Filenews 6 February 2022 - by Rafaela Dimitriadi
Food poisoning, an infection that afflicts millions of people every year. And a phenomenon that occurs quite often in Cyprus, especially in times with high temperatures. Technological development has contributed to the vertical reduction of foodborne infections, which are caused by contaminated food or beverages, as the ways of processing and storing products have been greatly developed. The market, however, is vast and the products sold for consumption are infinite. The checks are usually carried out unannounced, stresses in the "F" the Deputy Head of Health Services, Herodotus Herodotou.
At the same time, Mr. Herodotou talks about everything that concerns the safety and hygiene of the food we consume. It refers to the culture of Cyprus in relation to the hygiene of food, but also to whether the operation of businesses in our country has been suspended, due to their non-compliance with hygiene rules. It indicates that the observance of hygiene and food safety by businesses is of no value if the consumers themselves do not exercise the necessary care at home.
- The responsibility of the Health Service is the proper control of food safety, something that is of interest to every consumer, as the consumption of food is a basic daily need of all. Can you explain the procedure you follow for the audit? What businesses do you supervise (restaurants, supermarkets, etc.)?
- Food businesses are controlled according to the nature of their operations and the risk of the food they manufacture and/or sell. The Health Service is responsible for monitoring the observance of food hygiene and safety in businesses manufacturing and/or distributing food of non-animal origin, in supermarkets, kiosks and other food retail outlets (except butcher shops), honey bottling plants, restaurants, take-aways, canteens and other mass catering units.
The checks are generally carried out unannounced, without any notice. The inspection frequency of each business is tailored to the data concerning each business separately, taking into account the nature of the food, the range of distribution, the history of the business, and other parameters based on a special code that we apply. It should also be noted that the uniformity of the controls is ensured through the Quality Management System ISO9001 that our Service implements.
The checks consist of both administrative checks and random checks. On-site inspections are carried out where the suitability and cleanliness of the equipment and premises, the proper clothing and hygiene of the food handlers, the proper storage and preparation of food, etc. are checked. It also checks the suitability of the standard procedure that the company adheres to either based on the HACCP system or on the basis of a code of good hygiene practice, depending on the size and nature of the business. The necessary documents that each company must keep in a register depending on its nature are checked, such as staff training forms in food hygiene, forms for recording food storage temperatures in refrigerators, forms of the program of measures against the appearance of rodents and insects, and others. Furthermore, whenever necessary, food samples are taken from the company which are submitted for laboratory examination to the General Chemical State Laboratory.
Samples can be taken both from the manufacturing or storage facilities and from the retail outlets. This ensures that the control covers both the conditions of manufacture and the conditions of storage, distribution and for sale of the food.
It should also be noted that some food businesses, depending on their nature, are required to periodically carry out a laboratory examination of the foods they either manufacture or distribute on their own.
- How is it checked in a restaurant / business that it complies with all food hygiene measures? Is there a check in the kitchens of the premises and whether the food is properly kept in their storage points?
- In food businesses, a specific number of integrated official controls are carried out each year, depending on the predetermined frequency calculated for each business separately, based on the risk assessment and the relevant code that we apply. Each integrated control includes all the points at each stage from the receipt of the product and the raw materials and packaging materials, up to the distribution of the final products. Therefore, during the integrated audit, everything relating to the hygiene, safety, quality and labelling of foodstuffs will be checked. In order for the controls to be uniform, each officer in each checklist completes a specific checklist.
In the midst of the integrated official controls, additional checks are carried out where necessary, mainly to determine whether the food business operator has complied with observations on deficiencies/omissions recorded during the integrated audit.
It should also be noted that large companies that apply complex HACCP systems (or other systems, based on HACCP) regularly receive a HACCP AUDIT.
- Do we have the right technology for the proper control of food in order to identify any risks in foods that are circulating in the Cyprus market?
- The Health Service has appropriate infrared thermometers and thermometers with pins, to control the temperature of the storage of food in refrigerators and the temperature of food up to their centre. These thermometers are continuously calibrated every year, so that they always give an accurate measurement. It also has equipment (swab tests) for on-site measurement of the microbial load on surfaces of food businesses that come into contact with food. More specialized tests are made by taking samples and presenting them to the General Chemical State Laboratory, where appropriate.
- When can a business eat a "yellow card" for not adhering to health protocols? Has a business in Cyprus ever been closed by the Health Service?
- During the inspection of a food business it is possible to observe some deficiencies / omissions. These can be of small, moderate or great importance. Where appropriate, where comments are not of great importance, the operator shall be given written notice and a repeat inspection shall be carried out after a period of a number of days or weeks, as the case may be. If no compliance is observed during the repeat inspection, a case file is prepared and after examination by the Head of the Service, an administrative fine of an amount proportional to the non-compliances is imposed on the person in charge of the company.
