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Vegetarian guide to food hygiene

Introduction

If you are a vegetarian, owner of a vegetarian food business, or someone who works in a vegetarian food business, then this page is for you!

The idea of food poisoning associated with vegetarian food may never have crossed your mind. But hold on! Food poisoning is not only associated with meat and meat products. The increasing range of foods now available to consumers, and the added demand for reduced reliance on chemical fertilizers and pesticides, means that every food handler at home and at work now has a major part to play in reducing the risks of food poisoning.

This page does not go into great depth about the whys and wherefores of food hygiene and food poisoning. Visit other pages in www.rbkc.gov.uk/foodhygieneandstandards.

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Are your ingredients safe?

High-risk foods, which require little or no further preparation or treatment, provide the ideal breading ground for various bacteria that can make one or a number of individuals ill. This may include a range of vegetarian ingredients. For example:

  • Rice
  • Tofu
  • Sprouting beans
  • Fresh fruits
  • Vegetables
  • Eggs
  • Dairy products
  • Lentils
  • Herbs
  • Melons and squash
  • Lettuce
  • Soft fruits
  • Coconuts
  • Fruit juices
  • Nuts

All the above have been implicated with food poisoning outbreaks in the UK, Europe and America.

There are some people who have allergic reactions to foods such as nuts (and nut oils), dairy products, eggs, colourings and preservatives.

Food poisoning bacteria

The most common kind of food poisoning is due to bacteria. In order to survive and multiply food poisoning bacteria require:

  • food
  • water or moisture
  • warmth or temperature
  • time

Bacteria, given the right conditions can :

  • be transferred to and from food contact surfaces (such as equipment or hands) that have not been cleaned and disinfected thoroughly.
  • transfer from raw food to ready-to-eat foods by direct contact and spillage.
  • grow and multiply at room temperature or in a fridge.
  • survive inadequate cooking.
  • lie dormant in a freezer.

Food poisoning bacteria that have been associated with vegetarian food items include examples such as:

  • Salmonella: eggs, sprouting beans, coconuts.
  • Bacillus cereus: rice, cereal products, cheese products.
  • Clostridium botulinum: fresh yoghurt purees, tinned vegetables, honey.
  • Clostridium perfringens: beans and raw unpeeled vegetables.
  • E.coli: vegetable and salad crops in contact with raw sewage or untreated slurry, fresh, unpasteurised fruit juices.
  • Listeria monocytogenes: soft cheeses, ice cream, vegetables.
  • Staphylococcus aureus: dairy products, eggs.

The reasons? Mainly due to cross-contamination, inadequate chilling, improper cooking, and a lack of effective cleaning together with disinfection.

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Cross-contamination

The growth in demand for organically produced food means those chemicals are no longer used for fertilizers or pesticides. Instead crops and produce may come in contact with:

  • contaminated water,
  • contaminated manure or sewage which are used for fertilizers
  • faeces from birds and pests.

In a food premises and at home contamination may occur following direct or indirect contact with:

  • pests and pets
  • contaminated food contact surfaces
  • items of equipment use for meat preparation
  • other contaminated foods
  • infected food handlers
  • dirty hands

Chilling and freezing

Some bacteria will multiply very slowly in a fridge. However, chilling will not kill food poisoning bacteria. The shelf life of food in a fridge will be extended only by a few days. In a freezer bacteria do not die, instead they lie dormant.

Listed below are a few tips about effective chilling of food:

  • Observe the "use by" date on packaged or wrapped foods that are to be chilled.
  • Never put hot food in a fridge. Cool it within 2 hours before putting in a fridge.
  • Use chilled cooked foods as quickly as possible.
  • Do not overfill a fridge - allow for air circulation.
  • Store food at 8°C or below.
  • Purchase a probe thermometer or alcohol based thermometer

If you have a freezer:

  • Observe the "use by" date on packaged or wrapped foods that are to be frozen.
  • Never put hot food in a freezer. Cool it within 2 hours before putting it in a freezer.
  • Label frozen food packaging with date of purchase and date of consumption.
  • Store food at -18°C or below
  • Defrost frozen food according to suppliers' instructions
  • Cook thawed food within 24 hours and throw away leftovers.

