Biological hazards in food safety

Foods can be contaminated by physical, chemical and biological hazards. Biological hazards include bacterial, viral and parasitic microorganisms.

Bacterial pathogens comprise the majority of confirmed foodborne disease outbreaks and cases.

Examples of these type hazards include such organisms as E. coli 0157:H7, Salmonella, Clostridium botulinum and Listeria monocytogenes.

It is generally biological hazard that pose the greatest immediate food safety threat to the consumer.

For example, the ability of food poisoning bacteria to cause large outbreaks of acute illness within a short time is a threat with which most food businesses are likely to have to contend.

Biological hazards seem to have a more notorious impact on public opinion than physical or chemical risks, probably because biological risks are more frequently reported and normally affect to a certain extent a large number of consumers.

It is difficult to avoid microorganism because they are everywhere. However, most biological hazards are inactivated or killed by adequate cooking and/or their numbers are kept to a minimum by sufficient cooling.
Biological hazards in food safety