Safe Methods of Defrosting Frozen Foods

To ensure food which has been frozen before use is safe to eat, safe methods of defrosting frozen foods have to be considered.  There are some foods that are safe to cook straight from frozen. These are generally pre-prepared foods and manufacturer’s instructions will be on the packaging. All other foods will need to be defrosted thoroughly before cooking.

 

Problems with Defrosting Frozen Foods

Defrosting food can produce a number of problems. The most common is cross-contamination if defrosting was not done correctly. The other common problem is under cooking. Frozen food is frozen in its core and it might take longer before it is safely cooked. This can be forgotten during the meal preparation and the food can stay undercooked.

The liquid from the food, a result of defrosting, that comes off raw meat can contain high levels of harmful bacteria. This can contaminate ready to eat foods if not treated carefully. The liquid has to be discarded carefully. All surfaces with which it came into contact must be cleaned and disinfected thoroughly. Protection of food whilst defrosting is very important. The food must be protected from physical and chemical contamination.

 

Tips for Defrosting Food Safely

To ensure safe food, defrosting must be carried out in appropriate conditions. The food can be defrosted in:

• Defrosting Unit.
• A Microwave Oven with Defrosting Cycle.
• A Refrigerator.
• Under Cold Running Water.

The food can be defrosted in the fridge. A space should be made on the bottom shelf for frozen food. The frozen food should also be ideally sealed so that there is no chance of accidental contamination of other foods during handling. The fridge defrosting method will ensure that the food stays at a safe temperature as the food thaws.

The food can be defrosted under cold running water. As the outside of the food will defrost faster than the centre, this will help to keep it cool. If food is defrosted using cold running water, it must be placed in a container that does not retain water. For example, the colander can be used as a container.

Food can also be defrosted in the microwave. The care, however, must be taken to avoid cooking the surface while defrosting the centre.

Some ready-to-eat foods, such as cakes, may be safely defrosted at room temperature, following either the manufacturer’s instructions or the guidelines in the Food Safety Management System.

 

Why is Applying Safe Methods of Defrosting Frozen Foods Important

When the food is defrosted, it should be cooked as soon as possible after it has been defrosted. It is very important, however, to check that the food is completely defrosted before cooking. The food should be checked by sight. It should also be checked with fingers or a skewer. If any ice crystals remain inside the food, for example in the body cavity of the chicken, then the food needs to be allowed to thaw for longer. If the cooking process begins before the centre of e.g., a joint of meat has fully thawed, then while the outside will cook perfectly, the centre may not reach a temperature high enough to kill bacteria.

 

Key Points to Remember

When defrosting food, it is useful to remember these key points:

• Keep food that is defrosting separate from other food and equipment to avoid cross-contamination.
• Defrost small pieces of raw food in a container at the bottom of the refrigerator.
• make sure food is defrosted all the way through and there are no ice crystals in the food.
• Defrosting can be done using clean, cold water. If food is defrosted using cold running water, it must be placed in a container that does not retain water. Avoid splashing the contaminated water onto other food surfaces.
• If using a microwave, make sure the food is defrosted all the way through.
• Never refreeze a food product unless you have cooked it first.

SafeFood, an organisation that promotes food safety and provides nutritional advice has some additional useful tips on how to defrost food safely in their article How to defrost food safely.

 

Online Food Safety Training

Please remember – it is a legal requirement that staff who are involved in a food environment are trained and/or supervised commensurate with their work activity!

Myelearnsafety offers fully online Food Safety (HACCP) courses.

To find out more, please check our Courses page.

Alternatively, should you need any additional information, please do not hesitate to let us know via email info@elearn.ie

 

Starting a New Food Business

It is very important when starting a new food business to be in compliance with all relevant food safety laws. The main purpose of food law is to ensure a safe food supply. In addition, its purpose is to protect consumers’ interests in relation to food. When a business starts handling food they are regarded as a ‘food business operator’. It is a legal responsibility to make sure that the business complies with food law and produces safe food.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) is responsible for enforcing food legislation in Ireland. The FSAI carries out this enforcement through service contracts with official agencies.

