What are the 4 hazards in a food factory?

In any environment where food is grown, produced, prepared or packaged, the HACCP system should be in place. HACCP is an acronym for the hazard analysis critical control point. This system analyses all contact points and their surroundings to ensure food remains safe.

There are four main types of hazards:

1. Biological and microbiological hazards. These would include all foodborne diseases like E. coli.
2. Physical hazards. These hazards will include things that can cause physical harm to the person eating the food by perhaps cutting their mouth, burning them or breaking their teeth. These things could be glass, nails, even jewellery that accidently falls into the food due to carelessness.
3. Chemical hazards. These hazards will occur when residues of pesticides or cleaning chemicals contaminate the food. Or if the food comes into contact with poisons. This can cause food poisoning and chronic illness.
4. Allergenic hazards. Some people are highly allergic to things like shellfish, peanuts, milk,soy, sesame seeds or gluten. If exposed to these foods they can experience anaphylactic shock. They do not always have to eat one of the foods that they are allergic to but the food could be exposed to the food they are allergic to and becomes contaminated.

You need to know what the hazards are in order to be able to avoid them. HACCP is a fantastic system to use if you handle food. For more information on cleaning products that are HACCP compliant please visit www.blendwell.co.za/Food_Industry_Cleaning_Products. Blendwell Chemicals manufactures cleaning products for the food industry in Midrand, South Africa.