FOOD SAFETY

Level 4 award in food safety and hygiene assignment

Level 4 award in food safety and hygiene assignment

Food Item and Hazards

The food item that I have chosen for safety review is the sandwich. There are a variety of sandwiches available in our workplace; there is difference in the meat and vegetables used. The four food safety hazards associated with this food item are as follows:

Salad used in the sandwich; like lettuce can be heavily infected with bacteria when procured despite of it clean appearance. Salad can be affected in general with dirt, chemicals and insects. The contamination can happen when the salad is stored in the premises of the office, specifically after preparation. Bacterial infection can happen from direct or indirect contact with raw meat and poultry. Physical and chemical contamination can be cause by the poor upkeep or pest control practices. The contamination can cause E.coli which can lead to severe cramps and diarrhea.

The contamination of the meat that is used in the sandwich can also be food hazard. If for example the fish has mercury, it can lead to various illnesses. If the meat is not cooked at the correct temperature, it can lead to food poisoning. There are couples of common types of food poisoning such as Campylobacter, Salmonella. Bacillus cereus and Ecoli. They lead to vomiting, cramps and kidney damage.

Pests can also contaminate the ingredients or the storage premises in the office. These include cockroaches, rats and flies. They can enter from openings in the buildings and cause different types of micro-organisms such as virus, bacteria and portozans.

The people handling and preparing the sandwich may be carrying an illness and not follow the safety procedures like hand washing and wearing caps. It can cause virus such as the norovirus which is a gastrointestinal illness. The virus is transmitted from person to person and is caused if a person handling the food does not wash hands properly.

Control Measures for the Hazard

The salad vegetables should be purchased on a daily basis and should be checked for freshness. They should be stored in refrigerator or someplace where it is safe from bacteria. The utensils used such as knives and cutting board should be properly sanitized.

The sanitation of the utensils also applies to the handling of meat. Meat should be stored at -18 Celsius and it should be heated at the appropriate temperature so it not undercooked.

The staff handling the food should wear proper safety gear such as gloves and cover their heads to stop contamination. If a staff member is ill, he or she should report it to the supervisor.

The premises where the food is stored and handled should be properly treated with the appropriate chemicals. The potential access points should be blocked effectively. There should be a check on the premises on a weekly or monthly basis to check for any deviations (Anonymous, n.d).

Monitoring Methods

The most important thing to be done to ensure that the Control Measures are being ...