A Food safety hazard is a biological, chemical or physical agent or condition of food with the potential to cause harm or an adverse health affect at the time of consumption.

1. PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL
HAZARDS IN FOOD AND THEIR
CONTROL MEASURES
BFST 1206
FOOD SANITATION
W.A.G.E. WIJELATH - AG/12/FT/024
M.HARTHIKA - AG/12/FT/026

2. HAZARD???
2
CONTROL MEASURES???
A Food safety hazard is a biological, chemical or
physical agent or condition of food with the potential
to cause harm or an adverse health affect at the
time of consumption.
Any action or activity that can be used to prevent,
eliminate or reduce a significant hazard

3. Hazards
Physical Chemical Biological
3

4. Physical Hazards
Any extraneous object or foreign matter in food
Item which may cause illness or injury to a
person at the time of consumption.
4

5. Physical
Hazards
Unavoidable
Occur in food as a by
product.
Ex: stems in
blueberries
Avoidable
Occur in food due to
the absence of
proper GMPs
Ex: Glass fragments
5

6. 6
Some common physical hazards and sources
Material Sources
Glass Bottles, jars, light fixtures, utensils
Wood Fields, pallets, boxes, buildings
Stones Fields, buildings
Bullet/ Needles Animals shot in field, hypodermic needles used for infections
Jewelry Pens/pencils, buttons, careless employee practices
Metal Machinery, fields, Wire, employees
Insects and other filth Fields, plant post-process entry
Insulation Building materials
Bone Fields, improper plant processing
Plastic Fields, plant packaging materials, pallets, employees
Personal effects Employees

7. 7
Some common physical hazards and sources
Material Sources
Glass Bottles, jars, light fixtures, utensils
Wood Fields, pallets, boxes, buildings
Stones Fields, buildings
Bullet/ Needles Animals shot in field, hypodermic needles used for infections
Jewelry Pens/pencils, buttons, careless employee practices
Metal Machinery, fields, Wire, employees
Insects and other filth Fields, plant post-process entry
Insulation Building materials
Bone Fields, improper plant processing
Plastic Fields, plant packaging materials, pallets, employees
Personal effects Employees

8. Injury potential
Cuts
Bleedings
Infections
Choking
Trauma
Illness
Sometimes require surgery to remove.
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9. 9
Factors determining the risk level
 Target audience for the food
 Type of product
 Method of consumption
 Size
 Hardness
 Sharpness
 Shape
 Type
 Ease of discovery
Of physical hazards

10. 10
Injury risk of physical hazards
Injury risk Commodity Size of physical hazard
High Infant foods
Any size(including small particles <
2mm
Beverages
2mm or larger in size in any one
dimension
Moderate All other foods
2mm or larger in size in any one
dimension
(except infant food &
beverage)
Low All other foods 2mm in size in all dimensions
( except infant foods)

11. Control measures of physical
hazards
Control
Prevention Find and remove
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12. To prevent…….
 GMPs
 GAPs
 HACCP
 Identification of raw materials, ingredients, packaging materials
and processes that are at high risk of contamination.
 Proper maintenance of the buildings, facilities, grounds and
processing plants and equipments………etc.
 Eliminate potential sources of physical hazards within the
establishment.
 Employee training program
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13. 13
To find and remove………….
Physical exclusion of hazards. (e.g.: screens, filters and
sieves, etc )
Effective detection and elimination systems
Proper equipment design, selection, calibration and
maintenance.
Effective facility maintenance
On-line visual inspection
Detection methods include metal detectors, X-ray
machines, optical systems, magnets.
Screening assessment of raw materials
End product screening
Consumer feed back or complaint analysis

14. Chemical hazards
Any chemical contaminants or naturally occurring substances
in food that can cause harm to human health when present
over the recommended level
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15. 15
Chemical
hazards
Naturally
occurring
Intentionally
added
Unintentionally
added

16. Naturally occurring
Some chemical hazards are naturally present in food- Toxic
plant components.
Such substances are often prohibited in foods beyond a
certain level.
These hazards often are also classified as biological hazards
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17. 17
Intentionally added
To maintain the food freshness or to enhance the
flavor, aroma and color
Direct additives
- Preservatives ( e.g. : nitrate, sodium benzoate, sulfiting agents )
-Nutritional additives (e.g.: niacin, retinol )
-Color additives
Indirect food additives
-Adhesives
-Polymers

18. 18
Source Why a hazard?
Food colorings Can produce an adverse reaction
in sensitive people
Preservatives Can be toxic in high concentration
Can cause an intolerance reaction
in sensitive people
Nutritional supplement Can be toxic in high concentration

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Unintentionally added
Agricultural chemicals
Pesticides
Fungicides
Herbicides
Fertilizers
Antibiotics
Growth hormones
Cleaning chemicals ( e.g. : acids, caustics )
Maintenance chemicals ( e.g. : lubricants )
Packaging materials ( e.g. : tin )
Equipment component ( e.g. : copper pipe fittings )

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Sources Why a hazard?
Agricultural chemicals If improperly applied, some can be
acutely toxic or may cause long-term
health effects
Cleaning chemicals can cause chemical burns if present in
the food at high level
Equipment components Acidic food can cause leaching of heavy
metal from pipes and joints
(e.g. : copper and lead )
Maintenance chemicals Some chemicals that are not approved
for food use may be toxic
Packaging materials High nitrate levels in food can cause
excessive detinning of uncoated cans
resulting in excessive levels of tin in
the food

21. In addition to this;
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There are some ingredients or parts of food
which can be considered as chemical hazards for
certain people who have an allergic reaction for
such ingredients or food parts
Common allergens include:
Soybeans and their products
sesame

22. 22
Cereals containing gluten
Milk and milk products
Egg and egg products
Peanuts and their products
Crustaceans and their products
Fish and fish products

23. Health effects
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Cause food poisoning symptoms within a short
period of time.
Disrupt body metabolism
Cause cancer (e.g.: Aflatoxins- liver cancer)
Damage genes
Alter organ functions
Affect reproduction and development
Affect developing brains in foetuses, infants and children (e.g.:
mercury )

24. Control measures of chemical
hazards
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Prior to receipt Specifications
Upon receipt Inspection before
acceptance
During processing Use ‘approved’
chemicals

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References
1.Gagged(2010) Undestanding Hazards Associated with
foods(online)Available from :http :// WWW.gaaged.org
2. Food safety site(2012) Food Safety (online)Available from : http ://
WWW.Foodsafetysite.org
3.Facstaff(2004) chemical hazards (online)Available from : http:// WWW.
.Facstaff.org