In the last post I introduced you to biological food hazards. I will address chemical hazards here and the physical food hazards in the next post. Chemical hazards are chemical substances that are either naturally present in food or added intentionally or unintentionally. A chemical is considered naturally present if it is a normal component of the plant, animal, or microorganism. For example, natural toxins are present in or produced by certain mushrooms, shellfish, molds, and bacteria.
Intentionally added chemicals include pesticides, fungicides, insecticides, herbicides, growth hormones, antibiotics, allergens, preservatives, and coloring agents. The FDA enforces action levels and tolerances on a range of unavoidable poisonous substances, pesticides, and food additives to protect public safety. Unintentionally added chemicals are chemicals that may inadvertently be incorporated in food. This could occur at several stages in the production chain from the farm to the processing plant. For example, failure to apply the correct concentration of pesticide on crops; harvesting too soon after pesticide application; failure to properly rinse chemical residue from food contact surfaces after cleaning operation; storing harmful chemicals next to food ingredients; and application of rodent baits in areas where food is being processed or stored.
Controlling Naturally Occurring Toxins
You can control the levels of naturally occurring substances in your raw material by establishing supplier controls. For example, you may request letters of guarantee and certificates of analysis (COA) from your supplier to assure and verify that toxins are absent or within the acceptable regulatory limits. Check the temperatures of seafood shipping containers for temperature abuse, as seafood can produce dangerous scrombotoxin if exposed to higher than normal temperatures.
Check dried ingredient containers for evidence of wetting and mold, which could result in development of aflatoxin. Moisture, water activity and aflatoxin tests may be done prior to accepting shipment of grains. Some naturally occurring toxic substances in raw materials can be controlled by harvesting at the right stage of maturity. For example, immature potatoes will have a high concentration of solanine. Other natural toxins such as cyanogenic glycosidesin cassava can be controlled by proper extraction and heat treatment of the toxin.
Controlling Pesticides on Raw Materials
Incoming raw materials may have higher than normal pesticide residue due to indiscriminate and disproportionate application on the farm. Requesting letters of guarantee and certificates of analysis can be used as strategies to control the amount of pesticide residues that you allow in your raw material. You may also periodically sample and analyze raw materials for hazardous chemicals to verify that they meet the allowable legal tolerance and action level limits.
Controlling Allergens
Allergens are proteins that trigger an allergic immune response which may include fainting, lightheadedness, low blood pressure, dizziness, mental confusion, difficulty breathing, skin rash, itching, swelling, nausea, and vomiting. About 90% of all allergic reactions are caused by the “big eight” allergens i.e. soy, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, milk, wheat, fish and shellfish. To prevent contamination with allergens, process non-allergen foods before you process foods that contain allergens.
Allergens must only be processed on equipment that are designed to facilitate proper cleaning and inspection. After processing you should thoroughly clean the equipment to remove residue. A good idea is to implement a lockout procedure for equipment that contain allergen residues. In that way you can prevent it from being used until proper cleaning is done. You will also find it essential to establish traffic patterns in your facility to prevent allergens from entering allergen-free areas. Foods containing allergens must be labelled accurately to indicate that it “contains” or is derived from a major food allergen.
Controlling Food Additives
Approved food additives can become a hazard if their portions in your formulation exceed allowable limits. To avoid this, keep proper logs of batching activity including name of ingredients, weight added, date and time added. Conduct periodic verification of batch logs.
Controlling Cleaning Chemicals
Only accept chemicals in your facility that are properly labeled and have regulatory approval. Inspect the delivery truck for physical evidence of damage to package, spills and odors. Hold or reject shipment that may have resulted in cross-contamination of chemicals with food. Store all chemical substances in a manner that will prevent contamination of food and packaging materials. Hold hazardous chemicals in a physically separate enclosure, accessible only by authorized personnel. Use chemicals according to the established standard operating procedures for mixing and application.
Controlling Poison Baits
Never apply poison baits in areas where food is being processed or stored. Instead they can be safety installed in stations at the outside periphery of the building. Whether or not you do your own pest control or contract the activity out to a certified pest control operator (PCO), you should keep a proper record to provide evidence of chemicals used, when they were used, quantity used, where and how they were applied.
