What You Will Learn
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It is defined as activities directed towards prevention of food contamination, food deterioration and promotion of food preservation to ensure food remains wholesome through all stages of production, handling, processing and final consumption
- Prevent food contamination
- Promote food preservation without compromising texture and nutrients
- Maintain nutritional contents
- Food
- Food handlers
- Food premises
- Food storage/preservations
- Food regulations
Food handler
Refers to any person that handles food in whatever form right from stage of production, harvest, transportation, storage, processing, packaging, serving and consumption.
Food premises
Refers to any structure or building or sites where food are grown, produced, stored, processed, packaging, sold , cooked ,served and consumed.
Food preservation/storage
Methods with examples
- Drying/smoking e.g. ??
- Salting e.g. ??
- Refrigeration e.g. ??
- Freezing e.g. ??
- Canning e.g. ??
- Pasteurization e.g. ??
Chemical preservative
This inhibits bacterial activities, growth or kill bacteria e.g.
- Na Benzoate
- Na nitirites
- Carbonic acid
Use of pesticides
This kill pest rapidly or slowly
- Pyrethroid: rapidly acting e.g. permetrin, aletrin, resetrin
- Organochloride: intermediate acting e.g. DDT (Dicholo-diphenyl-trichloroethane), (BHC) (Benzy hexachloride)
- Organophosphate:long acting e.g. parathion, malathion, methyl parathion
- Carbamate: long acting e.g. carbaryl, propoxur
Examples of bad food handling practices
- Re-heating of left-over food
- Cooking of stored food from fridge/freezer straight to cooking pot
- Poor personal hygiene especially hand washing
- Re-use of waste water for washing
- Use of deteriorating food items
- Use of tissue paper for cleaning of used plates in ceremonial gathering
- [Include additional bad practices...]
Challenges associated with food handling and vending practices
- Workers lack basic training on food safety
- Many are not registered- both handlers and premises
- Workers are highly mobile and difficult to track
- High turnover of workers
- Poor compliance to medical examination
- Weak monitoring and supportive supervision by the necessary agent of government
- Lack of basic infrastructures to maintain good practices eg. Water, electricity, drainage, waste disposal facilities
Food regulations
- Registration of food premises
- Medical examination of food handlers
- Training, monitoring and supervision by LGA
- Food inspection and sanctions
- Fumigation of food premises
- Regular Inspection of food premises
- Environmental sanitation related issues; water source, waste storage and disposal, nets etc
- Registration of food products- NAFDAC
- Regular Health education, training and re-training
- Enforce medical examination
- Sick leave for handlers
- Regular supervision
- Enforce registration of premises
- Provision of basic infrastructures
Practice Questions
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