Unit 4 Guidelines to prevent chemical hazards in food
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In general, there are some basic rules of common sense to keep food from being contaminated by harmful chemicals (Hutchings, 2016):
- Chemicals should be stored away from food storage and contact surfaces. There should be a specific area for chemical storage where chemicals are labelled clearly. If a chemical does not have a label, it should not be used and should be discarded safely.
- Fruit and vegetables should be washed thoroughly before further processing or being served to consumers.
- The instructions of the manufacturer for the proper chemical product use must be followed carefully, and hands and any contact surfaces must be washed thoroughly after chemical handling.
Image from StateFoodSafety
Also, chemical containers, especially those imported from the USA, can be colour-coded to distinguish how dangerous a chemical product is (Govus, 2021). The corresponding system in the USA is the danger diamond according to NFPA 704. The main colour codes are:
Blue – Toxic: Hazardous to health if ingested, inhaled or absorbed through the skin. Store in a separate area.
Red – Flammable: Store separately only with other flammable chemicals in a flammable liquid storage area.
Yellow – Reactive: May react violent with water, air or other chemicals. Store separate from combustibles and flammables.
White – Corrosive: May be harmful to eyes and skin. Store separate from combustibles and flammables.
Green – Moderate: Doesn’t present more than a moderate hazard. Stored in general chemical storage.
Black/white stripes: Incompatible with other reagents of the same colour. For example, acids (white) and bases (black/white stripes) should be stored separately.
Image from Marcos Rodríguez Bobadilla, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Image from StateFoodSafety
Apart from the colour codes, the labels of the chemical products use hazard pictograms. A hazard pictogram is an image on a label that provides information about the damage a chemical substance or mixture can cause to our health or the environment (European Chemicals Agency, n.d.). The most important pictograms for a food handler are listed below:
| Symbol | Meaning | Effects on health | Examples of chemical products | Precautionary statements |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Corrosive |
Severe skin burns and eye damage |
Drain cleaners, acetic acid, hydrochloric acid, ammoniac |
Keep only in original container. |
|
|
Health hazard/ Hazardous to the ozone layer |
Respiratory irritation Serious eye irritation Skin irritation or allergic skin reactions Drowsiness or dizziness Harmful if swallowed Harms public health and the environment by destroying ozone in the upper atmosphere |
Washing detergents, toilet cleaner, coolant fluid |
Use only outdoors or in a well-ventilated area. |
|
|
Acute toxicity |
Fatal if inhaled, if swallowed, in contact with skin Toxic if inhaled, if swallowed, in contact with skin |
Pesticide, biocide, methanol |
Store in a closed container. |
|
|
Serious health hazard |
Allergy or asthma symptoms or breathing difficulties if inhaled Fatal if swallowed and enters airways Damage to organs, fertility or the unborn child Cancerogenic Genetic defects |
Turpentine, petrol, lamp oil |
Store locked up. |
|
|
Hazardous to the environment |
Very toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects |
Pesticides, biocides, petrol, turpentine |
Avoid release to the environment. Collect spillage. |
Source: European Chemicals Agency
The EU has one of the highest food safety standards in the world thanks to the solid set of EU legislation in place, which ensures that food is safe for consumers. When risks to public health are detected in the food chain, the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) portal is the key tool to ensure the flow of information to everyone and enable quick reaction (European Commission, n.d.). The portal provides the latest information on food recalls and public health warnings in all EU countries. Thanks to RASFF, many food safety risks had been avoided before they could have been harmful to European consumers.
The RASFF database includes the latest information on food recall notices and also public health warnings, issued by food safety authorities and food companies. Consumers or food handlers can identify food that has been flagged in the system allowing them to make more informed choices.
Image from European Commission
Which are the most common chemical hazards in a restaurant? How can you avoid acrylamide in a restaurant kitchen? These and many other questions are answered in the following interview prepared by the Kaunas Food Industry and Trade Training Centre.