Lecture 3: Physical hazards in foods

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A. Food Safety and H.A.C.C.P.5. Food Hazards
3. Physical Hazards in Foods
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Physical hazards

• foreign bodies can be introduced in foods due to
  accidental contamination and / or poor handling
  practices
• they are mostly recognized by consumers
• they can originate from many different sources,
  such as metal, glass, wood, insects, stones,
  soil, dirt, jewellery, hair, fingernails,
  plasters, personal items, bones, nuts / bolts,
  wire, plastic, paper and cardboard

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Common Physical Hazards

• Glass light bulbs, glass containers, etc
• Metal fragments of splinters, blades, needles,
  utensils, staples, etc.
• Plastic packaging materials, fragments of
  cleaning equipment
• Stones found in field crops, such as peas and
  beans
• Wood splinters from wood structures and wooden
  pallets used to store or transport ingredients or
  food products
• Natural components of food hard or sharp parts
  of a food (eg shells in nut products)

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Physical hazards Risk in Foods

• Hard or sharp objects are potential physical
  hazards and can cause
• cuts to the mouth or throat
• damage to the intestines
• damage to teeth or gums
• The presence of physical hazards in food can
  trigger a food recall, affecting the brand name
  of company and product

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Food categories implicated in foreign object
complaints
Food categories Number of complains
Bakery 272
Soft drinks 228
Vegetables 227
Infants foods 187
Fruits 183
Cereal 180
Fishery 145
Chocolate Cocoa Products 132
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Control of Physical hazards

• Control or Detection Equipment
• Magnets ferrous metals
• Metal detectors ferrous and non-ferrous metals
• X-ray equipment all types of physical hazards
• Screen or sifter separation by size
• Aspirator segregation by weight
• Riffle board e.g. stone removal from beans
• Bone separator mechanical separation of meat
  from bones

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Employee Practices and Physical Hazards

• Education, prevention and strong company policies
  are essential!
• No metal above the waist is a common company
  policy to prevent potential physical hazards from
  falling into food.
• Personal jewelry typically is limited to a single
  plain wedding band

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Sources and Controls of Physical Hazards
Source Control
Raw materials Specifications
Facilities/equipment GMPs
Process procedures Evaluation, detection, separation
Employee practices Education
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Summary of 3rd Lecture

• Physical hazards in foods
• Control of physical hazards