Cooking
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Proper, even and thorough cooking will kill harmful bacteria in food. Inadequately cooked foods may mean that some bacteria survive the cooking process to multiply and contaminate surfaces. Ensure that :

  • Hot food is kept hot above 63°C.
  • Reheating food (if you must) is done only once to at least 82°C.
  • Suppliers cooking instructions are followed.
  • Food is cooked to as near to time of service as possible.
  • Stir food in during microwave cooking and let "stand" as instructed by the producer.
  • Cooked foods are served immediately.

Cleaning

Effective cleaning will remove dirt and grease. It will also help prevent the spread of bacteria. Some, but not all, bacteria will be removed when food debris is cleared away. Detergents will help to break up oils released from foods so that they can be flushed down the plug hole. Detergents do not kill bacteria. To ensure that bacteria are reduced to a safe level use disinfectants in accordance with manufactures' instructions.

Important areas for cleaning and disinfection include all food contact and all hand contact surfaces. These need to be cleaned and disinfected before and after use.

Do not forget to clean and disinfect the cleaning and disinfecting equipment too. This includes sinks, wash hand basins, mops, buckets, cloths, taps, brushes, etc. Adopt "a clean as you go" policy rather than letting food debris accumulate.

Do you own or work in a vegetarian food business?

If you own or work in a food business then you will need to comply with:

  • Food Safety Act 1990
  • EC Regulation 852/2004

In addition, you will need to:

  • Prepare and implement a food safety management procedure based on Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP)
  • Ensure that you and your colleagues have received suitable food hygiene training and that the training is put into practice
  • Understand the importance of temperature control and storage
  • Follow suppliers instructions concerning storage, chilling, freezing, thawing, cooking and stock rotation
  • Know about the correct use of cleaning agents and disinfectants
  • Develop a food safety culture in the business

If you have a salad bar:

  • Ensure that there is a sneeze screen
  • Provide separate utensils for each type of salad
  • Do not put salads on display too far in advance of opening
  • Store at 8°C or below
  • Remove any old salad items and their containers before replenishing
  • Use pasteurised egg in mayonnaise
  • Provide customers with clean plates if they require second helpings
  • Remove and dispose of any unused salads within 2 hours of display

Read the Industry Guides to Good Hygiene Practice for the Food Safety (General Food Hygiene) Regulations 1995. Your local authority environmental health department will be able to provide you with further information about these and other matters relating to good food hygiene practice.

Your local authority environmental health department will be able to provide you with further information about these and other matters relating to good food hygiene practice.

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General advice for vegetarian food handling

  • Purchase food from reputable suppliers
  • Discard food with old "use by dates"
  • Keep raw foods away from food preparation areas
  • Wash all fruit and vegetables under running water
  • Peel vegetables and fruits where possible
  • Read and follow instructions on packaging
  • Remove excess water from foods
  • Don't sample unpasteurised egg mixes such as cake mix with raw egg
  • Purchase food as near to time of preparation as possible
  • Cook foods to as near to time of service as possible
  • Do not re-freeze thawed foods
  • Keep hot food hot (above 63°C)
  • Cool cooked foods in shallow containers (no more than 75 mm in depth)
  • Keep cold food cold (below 1 to 5°C)
  • Keep frozen foods below (-18°C)

In addition, hand washing before and after handling foods, work equipment, dustbins, touching hair, face and pets, etc is vital. Use warm water and a liquid soap. Hand washing will only be effective if it lasts for more than 20 seconds. Use a paper towel for hand drying.

If you have diarrhoea, vomiting, or infectious disease do not handle food. It is important that you reduce the risk of making others ill by contaminating food with whatever it is that you have that is making you ill. Food handlers in a food business must report to their supervisor if they have any of these symptoms. Domestic food handlers should stay away from food contact. Do not go back to handling food for others until you have medical clearance. Use a waterproof dressing if you have a cut or abrasions.

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