Hygiene Of Foodstuffs

[Boleslao Drinker]

The2004 rules merged, harmonised and simplified detailed and complex hygiene requirements previously contained in a number of Council Directives covering the hygiene of foodstuffs and the production and placing on the market of products of animal origin.

The rules in place since 2006 innovate in making a single, transparent hygiene policy applicable to all food and all food operators right through the food chain ("from farm to fork"), together with effective instruments to manage food safety and any future food crises throughout the food chain.

A Commission report (2009) recounts the experience gained, including the difficulties encountered (in 2006, 2007 and 2008) from the implementation of the hygiene package by all interested actors. It does not suggest any detailed solutions to the difficulties reported and is, therefore, not accompanied by proposals.

A Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on the future necessity and use of mechanically separated meat in the EU, including the information policy towards consumers, was adopted on 2 December 2010.

A general obligation is placed on food business operators to ensure that all stages of production, processing and distribution of food under their control satisfy the relevant hygiene requirements laid down in Regulation (EC) No. 852/2004.

Food business operators carrying out primary production and those associated operations listed below must comply with the general hygiene provisions laid down in Part A of Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 and any specific requirements provided for in Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 (for products of animal origin)

(a) the transport, storage and handling of primary products at the place of production, provided that this does not substantially alter their nature

(b) the transport of live animals, where this is necessary to achieve the objectives of Regulation (EC) 852/2004

(c) in the case of products of plant origin, fishery products and wild game, transport operations to deliver primary products, the nature of which has not been substantially altered, from the place of production to an establishment

Food business operators carrying out any stage of production, processing and distribution of food after primary production and its associated operations must comply with the general hygiene requirements laid down in Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 and any specific requirements provided for in Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 which lays down specific hygiene rules for food of animal origin.

When Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 or Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 and their implementing measures do not specify sampling or analysis methods, food business operators may use appropriate methods laid down in other European Community or national legislation or, in the absence of such methods, methods that offer equivalent results to those obtained using the reference method, if they are scientifically validated in accordance with internationally recognised rules or protocols.

Regulation (EC) No. 852/2004 requires that all food businesses must be registered with the supervising competent authority, e.g., for those business supervised by the HSE (e.g., restaurants, caterers, supermarkets, wholesale operators), a food business operator is obliged to notify the HSE of each establishment under its control. Changes to a food business (e.g., change of proprietor, the type of food being handled, the amount of food being produced) must also be notified to the HSE.

In addition to the registration required by Regulation (EC) No. 852/2004, if a food business makes or handles products of animal origin (meat, fish, live bivalve molluscs, milk and associated products) it must also comply with Regulation (EC) No. 853/2004 which sets out specific hygiene rules for foods of animal origin.

S.I. No. 22 of 2020 sets out the requirements for the approval of a food business supervised by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the Sea-Fisheries Authority, a local authority or the Health Service Executive.

Food business operators carrying out any stage of production, processing and distribution of food after primary production and its associated operations must put in place, implement and maintain a permanent procedure or procedures based on the HACCP principles.

(a) identifying any hazards that must be prevented, eliminated or reduced to acceptable levels;

(b) identifying the critical control points at the step or steps at which control is essential to prevent or eliminate a hazard or to reduce it to acceptable levels;

(c) establishing critical limits at critical control points which separate acceptability from unacceptability for the prevention, elimination or reduction of identified hazards;

(d) establishing and implementing effective monitoring procedures at critical control points;

(e) establishing corrective actions when monitoring indicates that a critical control point is not under control;

(f) establishing procedures, which shall be carried out regularly, to verify that the measures outlined in subparagraphs (a) to (e) are working effectively;

(a) provide the competent authority with evidence of their compliance with the requirement to have procedures based on the HACCP principles in the manner that the competent authority requires, taking account of the nature and size of the food business;

(b) ensure that any documents describing the procedures developed in accordance with this are up-to-date at all times;

(c) retain any other documents and records for an appropriate period (as detailed in the relevant S.I.)

The Regulation however, recognises that in businesses undertaking low risk activities the prerequisite hygiene requirements (i.e., the general and specific hygiene requirements outlined in Article 4 and Annex II of Regulation (EC) No. 852/2004) are sufficient to control food safety without the need to develop a HACCP-based system. Additionally, it allows for businesses to follow guides to good practice where typical hazards and controls have been identified.

Regulation (EC) No. 852/2004 requires that every person working in a food-handling area must maintain a high degree of personal cleanliness and is to wear suitable, clean and, where necessary, protective clothing.

No person suffering from, or being a carrier of a disease likely to be transmitted through food or afflicted, for example, with infected wounds, skin infections, sores or diarrhoea is to be permitted to handle food or enter any food-handling area in any capacity if there is any likelihood of direct or indirect contamination. Any person so affected and employed in a food business and who is likely to come into contact with food is to report immediately the illness or symptoms, and if possible their causes, to the food business operator.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland Act, 1998 contains enforcement provisions which are in addition to the powers to prosecute and other provisions in other specific pieces of food legislation. The provisions in the Food Safety Authority of Ireland Act, 1998 are designed to provide an improved means of reacting to and dealing with situations posing a risk to public health. Enforcement is carried out by authorised officers appointed by the FSAI or its official agents under Section 49 of the Act.

Every consumer has the right to safe and good quality food. However, now and then, people worldwide get sick from consuming unsafe food. Such events clearly prove shortcomings in a food business's commitment to food hygiene and safety. Food hygiene is a crucial aspect of ensuring food safety and preventing foodborne illnesses.

Whether producing food at a factory, working in a catering service, or a restaurant, maintaining food hygiene is critical in keeping harmful contamination in control, thus protecting your consumers and your reputation.

The definition of food hygiene refers to the practices that a business applies to protect consumers from any risks of foodborne illnesses that bacterial contamination or spoilage can cause, such as: food handling, preparation, and storage. Particularly, food hygiene deals with the biological aspect of keeping food safe.

This term is concerned with food handling, transport, proper storage of food, and the actual processing of your materials. Specifically, the objectives of food hygiene include the following:

Food safety includes a wide range of areas to ensure that food is safe and fit for human consumption. This term is used to describe a wide management system that is applied by a food business to ensure that hazards are controlled to acceptable levels.

Food safety is concerned with all types of hazards and includes the system of corrective actions, monitoring, and how to achieve safe operations. In short, food safety is the bigger umbrella, and food hygiene is under it. Food hygiene is the practice of doing the directives from food safety in the cleanest and safest way possible.

Food safety refers to a holistic approach to controlling and managing food safety hazards. It spans from sourcing raw materials, processing, food packaging, transporting, and finally, until the products are ready for sale. During processing, food is vulnerable to biological, physical, chemical, and allergy contamination.

Food hygiene standards mainly cover conditions, rules, and procedures to prevent biological food contamination, leading to foodborne illnesses. The measures range from proper food handling, thorough cleaning process, preventing cross - contamination, etc. In comparison, traceability and correct food labelling are part of food safety management but not necessarily in food hygiene standards.

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