Physical Hazard

A physical hazard is a foreign object or material in food that may cause injury or harm if consumed. Physical hazards can enter food during harvesting, processing, packaging, transportation, preparation or service. They are one of the hazard categories assessed in a food-safety plan.

Common physical hazards in food

• Glass: fragments from broken jars, bottles or light covers.
• Metal: pieces from equipment, wire brushes, staples or damaged packaging.
• Hard plastic: fragments from containers, utensils or packaging.
• Wood: splinters from pallets, wooden tools or damaged structures.
• Stones and other field material: foreign matter in produce, grains or dried ingredients.
• Bone fragments: unexpected or sharp pieces in meat and fish preparations.

How to prevent physical contamination

Inspect ingredients during receiving and preparation, maintain equipment, use suitable tools, protect food during repairs, control glass and brittle-plastic items, and follow a documented procedure for breakage or foreign-object incidents. Sifting, sieving, filtering or metal detection may be appropriate in some production processes.

Physical hazard versus biological and chemical hazards

A physical hazard is a foreign object. A biological hazard involves harmful microorganisms or biological toxins. A chemical hazard involves harmful chemical substances. All require controls appropriate to the food and process.

Chef’s tip: If glass or another foreign object may have entered exposed food, isolate the affected area and follow the breakage and product-disposition procedure. Do not attempt to pick out visible fragments and serve the remaining food.

Key distinction: A physical hazard is a foreign material that can cause injury; it is not simply an ingredient with an unusual texture or appearance.