Official agencies (such as HSE) carry out inspections, take samples and conduct audits of the food businesses they supervise. This is to check that the food businesses are complying with the law. They will also take enforcement action if they discover a food business has broken the law. Enforcement officers from the official agencies are also a good source of food safety information.

 

Starting Points to Starting a New Food Business

At the initial stages of starting a food business, it is important to contact the official agency appropriate to the nature of the business. This is so the food business can be registered and, if necessary, apply for an approval number.

To operate legally a food business:

• Be registered or approved.
• Have a set of controls in place to ensure safe food – formally known as a Food Safety Management System (see Safe Catering Pack).
• Have an effective traceability system in place, which will allow withdrawal or recall of food from the market if a safety problem is discovered.
• Ensure that everyone handling food in the business has received enough food safety training to allow them to do their job safely. For fully online food safety training, please explore food safety course via eLearn Safety online training platform.
• Comply with the relevant food law.

A wide range of food is available in Ireland today. Whether that food is produced by a large multi-national company or a small local food producer, it must be safe for consumers to eat.

 

The Main Responsibilities of a Food Business

The main responsibilities of a food business are:

• The food business must ensure it does 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.
• The food business must ensure that the food it serves or sells is of the nature, substance, or quality which consumers would expect.
• The food business must ensure that the food is labelled, advertised and presented in a way that is not false or misleading.

To summarise, the food for human consumption should be protected from contamination. In addition, it should be fresh and of good quality with accurate and correct labelling. Everyone deserves to be protected against food that might make them ill and that is exactly what the law aims to do. By operating an effective Food Safety Management System, businesses can abide by the law more easily.  The Food Safety Management System does not mean ‘additional’ work. It means aiming to do things in the right way, every day. Good procedures will go a long way towards ensuring success.

 

Ensuring Compliance with Food Law

The food business ensures compliance with food law by operating a Food Safety Management System. The system must be based on HACCP (Hazards Analysis Critical Control Point) principles.

By law, a food business must be able to show what procedures are followed to ensure that the food it makes or sells is safe to eat. These procedures must be written down. Everyone who handles food must be trained and qualified in safe food handling practices. The up-to-date records of all training and refresher training should be kept on records. All food handlers must receive appropriate instruction in the essentials of food hygiene before they are allowed to start work.

When it comes to food, it is important to consider accountability and traceability. A food business must be able to show where food stuff came from and where it goes to. This is important if the business sells to a retailer, but not if it sells to a customer. There has to be a clear path to indicate ‘who did what’ when food handling is in question.

Operating an effective Food Safety Management System means that food business practices are routinely checked and recorded. This will enable the business to comply with legal requirements. It will also help compile a ‘due diligence’ defence, should one be needed.

 

Additional Information

For useful information about starting a new food business in Ireland, please refer to FSAI Resources Booklet for Small Food Businesses. In addition, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) provides beneficial content for new businesses and those already running businesses. They often organise and moderate webinars aimed at those wishing to start a new food business. More information is available on the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) website.

 

Online Food Safety Training

Please remember – it is a legal requirement that staff who are involved in a food environment are trained and/or supervised commensurate with their work activity!

Myelearnsafety offers fully online Food Safety (HACCP) courses.

To find out more, please check our Courses page.

Alternatively, should you need any additional information, please do not hesitate to let us know via email info@elearn.ie

 

Hand Washing in Food Handling Industries

Hand washing is one of the most important hygiene requirements expected of the employees working in the food handling industries. The food business operator must ensure that all employed staff are trained in good hygiene practices and that they behave in a manner that will not contaminate food.

The human body is an excellent home for bacteria. Humans carry a number of potential food poisoning bacteria on and in our body. It is very important that food handlers have a very high standard of personal hygiene to prevent contamination.

