Food Safety is gaining wide predominance in the region. HACCP certification has become mandatory for four and five star hotels and food manufacturing premises. Individual municipalities of the UAE have come out with different programs to not only create awareness about food safety but train stakeholders, bring out stringent regulations and take violators to task. Hotels and food manufacturing premises carry a huge responsibility towards public health and safety and the first step to achieve this is the HACCP certification. Clean Middle East is doing its bit by inviting questions from hygiene officers on matters of HACCP and food safety and asking eminent experts like Abdul Rashid, director and general manager of The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) and Richard Sprenger, chairman of Highfield.co.uk to answer them.

We started this Q&A series in March last year and continue in this issue with questions posed by Brijesh Mishra, Executive Chef, Ramee Royal Hotel.

Brijesh Mishra: Does radioactive food look different? Why is it dangerous? How much radioactive material is permitted in foods?

Abdul Rashid: Radioactive contamination of food can happen in three ways - direct contamination; indirect contamination and induced activation (made radioactive). Direct contamination occurs when radioactive materials collect on plants animals and stored food following incidents such as that in Japan recently. Indirect contamination occurs throughout the food chain as plants, animals and fish take in radioactive materials. Induced activation involves food products that are exposed to neutrons (such as a nuclear explosion) and components of the food become radioactive. Foods which have been exposed to radiation do not look visibly different.

Such foods are dangerous because if consumed the radioactive materials such as Caesium 137 effects our DNA, causing genetic mutations and the risk of cancer in the body is increased. Local standards dictate the amount of radioactive materials permissible in food; the UAE allows 600 becquerels/Kg in food, of Caesium 137.

Municipal authorities responsible for controlling imported food items are on high alert and increase checks after incidents such as the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Suppliers should also be more vigilant to ensure that they do not source and import foods from areas around the world that may be affected after such incidents. Joint actions by suppliers and Food Control Departments will prevent radioactive food from entering the market, thereby safeguarding the health of consumers.

Richard Sprenger: Radioactive food doesn’t look different so cannot be detected visually. It is dangerous because radioactive material, such as Caesium 137 damages the DNA in our bodies and can cause genetic mutation in animals and humans if eaten in unacceptable amounts. It may also cause cancer and deformities in developing babies. The levels of radiation are measured in becquerels and the maximum allowed in the UAE for Caesium 137 is 600 becquerels per kilogram of food. (This level can be increased in the event of a nuclear incident and a shortage of food). Contaminated food as a result of the Chernobyl disaster in the Ukraine 25 years is still being seized and destroyed. The latest consignment to be dealt with in the UK was a ton of mushrooms which had 6000 becquerels of radioactivity.

Further information about radioactivity and food is available on http://www.fda.gov/newsevents/publichealthfocus/ucm247403.htm

What are three safe ways to defrost meat safely? How long is it safe to keep a turkey, or other meat or poultry product, in the freezer?

Abdul Rashid: When thawing frozen food, it’s best to plan ahead and thaw in the refrigerator where it will remain at a safe, constant temperature 8ËšC or below. There are three safe ways to thaw food: in the refrigerator, in cold water, and in the microwave.

Refrigerator thawing

Planning ahead is the key to this method because of the lengthy time involved. A large frozen item like a turkey requires at least a day (24 hours) for every five pounds of weight. Even small amounts of frozen food — such as a pound of ground meat or boneless chicken breasts — require a full day to thaw. When thawing foods in the refrigerator, there are variables to take into account.

• Some areas of the appliance may keep food colder than other areas.
• Food will take longer to thaw in a refrigerator set at 2ËšC than one set at 5ËšC.

After thawing in the refrigerator, items such as ground meat, stew meat, poultry, seafood, may remain safe and good quality for an additional day, if stored in a chiller. However, it is strongly advised to cook on the same day.

Cold water thawing

This method is faster than refrigerator thawing but requires more attention. The food must be in a leak-proof package or plastic bag. If the bag leaks, bacteria from the air or surrounding environment could be introduced into the food. Also, the meat tissue may absorb water, resulting in a watery product.

