Food Safety in the UK - Essay Example

? Food Safety FOOD SAFETY Food safety is a process which involves a number of steps taken into consideration. These include the way food is handled, how it is prepared and the concept of storing it which may help in order to tackle food induced illnesses. A number of measures should be followed in order to dodge ill-health hazards related to food, effectively. These potential hazards can easily be tackled if there is proper knowledge how food is vulnerable to ill-effects in its surroundings and what necessary steps should be taken in order to barrier such mishaps. Food can easily get contaminated by a number of reasons. Some types include microbiological contamination which is unnoticeable and occurs swiftly if food is left open. Another type of contamination includes physical contamination which is noticeable to the naked eye but occurs due to inattentiveness towards food in particles form. The last type of contamination is chemical contamination which occurs through airborne chemical substances which settle into food and may be very harmful (D'Mello, 2003). In UK, during the last 15 years, there has been a substantial increase in incidents related to food safety. In 1980, incidents regarding food-borne illness were around 12,700 in UK which bolstered up to 100,000 in 1998. The Health Education Authority (HEA) conducted a research which portrayed that around three million children even under teenage make their own breakfast and that 65 percent of such children serve their parents with evening cooked meals. There were 57 percent of children who prepared food with pets around them, and 46 percent shared their food with their pets during preparation (Food and Drink Federation, 1996). This shows how food safety is left loose and can be harmful for both, children and their parents. The incidents of most concern to citizens of the United Kingdom involve many unknown factors. In 1986, the first incidence of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in British cattle was reported. It was not until 1996, however, that U.K. scientists identified a possible link between BSE, a new-variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), and 14 deaths. This discovery resulted in the slaughter of all beef cattle over 30 months old and worldwide bans on sales of British beef. The sale of beef on the bone also was temporarily banned. Research into the long-term impact of BSE in cattle and it’s; relationship to CJD in humans is ongoing. The British government is investing heavily in research to learn more about the long-term impact on the population (Patnoad, 2001). Food safety involves a number of steps which need to be carried in order to ensure safe consumption. For this, the food must be well stored in clean and sanitized storage facilities, followed by proper preparation equipments and preservation facilities. In the United Kingdom, the sanitation process of food begins immediately after the food items are acquired from the market and is carried out effectively until the leftovers of the food are dealt with properly. These sanitation measures are not too complicated and can be easily practiced at home too. These measures are constructed with a series of processes that are followed in order to provide quality sanitized food from the commercial kitchens in UK to the customers, effectively. Firstly, it is made sure that food is prevented from getting contaminated through any types mentioned earlier. This is done by the decisive action of storing the food properly. Food items like sugar, flour, spices and cornmeal should be kept in airtight containers to barrier out bacteria present in the air. Also, items like vegetables and meat should be safely kept into airtight containers into a cold storage like freezer (Griffith, 1995). Commercial kitchens in the U.K have laid down basic kitchen sanitation guidelines which they follow which ultimately serves to be a vital element of food safety. They ensure that their preparation counters are properly sanitized and disinfected on a daily basis. The food equipment involved in all the processes related to food preparation are cleaned, with hot soapy water or detergents or run through dishwashers, such as the knives, cutting boards, pots, pans, spatulas and various other equipments. This majorly demolishes any food leftover for bacteria to harbor upon and replicate it (Redmond & Griffith, 2005). In the case of fruits and vegetables, they are washed thoroughly so that when the knife comes into contact with the peel of the fruit, it does not cut deep into the fruit carrying the germs and bacteria that lie on the peel itself. Washing the fruits and vegetables is a vital step which eradicates the transference of contaminants from the outside of the fruit to the inside. It is recommended by various chefs and health officials to keep the leftovers of food into airtight jars or containers and refrigerate or freeze them as soon as the meal is finished. This preserves the quality of the food and also makes it available for future uses by protecting it from contamination. This is very helpful in storing food items like leftover potatoes, corn and other vegetables, elevating a cleaner environment and economical food usage. Such storage mentality helps in maintaining a cleaner and safer environment for food preparation and results in economical practices. Diners are vulnerable to great risks if the employee and cooking hygiene are pathetic, the equipment used and food preparation platforms are dirty, if optimum temperatures are not used for cooking and storage facilities are inappropriate. There is a specific hygienic standard set for cooking which adds up to food safety irrespective of the state in a country. These standards are globally followed and this is how food safety is practiced in commercial kitchens (Center for Science in the Public Interest, 2008). These standards are effectively brought into practice by the commercial kitchen in UK. They take certain steps to ensure safe and healthy provision of dining for the diners. In UK, ground rules and proper