Aplicacion HACCP

INTERNATIONAL
BIODETERIORATION&
BIODEGRADATION
ELSEVIER

International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation 41 (1998) 191-199

Application

of HACCP to identify hygiene risks in the home
M. V. Jones*

Unilever Research, Port Sunlight Laboratory,

Quarry Road East, Bebington.

L63 3JW.

Wirral. UK

Accepted; 29 January 1998

Abstract
Hygiene related health hazards in the homeinclude ingestion of microorganisms
or toxins, inhalation of toxins, allergens or
microorganisms
and infections through the skin. Bacteria, fungi and viruses may all be involved. For any particular family these
hazards translate into different risks ranging from mild irritations to serious health threats. These will require different responses in
terms of hygiene practice and hygiene productuse. The consumer needs help to identify which hazards in his/her home pose a high
risk and which are insignificant.
Risk analysis techniques especially HACCP (Hazard analysis--critical
control point) have been
proven as effective tools in controlling hazards in the food industry. We have applied HACCP principles to a risk analysis of a
typical home. We conclude that further studies arewarranted and to focus on particular groups (e.g. families with infants, pensioners).
Such information could be valuable in drawing up hygiene codes of practice and for forming the basis of educational material aimed
at different target groups. 0 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords:

Family health; Disinfection; Surface hygiene; Risk analysis; Kitchen hygiene; HACCP.

1.Introduction

In many developing countries infectious diseases are the
major cause of death particularly of children and incidences of microbial and parasitic infections are many
times that in the developed world. The WHO estimates
that l-in-3 deaths are due to infectious diseases (WHO,
1996). Much of this death and suffering is preventable
and hygiene practice within the family has a key roleto
play in preventing infection. Indeed it is arguable that
hygiene will have an increasing role to play in disease
prevention as the range of multiply-drug resistant microorganisms increase and vaccination programmes are
unlikely ever to control the majority of infectious
diseases.
Even in developed countries where the death rate from
infectious diseases is low (but rising), people sufferevery
year from illnesses ranging from minor respiratory infections or mild gastric upsets to serious food poisoning that
requires urgent medical attention and time off work or
school. Most of these minor illnesses go unreported. For
example, population surveys on gasterointestinal disease
in Wales indicated that only 1 in 26 cases involved consultation with a doctor (Palmer et al., 1996).The inexorable increase in food poisoning cases observed in nearly
every European country has been attributed to a com* Corresponding author.
SO96&8305/98/$19.00 G 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
PII: SO964-8305(98)00031-6

bination of lifestyle changes and poorer home hygiene
(Rudolf Schulke Foundation, 1996). Even though seldom
admitted by the public, the majority of foodpoisoning
cases arise within the home; for example a recent study in
Italy found 74% of Salmonella outbreaks to be associated
with home prepared foods compared with 14% outbreaks
associated with public eating places (Scuderi et al., 1996).
The combination of low appreciation of hygiene amongst
both the public and authorities combined with the reemergence of many infectious diseases, newlyidentified
pathogens and increasing antibiotic resistance resulted in
the recent call for increased efforts and resources to be
focused on hygiene and the control of infectious diseases
(Rudolf Schulke Foundation, 1996).

2. Is home hygiene important?
A central question to be addressed is the relative
importance of disease transmission in the public and
domestic domains (Cairncross et al.,...