Food safety

UNDERSTANDING YOUR FOOD<br /> the ultimate educational resource<br /> TEACHER NOTES<br /> <br /> teachers’ notes SR1.1<br /> SR1. A recipe for disaster<br /> This is a text-based activity.<br /> The fictitious situation aims to highlight some of the errors,<br /> misconceptions and mistakes that people may make when preparing<br /> food. The pupils are asked to identify mistakes and explain the<br /> dangers. The meeting could be acted out by pupils.<br /> Some of the errors include:<br /> Joy- will prepare food whilst having a cough and cold; thus possibly<br /> transmitting bacteria by droplet infection. Individuals suffering such<br /> symptoms should not be allowed to prepare food.<br /> Gill- has purchased dented and slightly damaged cans and foods just<br /> out of date. It is possible that dented or damaged cans may have allowed<br /> the entry of air containing microbes and, as such, the process of decay<br /> may have begun. Date marking on products can be confusing (see<br /> margin box).<br /> Rahat- has purchased eggs with cracked shells and intends to use these<br /> in dishes that will be eaten raw; raw eggs sometimes contain bacteria<br /> that cause food poisoning. These bacteria can only be killed by thorough<br /> cooking. Eggs with cracked shells are particularly susceptible to<br /> bacterial invasion.<br /> Anil- intends to cook some foods well before the start of the event and<br /> store them at room temperature for some time before consumption.<br /> Room temperature provides ideal conditions for microbial growth, thus<br /> leaving food in these conditions may result in a massive rise in bacterial<br /> numbers and result in food poisoning.<br /> Liz- will stack the dirty dishes from the first course next to clean crockery,<br /> cutlery and raw fruit; cooked leftovers will provide suitable breeding grounds<br /> for microbes. If waste food is left near raw food for any length of time there<br /> is the possibility of cross infection. There is one sink in the kitchen; ideally<br /> there should be a separate sink for general washing of hands as opposed to<br /> washing of food and utensils.<br /> KS3/4<br /> science or food technology<br /> Timing - various<br /> A possible homework exercise if<br /> food safety has already been<br /> discussed; a discussion activity if<br /> food safety has not been covered.<br /> Pupil activity sheet SR1 accompanies<br /> this activity.<br /> A ‘Use by’ date is marked on highly<br /> perishable foods, i.e. those foods<br /> which will go ‘off ’ quickly. Keeping<br /> and eating the food beyond theUse<br /> bydate could be a health risk.<br /> However, it is possible to extend the<br /> ‘eat by’ of some foods by cooking or<br /> freezing the food once at home, e.g.<br /> freezing fresh meat.<br /> Most foods are less perishable and<br /> carry a ‘Best before’ date. When<br /> this date has passed it does not<br /> mean that the food has suddenly<br /> become unfit for consumption.<br /> It means that the food may no longer<br /> be at its very best. It is important to<br /> remember that date marking is often<br /> accompanied by storage instructions<br /> and these should be followed<br /> carefully since non compliance may<br /> affect the quality<br /> and eating life of the product. The<br /> MAFF booklet ‘Understanding food<br /> labels’, number 3 in the Food Sense<br /> series, is very useful.<br /> Anil- the desserts will be stored in the refrigerator on a shelf below the raw<br /> meat intended for a later event; there is great potential here for cross<br /> contamination between raw and cooked foods. This is enhanced with the<br /> possibility of blood/juices from the raw meat dripping onto the cooked<br /> food. Raw meat should always be carefully wrapped and storedbelow<br /> other foods. In shops and restaurants, cooked and raw products should<br /> not be stored together. Recommendations suggest that, where possible,<br /> raw and cooked food should be served by different assistants.<br /> Rahat- intends to put food onto the tables more than 3 hours before it will<br /> be eaten; only some of the food will be covered. 3 hours is the absolute<br /> maximum that food should be left in this type of situation before<br /> consumption; storage at low temperatures is desirable. The delay<br /> between production and consumption only allows for the growth of<br /> microbes. All food, even raw salad, should be adequately covered to<br /> prevent flies, etc. landing on the food.<br /> 7<br /> 7<br /> <br /> pupil activity SR1 A RECIPE FOR DISASTER<br /> The social events committee at the local school are meeting to plan an important<br /> social event in the school calendar. They have the responsibility of organising the<br /> Summer fete and buffet lunch at which many pupils, teachers, parents and governors<br /> will be present. You have decided to go and listen in on the conversation of their final<br /> meeting the day before the lunch.<br /> José:Right everyone. Are we ready to start the meeting?<br /> Anil:Yes! I think everyone is here!<br /> Liz: Joy isn’t here! She’s coughing and sneezing all over the place! But don’t worry, nothing will<br /> keep her away from helping us tomorrow no matter how sick she feels!<br /> José:It’s better for her to be here tomorrow than at this meeting. We can do this business without<br /> her. Now Gill, how are you and Rahat getting on with the shopping?<br /> Gill:Well, I know we are on a tight budget for this event. I’m a good shopper and I can spot the<br /> bargains. I managed to buy a lot of food by choosing the dented and slightly damaged<br /> canned foods which were on a special shelf at the supermarket.<br /> Rahat:Yes, and I saved money by buying the eggs at half price because some of the shells were<br /> cracked. It doesn’t matter about the shells because we’re going to make mayonnaise from<br /> the eggs.<br /> Gill:I also bought some foods that were just out of date and so were cheaper. I checked them by<br /> smelling them and looking at them. They seemed fine.<br /> José:All sounds good to me! Anil have you finalised the menu yet?<br /> Anil:We’re almost there. We’re definitely having those cooked chicken pieces. They always go<br /> down well. Because the kitchen is so small and we only have one oven, I’m going to cook the<br /> chicken, sausage rolls, quiches, etc. first thing in the morning and put them out of everyone’s<br /> way on that top shelf above the door.<br /> Liz: Yes, space is a bit of a problem. As the dirty dishes accumulate, they will have be stacked<br /> next to the crockery, cutlery and fruit that’s waiting to go out with the puddings. That way the<br /> one sink will still be free for all the other uses.<br /> José:How are the puddings coming along then?<br /> Anil:That’s quite easy. All of them are going to be cold and they’re going to stay in the big fridge in<br /> the corner after they’re prepared until there’s enough space to move them. There’s only just<br /> enough room. The day after the buffet lunch, someone else is organising a barbecue. I’ve<br /> told them they can put their meat, etc. on the top two shelves in the fridge after they’ve done<br /> their shopping today. That leaves all the lower part for our desserts.<br /> José:Aren’t we all going to miss out on the entertainments if we’re having to put food out?<br /> Rahat:No, we’ve thought about that. We can get into the dining room about three hours before<br /> we’re due to eat. Almost everything can be put out on the tables then. Don’t worry, we’ve got<br /> a few large paper tablecloths that can cover it all except the salads - but they don’t really need<br /> covering.<br /> José:Good! It sounds like it’s a recipe for a really enjoyable day. Well done everyone!!<br /> You are very worried by what you have heard. It sounds much more like a recipe for<br /> a disaster than for a successful event. You feel you must talk to the committee and<br /> point out and explain all the ways in which you think they will really be cooking up a<br /> danger to everyone’s health.