Unit 4 - Food preparation

4.5.1. Food hygiene and texture-modified diets

The need of formation on food safety

• Professionals have a responsibility to ensure that they serve food that is safe and free of contamination.

• Food safety, nutrition and food security are inextricably linked.

• Unsafe food creates a vicious cycle of disease and malnutrition, particularly affecting infants, young children, elderly and the sick.

• Hygienic preparation and serving of food is always paramount, but much more for those people suffering from dysphagia.

• Users of dysphagia diets may be considered as part as at-risk groups, as they include in many cases, fragile infants and elderly, malnourished individuals. They cannot tolerate even small levels of microbial contamination.

• Appropriate hygiene must be applied as necessary during all stages preceding the consumption of food to ensure that it is safe.

Food hygiene and texture-modified diets

Characteristics of texture-modified food which imply a higher hygienic risk vs convectional food.

• They are prepared using ingredients rich in nutrients for microbial growth

• High Aw values, which facilitates microbial growth

• They require from high manipulation

• It is difficult to maintain a safe temperature during processing and serving

(Source: https://www.istockphoto.com)

What should we do?

All the operations applied to prepare the food should take particular caution to prevent food-borne illness caused by biological, chemical, or physical hazards.

But pay attention!

• Contaminants cannot be seen with the naked eye. Many types of food contamination can cause illness without a change in appearance, odor, or taste of the food.

• Cross-contamination happens when germs are transferred from one food item to the other, usually from raw food to ready-to-eat foods, by contaminated hands, equipment, or utensils.