 

Why do Food Handlers Need to Wash Their Hands

Bacteria on the hands have an ideal environment for growth and spreading. They have food, moisture and an ideal temperature of around 37°C; all ideal factors for bacterial growth. The role of hands in transferring pathogens to high-risk food is one of major causes of outbreaks’ of food poisoning not only in Ireland, but worldwide. The Health Protection Surveillance Centre publication ‘Preventing Foodborne Disease: A Focus on the Infected Food Handler’ provides a very insightfully report on preventing foodborne diseases with a focus on the infected food handler.

Hand washing is a crucial step in preventing food contamination by food handlers. By using proper hand washing techniques and as often as possible, harmful bacteria present on the hands of food workers are removed. Some examples of harmful bacteria are E. coli, Salmonella and Staphylococcus aureus and viruses (e.g. norovirus) .

 

When do Food Handlers Need to Wash Their Hands

All food handling staff must wash their hands including forearms when exposed with a non-perfumed soap and:

• As frequently as necessary.
• Before starting work.
• Before handling cooked or ready to eat food.
• After handling or preparing raw food.
• After handling waste.
• After cleaning duties.
• After using the toilet.
• After blowing nose, sneezing or coughing.
• After eating, drinking or smoking.
• After handling money.

 

How to Wash the Hands

Hands should be followed as follows:

• Wet hands under warm running water.
• Use sufficient soap to form a good lather.
• Systematically rub all parts of hands with soap and water.
• Lather for 10-15 seconds minimum vigorously and thoroughly rubbing all hand surfaces including the fingertips and thumbs.
• Rinse hands thoroughly with running water.
• Dry hands thoroughly.

The hands should be washed using designated hand wash basins only. After washing the hands must be dried using disposable paper towels. Towels are never to be shared! Alcohol and disinfectants are only effective if used on clean hands. They are not meant to be used as a method of hand disinfection – unless hands have been thoroughly washed prior using disinfectant. Taps should be turned off with either elbow or whilst holding a paper towel.

This short instructional video prepared by SafeFood demonstrates how to wash hands properly: How to wash your hands properly.

 

Use of Gloves

The use of disposable gloves is not a substitution for hand washing. In fact, gloves are a potential cause of food contamination as they can provide the ideal environment for multiplication of micro-organisms. Disposable gloves should only be worn for short periods and hands must be washed before and after use.

If gloves are however used regularly, a glove policy should be provided and all employees must be trained on how and when to put gloves on and how they should be used to prevent contamination. Clear instructions regarding the changing and disposal of damaged and contaminated gloves is a must.

 

Online Food Safety Training

Please remember – it is a legal requirement that staff who are involved in a food environment are trained and/or supervised commensurate with their work activity!

Myelearnsafety offers fully online Food Safety (HACCP) courses.

To find out more, please check our Courses page.

Alternatively, should you need any additional information, please do not hesitate to let us know via email info@elearn.ie

Food Safety Management System (FSMS)

A Food Safety Management System is a planned and methodical approach to controlling food safety hazards within a food business. The main purpose of FSMS is to ensure the food produced/served is safe to eat. All food businesses are legally obliged to put in place, implement and maintain FSMS based on the principles of Hazards Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP).

The Food Safety Management System must be:

• Put in place permanently.
• Recorded and kept up-to-date.
• Reviewed regularly or as a result of any changes to products and procedures.

 

Terms Used in Food Safety Management Systems

To better understand FSMS procedures it is important to clarify what the terms hazard, risk and control measures mean from the food safety perspective.

Hazard

Hazard is anything with the potential to cause harm. Food safety hazards can be:

• Microbial (e.g., bacteria growing to unacceptable levels).
• Physical (e.g., presence of bones in meat).
• Chemical (e.g., fly spray being used near open food).
• Allergenic (e.g., nut traces spread by a dirty cloth).

