Q: Is it my responsibility to train staff about food contamination?

<p>The Food Standards Agency states that &lsquo;an staff handling food are supervised, instructed and trained in food hygiene&rsquo; and &lsquo;have relevant training for the job&rsquo;.</p>

Question 1

What are the major food allergens?

Accepted Answer

The major food allergens are as follows:

Cereals containing gluten such as wheat, rye, barley, oats or spelt
Crustaceans
Eggs
Fish
Peanuts
Soya
Milk
Nuts
Celery (including celeriac)
Mustard
Sesame seeds
Sulphur dioxide
Lupin
Molluscs

Question 2

What type of allergic reactions can a person have?

Accepted Answer

There are 2 classes of allergic reactions, minor and major.

Minor allergic reactions can give you these symptoms:

Sneezing, runny, blocked or itchy nose
A rash (sometimes hives), or cracked skin
Red, itchy and sore eyes
Wheezing, coughing, tight chest
Swollen lips, tongue, eyes, face
Vomiting or diarrhoea

Major allergic reactions - anaphylaxis - can give you these symptoms:

Swelling of throat or mouth
Struggling to breathe
Blue lips
Collapsing from loss of consciousness
Confusion

If any of the major symptoms are being exhibited, you should: use an adrenaline injector if they have one, then call 999 immediately.

Question 3

What do you do if you think you're having an allergic reaction?

Accepted Answer

If you are experiencing a minor allergic reaction, you will most likely have to wait for it to pass or take something like an antihistamine.

Major allergic reactions can result in loss of consciousness, respiratory or cardiac arrest. If they have an EpiPen, it must be administered. Even if they do have an EpiPen and it has been administered, emergency services must be called if someone is experiencing the symptoms of a major allergic reaction.

Question 4

Why is it important for us to use different utensils for different foods?

Accepted Answer

You should always use clean workspaces and utensils when preparing different types of food to avoid cross-contamination. Here are some tips to prevent cross-contamination with food:

Always wash hands before preparing food
Colour coded chopping boards can be used to differentiate between different food groups but specifically useful for raw and ready to eat foods.
Like above, different utensils should be used for different food groups too and both should be thoroughly washed after use.
Chopping boards should not be overused and regularly replaced due to the deep grooves that can occur and store bacteria
Clean surfaces regularly
Wash fruit and vegetables
Do not wear jewellery and watches as they can collect bacteria

Question 5

What is cross-contact and cross-contamination?

Accepted Answer

Cross-contact - is when one food with an allergen touches another food and the allergen contamination this one. For example, if you put cheese on a burger, the burger patty now can contain the milk protein allergen in cheese.

Cross-contamination - is when a harmful bacteria is accidentally transferred from one food to another. This does not usually happen with food allergens but with bacteria such as E Coli.

Question 6

Where do I find allergen information on labels?

Accepted Answer

Allergens in food can be found on the list of ingredients label on food packaging. Ingredients that are allergens can be noticed by being in bold, contrasting colours or underlines.

Question 7

Is it my responsibility to train staff about food contamination?

Accepted Answer

The Food Standards Agency states that ‘an staff handling food are supervised, instructed and trained in food hygiene’ and ‘have relevant training for the job’.

Question 8

Is an allergy the same as an intolerance?

Accepted Answer

An intolerance is a difficulty digesting certain foods which follows with a physical reaction to them. Some of the symptoms of an intolerance is bloating, wind, diarrhoea or skin irritation.

An intolerance doesn't involve your immune system (like allergies do) and has slower onset symptoms than allergies. Food allergies can be more serious and sometimes life-threatening whereas intolerances are not

Question 9

Is there a cure for food allergies?

Accepted Answer

Although there are tests happening to try and cure this, at the moment there are no cures for food allergies. There are treatments for allergies but no preventative measures.

Food Allergens

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Frequently asked questions

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The HACCP System: Simplified

14 Major Food Allergens