In addition to these, other food hazards include chemicals and heavy metals that may contaminate food products from time to time. This does not, however, include people who become ill because they have an allergic reaction to a certain type of food, which is perfectly safe for the majority of people to eat. It is important to provide accurate information regarding ingredient used in products, to allow patrons with allergies to make their own decisions as to what they can and cannot eat (HCAAP Manual Plan, 2011).

Food hazards can be divided into four different categories:

Microbiological hazards such as bacteria, viruses, molds, that contaminate, multiply, or are naturally present in foods.

Physical hazards ('foreign bodies') such as glass, wood, pieces of metal, plastic, jewelry, etc.

Chemical hazards such as cleaning chemicals, pesticides, metals.

Natural hazards such as toxins present in raw kidney beans and oily fish, i.e. tuna & mackerel.

Microbiological hazards are probably the most significant in the food service industry. Bacteria and viruses are naturally present in our environment and, because they are microscopic, cannot be detected by the food handler (HCAAP Manual Plan, 2011).

It would be tragic and a waste of valuable time and resources for there to be a serious outbreak of food pointing within our camp. In order to prevent this it is vital that we have policies and procedures in place to ensure this does not happening. However, because of the nature of food preparation in bulk there are a number of things that can go wrong in the process. Having a HCAAP program in place is the best way to...

All staff members working in the food industry would then be required to demonstrate that they have the skills and knowledge to perform their duties. This means each employee would undergo regular food service safety and hygiene training and be assessed to ensure they have good understanding and knowledge of food safety practices (HCAAP Manual Plan, 2011).
In the food service industry preparedness is the best and most proactive way to ensure safety. Training all staff using HCAAP guidelines would, in fact, ensure that safe procedures are explained and implemented. This would be beneficial for the employees, the customers, and also ensure that food issues were never reason for unnecessary down time.

REFERENCES

HACCP Manual Plan. (2010). Retrieved from:

http://www.cryofresh.com/Attachments/HACCP.pdf

McGuire, G. (2011). A Complete Guide to HACCP Food Safety. Retrieved from:

http://blog.etundra.com/food-safety/haccp-food-safety/

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New England: CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT

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