Sunday, December 5, 2010

What happens when the cold chain is broken?

The concept of cold chain is a principle that a hygiene product is cooled and maintained at a low temperature to be maintained. This channel mainly for food, but it is also important for some pharmaceutical products like vaccines.

Cold chain: what is it?

The cold chain represents the different stages (packaging, transport, storage) designed to keep foods below a certain temperature. 

The fact of refrigerated foods is used to prevent bacterial growth but also to preserve the qualities of taste of the food.

Frozen products are monitored during all stages of the cold chain to be sure that you can safely consume these foods.

The frozen food should be stored at a temperature of at least -12 ° C.

Note : The ice cream and should be stored at a temperature of at least -18 ° C.

In your refrigerator, all food does not keep the same temperature.

- Dairy products, butter, dairy desserts: up to + 8 ° C;

- Sausages, meats, products containing cream (pastry), cut cheeses, products made from raw milk: up to + 4 ° C;

- Fish and shellfish: from 0 to 2 ° C.

Out of the cold chain: danger

A break in the cold chain is when the food product is exposed to higher temperatures than those intended.

This breaking then generates a development fast bacteria. The life of the food is shortened.

When food is thawed, it is especially important not refreeze. Indeed, this process can be very dangerous for health. Some germs such as salmonella, staphylococcus and listeria can then develop. 

If ingested, these germs can cause food poisoning. People with low immune systems (babies, pregnant women, sick or elderly) may die.

How to limit the risk to food

To limit the risks to health, start by reading food labels carefully and comply with their expiry dates.
To avoid breaking the cold chain, some rules can simply be applied:

- Wrap food in aluminum foil or plastic wrap so that there is no contact between cooked and raw foods;

- Do not go too long refrigerated foods in your refrigerator;

- Monitor the status of your freezer;

- Do not refreeze thawed food;

- Consciously close the doors of the refrigerator and freezer.

1 comment:

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