Food hygiene is the practice of following certain rules and procedures to prevent contamination of food. keeping them safe for consumption from a health point of view maintaining the rest of its own properties (color, flavor, texture, etc.).
Each country and jurisprudence has its own legislation on food hygiene together with the regulation and recommendations of public health agencies; For example, in Spain it is the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition, dependent on the Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs.
Food hygiene is followed at every step of the production chain in the food industry, from farmers to store clerks. However, the term "food hygiene" is more typically used to refer to the rules and procedures followed in the food industry during the production, packaging, transportation and delivery of products. At the consumer level, for example in home kitchens, it is often referred to as 'food hygiene'.
Not to be confused with food safety. Food security refers to the access and availability of food and its biological use. The main source of confusion comes from the English translation of both concepts: food safety Y food safety.
Why?
From the time a food is produced or harvested until it is consumed, it is exposed to microbiological contamination (bacteria, viruses, fungi) and other substances potentially dangerous for health.
The objective of food hygiene is to keep food safe and clean through a series of rules that must be followed by facilities, handlers, and production, storage, and transportation processes.
These rules cover topics such as storage temperature, machinery cleaning methods, staff clothing (gloves, masks, hats), safe cooking temperatures, expiration dates, or raising and feeding livestock.
Food hygiene in industry
In the food industry, dedicated to the manufacture, production and distribution of food, food hygiene becomes complex. Imagine that a factory worker fails to properly wash his hands after using the toilet and then wraps salad packages without wearing gloves; consumers of these salads could become ill from fecal bacteria carried on the lettuce leaves.
To give another example, if some meat steaks were stored at an inappropriate temperature and were packaged, transported and sold, the customers of a restaurant who are served this meat could also get sick even though all the recommendations have been followed correctly in the restaurant. of food hygiene.
Being a long chain with many levels, the process becomes complex. Frequent inspections of all businesses that produce or sell food and food products are common to ensure that current regulations on food hygiene are being complied with at each level of this chain.