Foreign bodies
Despite the many preventive measures put in place by the entire food industry, the possibility of a foreign body finding its way into a food product cannot be ruled out.
This potential presence of foreign body/bodies can come from different sources:
- of the raw materials used
- during a manufacturing stage (process)
- during distribution
- by the consumer himself
The presence of foreign bodies, particularly hard and/or pointed or sharp ones, in a foodstuff represents a real danger to the consumer in the case of accidental ingestion. In the broadest sense, a foreign body or dense contaminant is defined as ‘any particle of matter present in a food product whose nature or texture is unexpected by the consumer or customer’.
Risk assessment associated with the presence of foreign body/bodies
The risk associated with the presence of a foreign body in a foodstuff is assessed according to:
- The nature of the foreign body: hard, pointed, sharp, soft, flexible
- The size of the foreign body
- The target population intended to consume the contaminated foodstuff (e.g. baby food)
Physical risks due to foreign bodies
- The risk of trauma from sharp foreign bodies: injuries to the mouth, tongue, throat, digestive system, etc.
- The risk of suffocation
- The dental risk due to hard foreign bodies
Recommendations
People who may have ingested a foodstuff containing a foreign body and suspect that they have been injured are advised to consult a doctor and report this consumption to him or her.
If there is a risk of choking, it is important to act immediately by adopting the appropriate measures, which you can find on Santé.lu:
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