Foodborne Hazards

Definition of foodborne harzard is a biological, chemical, or physical hazard that can causes illness or injury when consuming along with the food.

Biological Hazards are bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi. They are very small and can only be seen by microscope. They associate with human and raw food. Bacteria can cause foodborne infection, intoxications and toxin-mediated infections. They occur naturally in the environment where food are grown. Most of them are destroyed proper cooking, however some of the are kept to minimum by proper cooling during product distribution and storage. Biological hazards are the primary target of food safety program since they cause most foodborne illnesses.

Chemical hazards are defines as toxic substances that may occur naturally or added during food processing. They include agricultural chemical, cleaning compounds, heavy metals, food additive, and food allergens.

Physical Hazard are foreign object in the food that can trigger illness and injury. They could be fragments of glass, metal unfilled toothpick, jewelry, adhesive bandages, and human hair. These hazards mostly come from food contamination and poor food handling practices.