Foreign body contamination - a piece of glass in a salad, a strand of metal in a sausage, a button in a soup - is the highest-profile food safety failure outside outbreaks. It triggers product recalls, civil claims and brand damage that lasts years. HACCP exists to prevent it. Here are nine practical controls every Irish food business needs.
1. Glass and brittle plastic policy
List every piece of glass and brittle plastic in the kitchen - lights, windows, jugs, blenders, tablet screens. Inspect weekly for damage and log. Replace glass with plastic where possible. Do not store glass containers above food prep.
2. Light fittings shielded
Every light fitting in food prep areas should be shielded or fitted with shatterproof tubes. A burst fluorescent tube above a salad bar is a major incident waiting to happen.
3. Metal-detector or magnet on production lines
Operations producing packaged product use a calibrated metal detector at end-of-line. Daily verification with test pieces, automatic reject of contaminated product, and log of every reject. Smaller kitchens use neodymium magnets in flour and dry-store hoppers.
4. Jewellery and personal items
Plain wedding band only. No watches, bracelets, earrings (small studs may be permitted under house policy). No false nails or chipped nail polish. Mobile phones in lockers, not pockets. Document the policy and reinforce on every shift change.
5. Blue plasters
Every cut on a food handler must be covered with a brightly coloured (typically blue) waterproof, metal-detectable plaster. Stock these in the first-aid box; check supply weekly.
6. Hair and uniforms
Hair restrained with a hat or net during food prep. Beards covered if relevant. Aprons changed when soiled. Uniforms washed at 60°C minimum.
7. Pest debris control
Pest droppings, feathers, body parts and bait debris all qualify as foreign body. Bait stations placed away from open food. Internal sightings logged. Contractor reports filed.
8. Packaging and supplier control
Reject deliveries with damaged packaging. Specify in supplier agreements that loose staples, glass and metal fragments are immediate reject conditions. Inspect on goods-in.
9. Visual inspection at the pass
Every plated dish gets a final visual check at the pass before leaving the kitchen. Train staff to spot anomalies - colour, texture, the slightest off-shape - and to remake rather than serve.
What the FSAI looks for
- Written foreign body / glass policy.
- Glass register with weekly inspection log.
- Personal items policy with staff sign-off.
- Blue plaster stock in date.
- Metal detector calibration log (where used).
- Staff training records including HACCP certificates.
What to do if a foreign body reaches a customer
- Apologise, take possession of the item, and isolate the dish.
- Assess if other plates of the same dish may be affected; recall the batch.
- Investigate root cause - probe the relevant prep line.
- Document in the foreign body log with date, item, customer details, action.
- Notify the FSAI if the incident requires it (recall, injury).
Train it as part of HACCP
Foreign body awareness is a standard module in every HACCP Course. A team trained on the 9 controls above catches issues before they reach the customer - the difference between a near-miss and a recall.
