4 C’s Of Food Safety

According to the WHO, an estimated 600 million – almost 1 in 10 people in the world – fall ill after eating contaminated food and 420,000 die every year. Children under 5 years of age carry 40% of the foodborne disease burden, with 125,000 deaths every year (1).

Here, food safety training experts High Speed Training share tips to to help keep people safe by ensuring anyone handling food has the knowledge to uphold high standards of food hygiene.  

Dr. Richard Anderson, Learning Experience Director at High Speed Training, said: “Food safety is important to everyone, producers, food handlers, and consumers alike. Whether you are cooking at home for yourself and family or creating meals for others in a professional kitchen, all the food you prepare must be safe to eat to keep people safe from illness. 

“By understanding and implementing basic food safety practices, such as the 4Cs of food safety, we can keep our communities safe from preventable and avoidable health risks.”

What are the 4Cs of food safety?

The 4Cs of food safety are the four core elements of good food hygiene. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) notes that the 4Cs can be used to prevent the most common food safety problems. 

1. Cleaning: Regularly cleaning hands, high-touch surfaces, and equipment helps prevent the spread of harmful bacteria. While detergents remove grease and dirt, disinfectants and two-stage sanitisers are required to actually destroy invisible pathogens.

Dr Anderson continues: “Inadequate cleaning practices are one of the most common reasons why food businesses are prosecuted, and so the importance of thoroughly ensuring cleanliness must not be underestimated, not only in food establishments, but in home kitchens as well.”

2. Cooking: Thoroughly cooking food kills harmful bacteria whilst undercooked food can cause food poisoning. Whilst 70°C for 2 minutes is the standard advice, other time and temperature combinations will successfully kill harmful bacteria.

Dr Anderson states: “Regardless of which method you use to cook food, you must ensure that your food is cooked completely before serving, all cooking environments are kept clean as mentioned above, food is piping hot all the way through and kept out of the temperature danger zone. If you are reheating food, ensure that it is heated properly until steaming.

3. Chilling: Properly chilling food stops harmful bacteria from growing. Food should be kept out of the temperature danger zone to ensure that it is safe to eat. The two main ways to chill food are by freezing it or putting it in the fridge. 

Dr Anderson adds: “The FSA notes that generally, the colder the temperature, the slower bacteria will grow, however that doesn’t necessarily mean that it will stop bacteria from growing altogether. So whilst chilling food will not kill bacteria, it does prevent the normal growth of any bacteria that may be present and delay the deterioration of food.”

4. Cross-contamination: Cross-contamination occurs when bacteria spreads between food, surfaces or equipment. It can have incredibly harmful consequences, it is not solely bacteria that can be spread via cross-contamination. Contamination can also occur when allergens spread from one food to another, this is known as allergenic contamination of food.

Dr Anderson says: “One of the most likely ways for cross-contamination to occur is when raw food, such as raw meat, comes into contact with ready-to-eat food, such as a salad. Bacteria from the meat can spread to the salad, potentially causing food poisoning.

“To avoid cross-contamination, always keep raw food covered, store raw food separately from ready-to-eat foods, regularly wash your hands, especially after handling raw meat, fish, and poultry, and use different chopping boards for raw and cooked food.”

For more tips and in-depth guidance, visit the High Speed Training Hub, or our article: The 4Cs of Food Safety