Guidance for Handling and Processing certain foods
Guidance for Handling and Processing Certain Foods
Some foods need particular care when preparing them, as, when handled improperly they are at higher risk of supporting the growth of food poisoning bacteria. There are also food preparation methods where extra controls are needed to control the risk of food poisoning.
Here, you can find information and links to further guidance on:
- HACCP and food safety management systems
- Cooking of meat and poultry
- Rare burgers, steak tartar, carpaccio
- Vacuum packing
- Sous Vide
- Raw egg dishes
- Offal including parfait and pate
- Sushi, Sashimi and other raw fish products
- Oysters, Clams and Mussels
- Chutneys, pickles, jams and oils
HACCP and food safety management systems
Food businesses are required to have a food safety management system based on hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) principles. A food safety management system is not about unnecessary paperwork for businesses. It is a thought process to identify where risks such as food poisoning or food contamination could occur and demonstrating necessary controls are in place and working properly.
One common way food businesses meet this requirement is by implementing the Food Standards Agency’s Safer Food Better Business Pack: Safer food, better business (SFBB) | Food Standards Agency.
However, this pack is only suitable for small businesses and will not necessarily cover all hazards and control measures that may be relevant to a business. If you are undertaking food handling processes not covered by the SFBB pack, you will need to form your own HACCP based system instead of or in addition to SFBB.
Failure to implement a suitable food safety management system, covering the risks presented by the food you serve, puts consumers at risk and may seriously impact on any hygiene rating score awarded.
For more information on HACCP principles:
Cooking of meat and poultry
Bacteria can be found in all raw meats but in different areas of the meat. This can change the way you can cook it, and how to check if it’s been thoroughly cooked.
Poultry (such as chicken, turkey, duck, and game birds) and pork can have bacteria all the way through the meat. This means that these meats need to be cooked adequately all the way through.
The following time/temperature cook combinations are recognised as a safe method:
- 60oC – this core temperature maintained for at least 45 mins
- 65oC – this core temperature maintained for at least 10 mins
- 70oC – this core temperature maintained for at least 2 mins
- 75oC – this core temperature maintained for at least 30 seconds
- 80oC – this core temperature maintained for at least 6 seconds
Some recipes for poultry meats such as duck or pigeon may show the meat to be pink still when served. There are cooking methods that can retain some of the pink colour and texture, whilst meeting the above cooking combinations. If an above time/temperature cook is not being achieved, the food business must demonstrate through their food safety management system, that alternative sufficient controls are in place to reduce the risk of food poisoning.
Whole cuts of meat, such as steaks and joints (except poultry and pork), only ever have bacteria on the outside surface of the meat. These can be served pink in the middle according to taste. However, any meat that has been minced, skewered through or pierced e.g. from tenderising, injecting or scoring, should also be cooked thoroughly. When a whole cut of meat is minced or skewered, this moves any bacteria from the outside all the way through the meat.
Rare burgers, steak tartar, carpaccio
Cooking burgers and other meat dishes less than thoroughly cooked carries a risk of food poisoning. Harmful bacteria can be carried on the surface of whole cuts of meat. When a rare steak is seared these bacteria are killed, making the steak safe to eat.
When meat is minced to produce burgers, any harmful bacteria from the surface of the raw meat spreads throughout the burger. Unless the burger is cooked right through, these bacteria can remain alive on the inside. This applies to all burgers, including burgers made from good quality or expensive meat.
When meat is served raw such as carpaccio or steak tartar, there is a risk that there is dangerous bacteria present on these products as they have not undergone any heat treatment to kill the bacteria. Suitable controls must be put in place before serving these dishes to ensure the risk is reduced.
The Food Standards Agency has produced guidance on cooking burgers and detailed guidance on the service of less than thoroughly cooked burgers. Some of these principles, including the sear and shave method, can be applied when preparing products like carpaccio also.
If you wish to serve burgers or other meat dishes less than thoroughly cooked its strongly recommend that you contact us first so we can talk through your plans to ensure you have a safe method in place before starting.
Vacuum packing
Vacuum packing is when foods are put into plastic bags or pouches and then placed into a machine that draws the air out of the bags and seals them. There are many benefits to this practice including to assist in portioning foods, storage practices and to increase the shelf life of the products.
Vacuum packing can be done safely quite easily but when it is mismanaged then there are increased risks in these products due to the risk of the bacteria that grow in oxygen-free environments such as clostridium botulinum.
Further details on vacuum packing can be found on the food standards agency website including the full vacuum packing guidance document.
Sous Vide
Sous vide means to cook ‘under vacuum’ in French. This is usually done slowly in a water bath with vacuum packed pieces of food, usually meat and fish.
The main risks to sous vide cooking is not cooking the product for long enough or at a suitable temperature, which can lead to the growth of bacteria in the product.
For more guidance on Sous Vide cooking, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland has produced a leaflet: sous-vide-and-food-safety-final.pdf
Raw egg dishes
Raw eggs have a risk of food poisoning due to levels of salmonella and campylobacter present. For any food containing egg that won’t be cooked or only lightly cooked, for example home-made mayonnaise, béarnaise and hollandaise sauces, some salad dressings, some ice cream, mousse, tiramisu etc one safest method is to use pasteurised egg.
However, there have been improved food safety controls in the UK hen egg industry in recent years. So most people including infants, children, people who are pregnant, and people aged 65 or over can now safely eat raw or lightly cooked hen eggs, or foods containing them if they have a British Lion mark or are produced under the Laid in Britain egg assurance scheme.
It should be noted that this advice does not extend to individuals who are severely immunocompromised requiring medically supervised diets prescribed by health professionals.
Hen eggs that are not Lion branded (or otherwise demonstrated to come from a vaccinated flock) and non-hen eggs such as duck, goose and quail eggs should always be cooked thoroughly.
Offal including parfait and pate
Offal including livers and kidneys are organs; unlike whole cuts of muscle meat such as steak, bacteria can be found throughout these offal products. Therefore, offal must be cooked thoroughly all the way through to ensure any bacteria present are killed.
For further guidance on cooking safely, please visit the food standards agency website.
Sushi, Sashimi and other raw fish products
For information on safe production of Sushi, Sashimi and other raw fish products click our guidance sheet below:-
Safe Production of Sushi, Sashimi and Other raw Fish Products
Oysters, Clams and Mussels
For information on handling of live oysters, clams and mussels at retail and catering outlets click our guidance sheet below:-
Handling of live oysters, clams and mussels at retail and catering outlets
Chutneys, pickles, jams and oils
For information on chutneys, pickles, jams, oils click our guidance sheet below:-
Chutneys, Pickles, oils & Jams
Dried, cured and smoked meats, fish and cheese
There is a wide array of meat, fish and cheese products that involve curing, drying or smoking. Some of these processes will be in addition to a thorough cooking process. Others will rely on different control measures such as water activity, pH or salt content to prohibit bacterial growth.
If your business is making products which rely on factors such salt content, water activity reduction or pH to control microbial growth, it is important that, before you serve the food, you have undertaken a HACCP plan and verified the critical control points. Use of a recipe from the internet or recipe book is not sufficient verification of a safe method.
The Guild of Fine Food have produced a Charcuterie Code of Practice, which provides lots of information on food safety for charcuterie producers: Charcuterie Code of Practice - Guild of Fine Food.