
your food products
• Label to highlight the allergen components, so that consumers who are allergic can avoid
them
• Change of PPEs after handling allergens and before handling other products
• Thorough hand washing between the handling of the allergens

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