The safe preparation, storage and serving of food to others of vital importance where the public is concerned. Food hygiene looks at several elements relating to this. These are;
1) What happens when food safety goes wrong
2) Common food hazards
3) Responsibility for food safety
4) Food poisoning and who is most at risk

Food safety is important because any risk could potentially threaten lives. When you eat something, you have to be confident that the food is not a risk to your health. It is the same for others; food that is prepared or served must be free from any kind of food hazard.
If you prepare or handle food, it is YOUR responsibility to ensure that the food is safe to eat.

There are four main hazards for food safety. These are:
1) Physical hazard - choking from something that has fallen into the food, such as jewellery or false nails
2) Chemical hazard - poisoning from chemicals that may have leaked into the food, such as cleaning materials
3) Biological hazard - infection from food that is not cooked correctly or unclean, due to dirt of germs
4) Allergic hazard - an unpleasant, sometimes vert serious, reaction to certain foods such as nuts or certain fruits or vegetables
Our food safety E-learning courses help explain this further and offer certification upon completion.
Free articles on Food Alergies can be found in our blog.