Food Safety, Hygiene and Sanitation
Hazards and controls
Food safety is about preventing illness, not detecting it at the end. Classify hazards as biological (Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, E. coli O157, Staphylococcus aureus toxin, aflatoxin from Aspergillus flavus), chemical (pesticide residues, cleaning chemicals, veterinary drug residues, undeclared allergens) and physical (glass, metal, stones, hair, pests). Hygiene is the foundation: FSSAI Schedule 4 lays down good hygiene practice for premises, water, personnel, pest control and waste.
HACCP in seven principles
- Conduct hazard analysis. 2. Determine CCPs. 3. Set critical limits. 4. Monitor. 5. Establish corrective actions. 6. Verify. 7. Keep records. A control point is any step where loss of control does not automatically make food unsafe; a CCP is a step where it does. GMP covers facilities and equipment, SSOP covers daily sanitation, and both are prerequisites before HACCP.
Personnel and sanitation
Wash hands with soap before entry and after every break; no jewellery, nail paint or watches; clean light-coloured uniform, cap and footwear; no eating or smoking in production; cuts covered with a detectable blue plaster; exclude staff with diarrhoea or skin infection.
Cleaning removes soil; sanitising kills microorganisms - never sanitise a dirty surface. Sequence: dry clean → pre-rinse → detergent → rinse → sanitiser → air dry. CIP circuits need correct concentration, temperature, contact time and flow velocity.
Worked example
A milk plant sets pasteurisation at 72 °C for 15 s as a CCP. The chart shows 69 °C for 40 s. Corrective action: stop the flow, divert the milk to the balance tank, re-pasteurise, hold and evaluate the affected batch, and record the deviation. Reasoning: the critical limit was violated, so the product must not be released merely because it looks normal.
Traps
Making every step a CCP; treating HACCP as a zero-risk guarantee; sanitising before cleaning; forgetting that allergens are a chemical hazard; ignoring the quality of water and ice used in washing.