Hygiene is a practical maintenance of cleanliness for the purpose of ensuring good health. The scientific term "hygiene" means field that deals with the study of environmental factors that affect human health. The term can be used in a more narrow sense of the context, such as in the phrase "personal hygiene", "occupational hygiene", ect. The term is often used in connection with health care. Hygiene studies the patterns of environmental influences on the human body and health to develop hygienic standards, health regulations and measures that would provide optimal conditions for life, health promotion and disease prevention. Compliance with hygiene requirements in everyone's life is an important factor in maintaining health and improving its efficiency. In food industry, food safety must have special attention. Food safety is the top of a significant number of safety measures, organized professionally and consistently. The need for food safety is not discussed. An important component of food security is an effective organization of personal hygiene of staff. Because in the working environment there are many contacts, procedures, so personal hygiene is very important. The transfer of pathogens from people is more likely to be carried than any other form of cross-contamination.
Registration of sales and consumption places regulated by Art. 10 of Implementing Regulation on the Market Surveillance, Control And Inspection. Technical and hygienic provisions are stated under the following headings;
- General specifications,
- Water supply
- Equipment
- Personal hygiene
- Sales, protection, storage
- Wrapping and packaging
- Transport
- Training (Art. 10)
Cleaning and DisinfectionArticle 17: The production of food and food additives made of cleaning and desinfection workplace conditions:a) The owner / manager should control hygiene in the workplace, as well as the cleaning of all areas, materials, tools and equipment. Cleaning and disinfection should be determined in advance. b) Detergent and/ or disinfectant should be used that is permitted by the Ministry.c) There should be disinfecting measures to prevent contamination of the food.d) Immediately after the end of the daily working time the channels associated with the transaction, materials, walls should be thoroughly cleaned with tools and equipment.e) The material must be dried as quickly as possible after cleaning tools and equipment. Materials
used in cleaning should not be worn and dirty.f) A working person that is responsible for the cleanliness of the staff should be appointed by the company.g) The presence of microbiological contamination by ambient air in the workplace should be checked every week.
Tools and EquipmentsArticle 34: In the sale and public consumption of food where materials, tools and equipment, here are the following characteristics:a) All the instruments and equipment in use must be made of sanitary material that can be easy to clean. These should always be kept clean and should be disinfected if necessary. Dirty, broken, rusty, cracked, stained, smelly, and spilled food should not be missed.b) The need to manually contact the sales and service of food must be made suitable with plastic or
rubber. gloves. Article 35: Working personnel should wear appropriate work clothing to the nature and mission of the unit are employed, should pay particular attention to personal hygiene. Sales personnel in
contact with food and mass consumption places an institution should be taken from the official medical report. Periodic health checks of the staff should be committed to a health report done every 3 months. Business owners of these applications / executive is responsible for it.
The food safety officer checks, if the business meets the law,and check:
- if the food handled hygienically – how the food is prepared, re-heated, cooked, stored and cooled
- if there are good condition of the building`s structure –layout, the cleanliness, ventilation, lighting, and other facilities
- if the business records and manages what it really does in order to make sure the food is safe.
When inspection is done , inspector value the business in one of the six ratings. When the rating is ‘5’ it means that the business have high hygiene standarts.
In case some improvements or changes should be done in business, the food safety officer will explain to the manager of the business what should be changed, and how to achieve the high hygiene standarts. In some time, there will be one more inspection to check what have been changed, and if the mistakes were improved.
The inspection frequencies of sale and consumption places differs from once per 2 months to once per year. Tourism is concentrated in the period, holidays, Christmas and special occasions such as Ramadan, the frequency of inspections performed consistently stated to be at least doubled.
In Turkey, the food inspections are getting more common. Turkish government started taking some precautions about food inspections since they have joined the European union. But Turkey
still has problems with health issues. Drinking and operating water is not enough and it affects peoples health negatively.in Some places water is dirty, because there are deficiencies and some
problems in the drainage systems. These problems cause disease. The production, transportation and preparation of foods are inspected by the Turkish Government. However the control of restaurants, butchers and slaughterhouses, is not sufficient.
References
Global Forum of Food Safety Regulators Marrakesh, Morocco, 28 - 30 January (2002). Food Inspection System in Turkey and a short look to new developments. Retrieved from http://www.fao.org/docrep/MEETING/004/X6920E.HTM
Country Session: Republic of Turkey 24-28 April (2006) 2, Screen Chapter:Food Safety,Veterinary and Phytosanitary Policies. Agenda item 2a: General Food Law. Retrieved from http://www.abgs.gov.tr/tarama/tarama_files/12/SC12DET_Food%20Law.pdf
Assoc. Prof. Cesarettin ALASALVARTÜBİTAK Marmara Research Centre Food Institute, Turkey.
Turkish Food Industry & Food Chain Sustainability in Turkey. Retrieved from ftp://ftp.cordis.europa.eu/pub/food/docs/alasalvar-a.pdf