The bag should be submerged in cold tap water, changing the water every 30 minutes so it continues to thaw. Small packages of meat, poultry or seafood up to half a kilogram — may thaw in an hour or less. A 1kg package may take 2 to 3 hours. For whole turkeys, estimate about I hour for each kilogram of weight. When thawed completely, the food must be cooked immediately.

Microwave thawing

When thawing food in a microwave, plan to cook it immediately after thawing because some areas of the food may become warm and begin to cook during the thawing process (bringing the food to “Danger Zone” temperatures). Holding partially cooked food is not recommended because any bacteria present wouldn’t have been destroyed and, indeed, the food may have reached optimal temperatures for bacteria to grow.

After thawing in the microwave, always cook immediately after, whether microwave cooking, by conventional oven, or grilling.

The length of storage of frozen products must be based on the applicable shelf life standards issued by the local Food Control Authority.

When thawing frozen food, it’s best to plan ahead and thaw in the refrigerator where it will remain at a safe, constant temperature 8degC or below. There are three safe ways to thaw food: in the refrigerator, in cold water, and in the microwave.

Richard Sprenger: When defrosting cooked meat or poultry I would always recommend defrosting in a refrigerator as high-risk food should not be kept at temperatures above 5ËšC for longer than necessary. Any cooked/high-risk food must be defrosted entirely separate from any raw meat/vegetables to prevent cross contamination.

However, with frozen poultry and large joints of meat the greatest risk of food poisoning is failure to defrost the meat completely, prior to cooking. So if you need to defrost raw food quickly and you cannot increase the normal cooking time then it would not be safe to use the refrigerator.

The safest way to defrost raw meat is in a thawing cabinet used solely for defrosting raw meat. You could also use a refrigerator at around 10ËšC and used solely for defrosting raw meat.

If you use a refrigerator that is also used for the storage of raw meat, the temperature of the refrigerator could be around 1ËšC so you will need to plan effectively and allow sufficient time to ensure the meat is thawed completely before cooking. The time taken to defrost varies considerably depending on the size and weight of the bird or the joint of meat as well as the temperature of the refrigerator.

Some people use general purpose refrigerators for defrosting poultry. General purpose refrigerators run at a temperature of around 4ËšC but, if you do not plan properly there still may not be enough time to defrost the bird completely and there is a significant risk of cross contamination.

It is possible to use a microwave oven but there is a risk of parts of the bird starting to cook whilst other parts are still frozen. If you are using a microwave you must follow the manufacturers’ instructions and I would suggest cooking as soon as the bird is thawed.

If you have dedicated raw meat areas and large sinks you could use slow running water, but you should ensure that the surface temperature of the bird is not above 15ËšC for a prolonged length of time

You could thaw at room temperature (20ËšC) but again the bird would need cooking or refrigerating as soon as it is thawed. If you refrigerate after thawing you should cook within 24 hours. It is perfectly safe to thaw at 20ËšC as the external surface is very unlikely to exceed 15ËšC and this surfaces will receive the highest temperatures during cooking which will destroy any salmonella or campylobacter etc., that may be present. Heat resistant toxins are very unlikely to be produced because of competition from faster growing bacteria and the time/temperature combination (See www.hi-tm.com - thawing at ambient temperature on the counter)

In the USA, the USDA advises that cooking an unstuffed turkey from frozen, is safe if you follow the correct procedure. Obviously this involves cooking for a longer time and checking the temperature of the cooked bird with an accurate probe thermometer. (http://origin-www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Turkey_Alt_Routes/index.asp#8)

A frozen turkey should be stored in accordance with the date on the packaging. Birds that have been frozen commercially can be stored for up to a year provided the temperature is at -18C or below. However, this is a quality issue not a safety issue. The lowest temperature for the multiplication of pathogens is – 2C although storage at temperatures between -2C and -15C will result in quality problems and premature spoilage.