Risk

Risk measures the likelihood that a hazard will actually cause harm together with how serious the problem could be.

An undercooked chicken being served at a large wedding party is likely to make a lot of people very ill with Salmonella food poisoning and is clearly a ‘high-risk’. On the other hand, finding a slug in a bag of ready washed salad, though undesirable, is quite unlikely and most likely will not cause any real and serious harm. As such, this could be considered as ‘low-risk’.

Control Measures

Control measures are precautions that are taken to reduce the chance of a hazard occurring (to an acceptable level of risk). These measures could include making sure food is stored at the right temperature in a refrigerator, covering food to prevent physical and microbial contamination or training stuff on how to clean and disinfect a work surface. It is a legal requirement that staff who are involved in a food environment are trained and/or supervised commensurate with their work activity. Myelearnsafety.com, an online health and safety training platform, developed and run by experienced Health and Safety professionals offers convenient and affordable full online food safety courses.

Critical Control Point (CCP)

Critical Control Point (CCP) is a step at which control can be applied and is necessary to prevent or eliminate a food safety hazard or to reduce it to an acceptable level.

 

Advantages of Food Safety Management System

Following a FSMS will give confidence of compliance to the management and can help to reduce food waste. The food regulations put an obligation on all food businesses to identify any steps in their activities that are crucial to food safety.

Some of the advantages of adopting a food safety management system are that it will:

• Cover all food processing activities.
• Identify potential hazards early and not after the damage has been done.
• Highlight unsafe parts of the process that need to be controlled or changed.
• Provide records in an acceptable form, showing that preventive action has been taken.
• Focus resources on controlling risks where they are most effective.
• Give greater confidence in ensuring food product safety.
• Provide a common approach that is widely accepted and understood by all staff.
• Allow new operations to be made safe at the design stage.

Everyone in the food business needs to know about the FSMA that is in place. This will help to assist all staff in realising their role and responsibilities in limiting risks to the consumers from food related hazards.

 

Hazards Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP)

HACCP is the internationally recognised food safety system that was developed by NASA in the 1960s. It is developed to ensure safe food for space flights and to prevent food poisoning of astronauts in space. Since then HACCP developed and improved based on available food scientific data and has been recognised internationally as a convenient tool to manage food safety. This system is well proven in making all aspects of food production safer and is designed to make sure food businesses can identify and deal with the hazards and risks involved in the production and handling of food.

Specifically, HACCP looks at how food is handled and introduces procedures to make sure the food produced is safe to eat. HACCP plans must be kept up-to-fate and will require reviewing on a regular basis and whenever something in the food operation changes.

 

HACCP Principles

HACCP is a systematic approach to the identification, evaluation, and control of food safety hazards. HACCP principles have seven steps that must be followed at all times:

1. Conduct a Hazard Analysis – establish what could go wrong at every stage of food processing and put in controls to make sure it does not happen. For example, bacteria harmful to health could survive if raw chicken is not cooked enough. Proper cooking will control this hazard.
2. Identify Critical Control Points (CCP) – recognise the most important points where things can go wrong. For example, thorough cooking will reduce bacteria to a safe level.
3. Set Critical Limits for each CCP – set a measurable limit that determines safe food from potentially unsafe food. For example, make sure the core cooking temperature has reached at least 75°C.
4. Set up Checks for each CCP – monitor each CCP to prevent problems occurring. For example, check the core temperature with a thermometer every time food is cooked.
5. Corrective Action – decide what to do if something goes wrong. For example, continue cooking until 75°C is reached, review staff training, etc.
6. Verification – prove that your HACCP plan is working. For example, check that control measures are being applied and corrective actions have been taken when needed.
7. Record Keeping – maintain an accurate record of all of the above. For example, complete a record form showing all the checks that have been carried out.

The success of a HACCP system depends on educating and training management and employees in the importance of their role in producing safe foods.

