What are physical hazards?  
 

Physical Hazards in Food   

• cuts to the mouth or throat

• damage to the intestine

• damage to teeth or gums

What are some common physical hazards?

The main types of physical hazards in food include:

• Glass: common sources found in food processing facilities are light bulbs, glass containers and glass food containers. 
  
  

• Metal: common sources of metal include metal from equipment such as splinters, blades, broken needles, fragments from worn utensils, staples, etc.
   

• What are Physical Hazards
   
• What are Some Common Physical Hazards?
   
• How are Physical Hazards Classified?
   
• How to Develop an Effective Physical Hazard Plan for Your Facility
   
• Are There Acceptable Levels of Physical Hazards in Food Products?
   
• How can Common Physical Hazards be Prevented?

• How are Physical Hazards Detected and Eliminated?
   
• References

• Plastics: common sources of soft and hard plastics include material used for packaging, gloves worn by food handlers, utensils used for cleaning equipment or from tools used to remove processed food from equipment.
   
• Stones: field crops, such as peas and beans, are most likely to contain small stones picked up during harvesting. Concrete structures and floors in food processing facilities can also be a source of small stones.
   
• Wood: common sources of wood come from wood structures and wooden pallets used to store or transport ingredients or food products.

How are physical hazards classified?

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) defines three classes of physical hazards depending on their likelihood and the severity of the consequences:

• Category I (high likelihood)

• Category II (moderate likelihood)

• Category III (low risk

The agency also rates the likelihood of occurrence based on the level of control that a food processor has to eliminate the risk:
 

Every food process has its own specific and potential hazards. Evaluation of the type of product, the intended market for the product and other factors need to be considered to determine the risk category for a possible physical hazard.
 

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How to develop an effective physical hazards plan for your facility

To develop an effective physical hazard identification program, processors need to collect detailed information for every step of every food process in the facility. Information on potential physical hazards can be obtained by closely observing each process during all phases of its operation. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) developed a Reference Database for Hazard Identification that contains valuable reference information for food processors. A new version of database is currently under revision and will be available soon. For more information on the database contact the Manitoba CFIA office at 204-983-2200 in Winnipeg.

Are there acceptable limits of physical hazards in food products?

The acceptable Canadian levels or limits of foreign materials in a food product vary from industry to industry and from product to product. The CFIA recommends consulting the Food and Drugs Regulations for specifications on allowable materials in different food products. For more information call at (613) 957-0360 in Ottawa, toll free 1-866-225-0709. 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) established U.S. guidelines on hard and sharp objects in foods. This document provides information on classification of hard and sharp objects, possible consumer injuries, sources of physical hazards, control measures, etc. Information from this document can be useful as a reference for your process.  For instance:

• Hard or sharp objects of seven to twenty-five millimeters in length represent a potential physical hazard in food.
   

• Hard or sharp natural components in food (ex: shells in nut products) represent a physical hazard that causes injury if consumers do not know that they are a natural food component.
   

• When natural hard or sharp hazards are normally removed from foods, but are done improperly such as pit fragments in pitted cherries. 

For more information call at: 1-888-INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332).

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How can common physical hazards be prevented?

There are many ways food processors can prevent physical hazards in food products, including:
 

• Inspect raw materials and food ingredients for field contaminants (ex: stones in cereals) that were not found during the initial receiving process.
   

• Follow good storage practices and evaluate potential risks in storage areas (ex: sources of breakable glass such as light bulbs, staples from cartons, etc.) and use protective acrylic bulbs or lamp covers.     
   

• Develop specifications and controls for all ingredients and components, including raw materials and packaging materials. Specifications should contain standards for evaluating acceptability of ingredients or packaging materials (ex: recycled cardboard used for packaging sometimes contains traces of metals that can be detected by metal detectors. A limit for metal detection should be established to avoid false positive detection of metal in food).
   

• Set up an effective detection and elimination system for physical hazards in your facility (ex: metal detectors or magnets to detect metal fragments in the production line, filters or screens to remove foreign objects at the receiving point).
   

• Properly and regularly maintain the equipment in your facility to avoid sources of physical hazards such as foreign materials that can come from worn out equipment.
   

• Periodic employee training on shipping, receiving, storing, handling, equipment maintenance and calibration will also help prevent physical hazards from being introduced into food products.

How are physical hazards detected and eliminated?

There are several methods available to detect foreign bodies in food on processing production lines:

• Metal detectors will detect metal in food products. They should be set up to reject products from the food production line if metal is detected. Proper maintenance should be given to this equipment to ensure they are always accurate and don’t produce false positives.
   

• Magnets can be used with metal detectors on food production lines to attract and remove metal from products.  
   

• X-Ray machines can be used on food production lines to identify hazards such as stones, bones and hard plastics, as well as metal.
   

• Food radar systems transmit low-power microwaves through food products to identify foreign bodies such as metals, plastics, bones, kernels and organic materials in food on production lines.
   

References

Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)

US, Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Olsen, A.R. (1998). Regulatory action criteria for filth and other extraneous materials. Review of hard or sharp foreign objects as physical hazards in food. Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology, 28, 181-189.
 

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For information on the Food Safety Program contact the CVO/Food Safety Knowledge Centre.  For technical information, call 204-795-7968 in Winnipeg; or e-mail foodsafety@gov.mb.ca. For general information, contact your local GO Centre.