Physical contamination occurs when any physical object or foreign matter gets into food; this can happen at any step of the food chain, for example; at point of delivery, during storage and production, and right through to presenting the product to the customer. Due care and attention must be taken during every process in order to mitigate the risk of contamination. Ensuring that all foods are covered in storage will help towards preventing physical contamination from occurring.

Physical contamination may well be intrinsic and maybe present at point of delivery and for this reason there is a requirement to carry out visual checks of fresh foods for; excessive soilage, pest infestation, stones, stalks, bone fragments etc.

Physical contamination can occur when there are defects to the food premises and/or maintenance of equipment is being undertaken.

These foreign object could be anything, but are not limited to:

• Hair
• Bone
• Metal fragments
• Stones
• Glass
• Wood fragments
• Personal items
• Other ingredients