During the epidemic, in addition to external protection, food safety is also the top priority of protection. Before food enters the mouth, it takes several steps from the farm or fishing ground to the table. We call it the food production chain. Pollution may occur during production, processing, distribution or cooking.
Food production
Production refers to the process of growing crops or raising animals for food. It is usually carried out on farms or pastures. Some food is captured or harvested from the wild, such as some fish, mushrooms and game.
Examples of contamination in production:
1. If the feed of hens is infected, or is infected by some zoonosis, the production of eggs and chicken may be contaminated, resulting in food safety problems.
2. If polluted water is used for farmland irrigation, fruits and vegetables will be polluted before harvest.
3. Some fish growing in water may obtain toxins from small marine organisms they eat or accumulate some harmful substances. For example, some fish living in mercury polluted water will accumulate methyl mercury in their bodies, causing food safety problems.
Food processing
Processing refers to the process of turning crops or animals into food forms that we know and buy through mechanical or manual processes. Different kinds of food have different processing techniques. For some agricultural products, the processing process includes cleaning, cutting, crushing, baking and other steps, such as fresh vegetables, flour, steamed bread, bread and so on. Some agricultural products and milk are usually processed into juice, vegetable juice and canned or bagged milk by pasteurization. Nuts can be roasted, chopped, or ground (for example, with peanut butter). For animals, the first step of processing is slaughter. Then, it can be cut into pieces or broken, smoked, boiled or frozen, and mixed with other ingredients to make sausage or main course, such as meat pie.
Examples of contamination during processing:
1. If contaminated water is used for cleaning or contaminated packaging materials are used for packaging food during processing, the pollution will spread to these foods, causing food safety problems.
2. In the slaughter process, if there are a large number of harmful microorganisms such as Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus on the environment and slaughter tools, it will cause microbial contamination of meat products and cause food safety problems.
3. If bacteria contaminate surfaces used for food processing, such as processing lines or storage boxes, bacteria can spread to foods that come in contact with these surfaces.
Food distribution
Delivery refers to the process of delivering food from farms or processing plants to consumers, or to restaurants, cafeterias or hospital kitchens and other catering institutions. For example, pork, beef and chicken are transported from meat processing plants to supermarkets and food stores.
Examples of contamination in distribution:
1. If the food that should be refrigerated is stored in a high temperature environment for a long time, it may produce bacteria and cause corruption.
2. If fresh agricultural products are loaded onto unwashed trucks, they will be contaminated.
cooking
Cooking refers to a way to finish the final processing of food, which is a process of becoming food that can be eaten directly. This step may occur in a restaurant, family or workplace canteen.
Examples of contamination in cooking:
1. If an employee involved in cooking is still working during illness, or does not wash his hands carefully after going to the toilet, it is possible to spread bacteria through contact with food.
2. If a chef cuts raw chicken with a chopping board or knife, and then uses the same knife or chopping board to cut raw vegetables such as tomatoes or beef sauce without cleaning, the bacteria in the chicken, such as Escherichia coli or Salmonella, may be contaminated by these foods.
3. The food eaten raw in the refrigerator may contaminate bacteria due to improper storage.
Food safety problems can occur in all links of food production, processing, storage, transportation and sales. To ensure food safety, it is necessary to manage the whole process of food production, which is what we often call "food safety management from field to table".
Huang Kunlun, a professor in the School of Food Science and Nutrition Engineering, China Agricultural University, conducted a scientific check.