food safety policies are established in the commercial kitchens and it contains guidance and proper tips to follow, Safe handling of food items is one of the most vital contributions towards food safety. Safe handling means that food items like fruits and vegetables or any other item that has to be served raw, imperatively needs proper washing before plating to serve. This removes any sort of contamination that resides on the upper layer. Furthermore, these kitchens take proper care of preventing cross-contamination which occurs due to use of the mutual platform for cutting or preparation of fruits & vegetables and raw meat. The commercial kitchens in UK also practice proper cooking of their food. They hire workers and chefs with proper qualification who have knowledge of optimum temperature at which food should be cooked. This temperature is usually around 165 degrees Fahrenheit, the optimum temperature for killing bacteria that exist within it. They address their workers not to work the food at a lower temperature than 120 degrees Fahrenheit as recommended by CSPI (Center for Science in the Public Interest, 2008). UK holds commercial kitchens which have proper establishments and completely clean equipment to run their day to day errands. Also, guidelines are set for the employees to follow before and after they come into contact with the food. Proper guidelines and instruction have been set to cool down the food at certain and optimum temperatures which enables food safety as they are kept away from bacteria growth and accumulation. There are several places in the world which don’t follow these guidelines and hold a big risk towards the lives of their customers. To maintain the quality of food standards and uplift food safety, there are certain officials who visit commercial kitchens in UK to ensure that the food being provided is of optimum standards. Also, this type of inspection is done within the dining place itself by the owners. These types of inspections keep the workers vigilant and alerted to make extra efforts in maintaining the quality of food and providing the consumers with the best they can. Food safety is further uplifted when the workers are praised for their good efforts but mocked for their misjudgments or ignorance towards food safety. To ensure the well-being and safety of the consumers, the main works of UK and European general food legislation include Food Safety Act (1990), Food Law Regulation, Food Hygiene Regulations (2006) and The European Communities Act (1972) (French & Phillips, 2009). Food business operators must ensure that they do not include anything in food, remove anything from food, or treat food in any way which means it would be damaging to the health of people eating it. They must also ensure that the food they serve or sell is of the nature, substance or quality that the consumers would expect. Finally, these operators must keep in mind that the food is properly labeled, advertised and presented in a way that is not false or misleading. If these producers go astray from the set standards, they face severe consequences (Food Safety Act, 1990). Food business operators have to cater to certain responsibilities in UK, according to the General Food Law Regulation which include ensuring the food is not unsafe. Also, to ensure that food labeling, advertising and presentation is not misleading for consumers. These operators must also be able to identify the businesses or people from whom they have obtained food, ingredients or food-producing animals and furthermore where they have supplied the same food products. Ultimately, these food business operators must withdraw unsafe food from the market and bring it into the authorities’ knowledge (European Communties Act, 1972). According to the Consumer Protection Act (CPA) 1987, a manufacturer can be held liable to consumers for injury, loss or damage suffered as a result of them supplying a defective product, whether or not they are negligent (Consumer Protection Act, 1987). These acts and legislation clearly show how important an issue is food safety in UK. The CPA act clearly states and alerts commercial kitchens and other service providing firms to remain cautious and give consumer health and safety their highest priority or they can face sever charges. Such is the law in UK, that if a consumer gets sick or becomes a victim of bad health due to eating unsafe food from a dining place, he can hold the particular dining place responsible for his ill health. There is utmost importance given to healthy food standards in UK for the benefit of people. References:- -PATNOAD, M. S. (2001). SPECIAL REPORTS - Food Safety Education in England: A Report from the NEHA/CIEH Sabbatical Exchange Program. Journal of Environmental Health. 63, 21. -CENTER FOR SCIENCE IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST. (1998). CSPI Center for Science in the Public Interest. Washington, D.C., Center for Science in the Public Interest. http://www.cspinet.org/. -GREAT BRITAIN. (1991). Food Safety Act 1990. Code of practice no.1. Responsibility for enforcement of the Food Safety Act 1990. London, HMSO. -D'MELLO, J. P. F. (2003). Food safety contaminants and toxins. Oxon, UK, CABI Pub. http://public.eblib.com/EBLPublic/PublicView.do?ptiID=295055. -FOOD AND DRINK FEDERATION. (1996). The A to Z of food safety. London, Food and Drink Federation. -CONFEDERATION OF BRITISH INDUSTRY. (1987).The Consumer protection act 1987. Confederation of British Industry. -WALL, E. H. (1973). European Communities act 1972. London, Butterworths. -FRENCH, M., & PHILLIPS, J. (2009). Cheated not poisoned?: food regulation in the United Kingdom, 1875-1938. Manchester, Manchester University Press. -C.J. Griffith, B. Mullan, P.E. Price, (1995) "Food safety: implications for food, medical and behavioural scientists", British Food Journal, Vol. 97 Iss: 8, pp.23 - 28 -Elizabeth C. Redmond, Christopher J. Griffith, (2005) "Consumer perceptions of food safety education sources: Implications for effective strategy development", British Food Journal, Vol. 107 Iss: 7, pp.467 - 483 Read More