If the inspection reveals non-compliance of great importance, e.g. leakage of wastewater into the food preparation area, or serious infestation of the kitchen and food stocks by rodents, or illegal interference with food labelling, the suspension of the operation of the business is immediately ordered. The company remains out of operation for as long as necessary until the person in charge of the company has taken all the necessary remedial measures, to the satisfaction of the Health Service. The vast majority of food businesses in Cyprus adequately comply with food law. There are very few cases where it has been necessary to suspend the operation of a business.
- Do you receive complaints from citizens about "dirty" restaurants/businesses serving food?
- We are able to say that the culture in Cyprus in relation to hygiene and food safety has improved a lot compared to what prevailed 2-3 decades ago. However, there are still some cases of food businesses with recurrent shortages, or opportunistic businesses that do not fully comply, even with very little frequency. The primary concern of the Health Services in these cases is to help those in charge of these enterprises to improve the perception of food hygiene and safety. The punishment of imposing an administrative fine inevitably occurs when those individuals actually fail to improve their perception.
We receive complaints from citizens about inappropriate food or unsuitable food establishments every year, however this number is limited. The vast majority of complaints concern the detection of foreign bodies in food (such as small stones or small pieces of plastic) or isolated cases where food handlers do not exhibit the best behaviour and/or hygiene (for example they do not have a head covering, have an unclean work uniform, etc.). Complaints about the unsuitability of facilities are fewer and rarely concern very significant infringements.
- Is it checked what kind of food is sold in the Cypriot market?
- The risk assessment is also based on food sampling by food businesses. The Health Service implements every year an annual national food sampling program in cooperation with the General Chemical State Laboratory. Priority shall be given on the basis of the relevant up-to-date data, as well as on the basis of the parameters relating either to the health and safety of foodstuffs or to their quality and the likelihood of fraud. Food control covers the whole market. The controls are applied both at ports and airports during the import of food (including food raw materials and food packaging materials), as well as at manufacturing, packaging, retail and foodservice establishments and shops. In recent years, controls have been extended to distance selling, including online selling. Cyprus cooperates with the European Commission and other Member States to control the sale of food over the internet.
The criteria do not change with the seasons
- The summer of Cyprus is quite warm, does this provide for stricter controls and criteria for the hygiene and safety of food?
- It does not necessarily provide for stricter controls, but for more targeted controls and less or no flexibility. They target those foods that are microbiologically highly perishable, such as cold sandwiches, ready-made salads, cut fruits ready to eat, non-pasteurized freshly squeezed juices, and others. The frequency of both the sampling of such food from the points of sale for microbiological examinations by the SGL, as well as the official inspections of the companies that either manufacture or store such food, is increasing. The criteria for food hygiene and safety do not change in the summer! It's the same all day. The acceptable temperatures for the storage and preparation of food remain the same. What is changing is the possibility of failure in controlling the proliferation of microbes on and within food by food businesses. Because the ambient temperatures are very high during the summer, the time spent outside the refrigerator should be reduced or even avoided altogether, depending on the case. For example, in a restaurant that hosts buses with tourists, if he prepares several bowls of salad in advance in order to be able to serve his customers more quickly, he must have enough space in the refrigerators to keep them until exactly the moment they will be served. Another example is the distribution of cold sandwiches from kiosks and bakery stations. They should not be exposed for sale outside the refrigerator (usually next to the cashier, where customers will easily see them and therefore "easily" buy them...). It is not an excuse that they have just been prepared or that very little time they are out of the refrigerator and sold immediately.
Good practices in supermarkets and at home
As far as supermarkets are concerned, they must have the right temperatures to preserve food. At home, however, it is difficult to achieve this and especially during the summer months. What would you suggest people do.
Indeed, the observance of food hygiene and safety by food businesses is of no value if the consumers themselves do not also apply the necessary hygiene and attention.
The Health Service cooperates with the two consumer associations operating in Cyprus and offers them appropriate guidance. Within this framework, several times our Service has offered its officers for the conduct of relevant lectures to the members of these associations. It is very important that these two links in turn inform all their members and offer relevant guidance through social media.
Just some examples of good practices that citizens can follow are the following:
- When shopping, they should take the food stored in the refrigerator/freezer last. This minimizes the time of transporting such food to the house, where they are immediately placed in the refrigerator / freezer at the appropriate temperature.
- They check the temperature of their refrigerator with a suitable thermometer (without mercury) if it does not have a built-in thermometer. Periodically check whether the built-in thermometer shows an exact temperature. They often clean and maintain their refrigerators.
- They do not overfill the refrigerator (or parts of it) so that the cooling is evenly distributed.
- They avoid cross-contamination of raw foods with baked foods or ready-to-eat foods, inside the refrigerator. This presupposes the correct arrangement of food inside the refrigerator.
- Keep the food preparation stalls clean, washing them with liquid soap, and free from unrelated things. They use a different coloured clean board to cut raw meat or fish than that for cutting ready-to-eat foods (e.g. washed vegetables).
- Maintain a high level of hand hygiene.