 

Other HACCP Based Food Safety Management Systems

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has developed the Safe Catering Pack. The Safe Catering Pack is designed for caterers as a practical, easy-to-use, food safety management system. The pack was designed for caterers but it may also be used by other food businesses. It is ideal for businesses that have not yet developed their own food safety management system, but may also be used by businesses to improve existing systems.

 

Online Food Safety Training

Please remember – it is a legal requirement that staff who are involved in a food environment are trained and/or supervised commensurate with their work activity!

Myelearnsafety offers fully online Food Safety (HACCP) courses.

To find out more, please check our Courses page.

Alternatively, should you need any additional information, please do not hesitate to let us know via email info@elearn.ie

Food Storage and Deliveries

Proper food storage and deliveries play an important role in ensuring that the food remains safe to eat. Existing food businesses which intend to start delivering food orders need to consider any new or different risks posed by this change in operation. They should adapt their Food Safety Management System to make sure food placed on the market remains safe to eat. Businesses that already deliver food, directly to the customer or to another business, must ensure uninterrupted safe food handling practices.

 

Food Deliveries

It is important that food is purchased from reliable suppliers. ‘Due diligence‘ demands that care be taken on purchase handover. When food is delivered, a person responsible for the receipt of the food should check:

• Quality of the food.
• Evidence of damage by pets.
• Evidence of damage due to food spoilage.
• Evidence of contamination.
• That the items are well within the date.
• refrigerated or frozen foods are at the correct temperature.

Always and without any doubt reject any food that you are not happy with and return it to the supplier! Always make sure that the transfer time after purchase of frozen or chilled foods is as short as possible, preferably in cool bags or boxes and that the food is stored in the refrigerator or freezer in the shortest possible time. Remember:

• Frozen food deliveries must be kept at –18°C or below.
• Refrigerated food deliveries must be kept between 0°C and 5°C.
• Hot food deliveries must be kept at 63°C or above.

 

Food Storage and Deliveries – Spoilage

Food is spoiled when it is unfit for human consumption. The main causes of food spoilage are usually the following:

• Microbial and enzyme activity – this can adversely change a food’s colour, taste, smell, appearance or texture, e.g. moulds and yeasts.
• Chemical contamination – food has come into contact with substances not intended for human consumption, e.g. cleaning chemicals or insect sprays.
• Physical contamination – undesirable foreign objects have contaminated food, e.g. human hair or food pests.
• When food is spoiled, always label it ‘Unable for Human Consumption‘ and store it in a designated area away from other food.

 

‘Use By’ and ‘Best Before’ Dates

Most food packages are labelled with a ‘Use By‘ or ‘Best Before‘ date. It is an offence to serve food that has exceeded its use by date. Such food should be discarded or clearly marked ‘Unfit for Human Consumption‘. ‘Best Before‘ dates are often an indication that the food will be at its premium quality if stored correctly until that date.

 

Dry Stores

Not all food must be kept refrigerated or heated. Some food can be kept in dry stores. However, many dried or dehydrated foods such as milk powder, powdered eggs, etc. will allow bacterial growth if they become moist. It is therefore essential these foods are stored in a dry place and are used immediately after preparation. All dry foods, including flour, biscuits, etc., will remain safe whilst dry.

Dry stores key points:

1. Storage areas must be well lit, clean, cool, dry and well ventilated.
2. Free-standing slatted shelves allow good ventilation and evidence of pest infestation to be seen quickly.
3. Food should be stored off the floor to allow thorough cleaning.
4. Good stock rotation will prevent build up of old stocks and will reveal evidence of pest infestation quickly.

 

Stock Rotation

All food should be stored in date order and the First In First Out (FIFO) rule followed and observed. To help with stock rotation:

• Check ‘Use By‘ and ‘Best Before‘ dates regularly.
• Put products with a shorter shelf life at the front of the shelf at the front of the shelf so they are used first.
• Clear away any out of date stock.

