1.1 Introduction
Food hazards are the physical, chemical and biological proxies in the food or the condition of food with the prospect to harm when consumed or to cause an adversative health effect. Food hazards can be categorized as natural menaces such as microbes, chemical hazards such as insecticides, chemical, cleaning agents or allergens and physical hazards are those exposures which are not supposed to, nor likely to be in the food like wood, glass, bones grit or dust (Interesjournals, 2021). The case is no different in the hospitality industry where most of the function require human efforts the kitchen in particular is required as the most dangerous section to work in, strenuous work condition and prolonged hours of work with inadequate rest periods all add up to present an uncomfortable and insecure work environment.
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.
1.2 Background of Study
Occupation hazards constitute a major threat to an active workforce. Fricidences such as back pain, contact dermatis, fracture shoulder and wrist problem, cuts and burns and some of the ill-health and injuries suffered by people at work. Valueable man hours are lost from affected staff and in some severe cases, it may lead to permanent disability or death. People from all endeavours suffer or have experienced one form of hazard or another.
Food processing additives are substances which are added to food to preserve its flavor or enhance its appearance, taste, or other qualities. Some food additives have been under use for centuries, e.g., preserving foods by pickling with vinegar, brining or salting, as with bacon, preserving sweet or using sulfur dioxide as in wines. With the advent of many processed foods in second half of twentieth century, several more additives were introduced; both natural and artificial (or synthetic) origins. Also, food additives include the substances that may be indirectly introduced to foods (known as indirect additives) during the manufacturing process, by packaging, or during transport or storage (FDA, 2017; FDA, 2018).
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) describes food additives as any substance, intended use of which results or might reasonably be expected to result, indirectly or directly, in it becoming a constituent or otherwise affecting characteristics of any food. The WHO stated that substances which are added to foods to improve or maintain the taste, texture, appearance, safety, or freshness of foods are known as food additives (WHO, 2018). Some food additives have been used for centuries for food preservation, such as salt in meats like bacon or dried fish, sulfur dioxide in wine, or sugar in marmalade. Food additives may also be used to confer a specific functional property in foods (Chinaza, 2019b; Chinaza et al., 2019a). Over time, many food additives have been developed to meet the requirements of food production and food industries, as producing foods on large scale is quite different from making on a small scale at home or for household. Additives are required to ensure the processed foods remain safe, in good condition, and fresh throughout its journey from the factories or industries, during the course of transportation to shops and warehouses, and finally to the consumers, who often look out for fresh, safe, nutritious, and wholesome foods.
There are various sizes and categories of catering operation most establishments have equipments unskilled to produce as much in order to meet consumer demand the drive in quite service operations in most system has further compounded the hazardous nature of duties considering that employees have to use these equipment in high customer turnover knives, choppers, mixers, mincers, food processors, ovens, strainers and cooking ranges all have inherent harzards from use.
Hazards do not just occur, but are influenced by other factors such as physical environment, poor lighting, ventilation, poor kitchen layout and workflow to happen. In the study of hazards, it has been observed as well that human factors such as loss of concentration haste, chimsy working procedure and not following user instruction all contribution to the incidence of hazards occurring. There is also the issue of poor hygiene which is capable of triggering food safety problem and an endangered work population.
Establishment under the health and safety at work Act of 1974 are mandated to provide safety and welfare facilities that would make the workplace a say and healthy place for its employees. Assessments of hazardous areas of operations should be taken to eliminate or reduce and control the degree and incidence of these hazards. Other appropriate regulation specifying safety requirements in specific areas such as price and first aid have further been improve and commanded.
1.3 Statement of Problems
Investigation reveals the problems of the Causes and Prevention of Hazard in Food Processing research work, which entails that, literature on health implications of these additives are scanty; majority of what we have are anecdotal, thus making it difficult to draw conclusions for evidenced based decision making. With the increased propensity to embracing western diets by the Africans, it becomes imperative that we are sure of the safety profile of these additives especially as it relates to the health of human. It was in view of this that we sought to identify documented reports in Africa on health implications of food additives on human for whom additives have become “integral components” of their foods both at home and everywhere.
1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study
The aim of the study is to identify the Causes and Prevention of Hazard in Food Processing. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:
- To identify health implications and preventive measure of food processing on human body
- To assess the factors affecting the preservatives in Food Processing
1.5 Significance of Study
This study will be of immense benefit to other researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.
1.6 Scope of Study
The study focuses on the Causes and Prevention of Hazard in Food Processing in Nigeria.
1.7 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
- Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet).