 

Other Food Storage and Deliveries Hazards

There are other food safety hazard points associated with food delivery and storage. Safefood lists a number of additional hazards that are associated with the food storage and deliveries. These can be read in their Food Delivery & Storage article.

 

Online Food Safety Training

Please remember – it is a legal requirement that staff who are involved in a food environment are trained and/or supervised commensurate with their work activity!

Myelearnsafety offers fully online Food Safety (HACCP) courses.

To find out more, please check our Courses page.

Alternatively, should you need any additional information, please do not hesitate to let us know via email info@elearn.ie

 

Safe Food Display

To ensure safe food display (for hot or cold display), the food must be kept at the correct temperature. The hot food should be kept above 63°C and cold food should be kept below 5°C. Temperatures must be monitored frequently throughout the day. The main point of safe food display  is to keep food outside the danger zone (5°C – 63°C). Bacteria grow best in warm temperatures, approximately 25°C – 40°C.

Keeping records of these checks can form part of a Food Safety Management System and help to establish a company’s due diligence.

 

Display Units for Safe Food Display

Display units should be:

• Protected by sneeze guards to prevent contamination.
• Cleaned and sanitised after each service period.
• Replenished regularly with small quantities, preventing excess time on display and never overloaded.
• Buffet foods should be placed on display as near as possible to the service time.

 

Recommended Safe Temperatures

The following is a general guide to safe temperatures for safe food display (to include processing and storage):

• Cooking/Reheating – Minimum core temperature of 75°C must be achieved (or maintaining 70°C for 2 minutes).
• Hot Holding – Minimum core temperature of 63°C or above has to be achieved (temperatures should be checked regularly).
• Refrigerated Deliveries – Minimum core temperature of 0°C to 5°C has to be maintained.
• Refrigerating and Cold Holding – Minimum core temperature of 0°C to 5°C has to be maintained.
• Chilled Display and Cold Stores – Minimum core temperature of 0°C to 5°C has to be maintained.
• Frozen Deliveries – Minimum core temperature of -18°C should be maintained (frozen deliveries above -15°C should be rejected).
• Deep Freezing – Minimum core temperature of -18°C should be maintained.

 

Temperature Measuring Devices

To ensure the food is kept at correct temperatures, a temperature measuring device should be used. There are a number of different temperature measuring devices available for use in the food industry including handheld thermometers and inbuilt thermometers. Temperature measuring devices should be calibrated according to the manufacturer’s instructions and should be checked regularly to make sure they are working correctly.

The most common temperature measuring devise is probe thermometer. This device can accurately measure the temperature of the food. The probe can be inserted into the centre of the food to enable the temperature to be taken. The core temperature should be always be measured in the thickest part of the food. However, it is important to note that probes can be a source of cross-contamination if not cleaned and disinfected appropriately.

All food business operators must have in place procedures for regularly checking that probes are working correctly. This can be done by using special test caps or by first placing the probe in boiling water and checking that it displays 100°C and then placing the probe in slush ice to check it displays 0°C (an error of up to +/- 0.5°C is acceptable on both checks).

Never use mercury thermometers as it would present a contamination risk if it breaks.

 

Measuring and Recording Temperatures to ensure Safe Food Display

House rules should be followed about how often temperatures should be measured . Food handlers with a responsibility for taking temperatures should be given specific training on how to:

• Take temperatures using the equipment that is available to them.
• Recognise and deal with unsafe readings.
• Keep records of taking temperatures and any corrective actions necessary as a result.

 

Some additional information about safe food display can be found on FSAI page Temperature Control.

 

Online Food Safety Training

Please remember – it is a legal requirement that staff who are involved in a food environment are trained and/or supervised commensurate with their work activity!

Myelearnsafety offers fully online Food Safety (HACCP) courses.

To find out more, please check our Courses page.

Alternatively, should you need any additional information, please do not hesitate to let us know via email info@elearn.ie