A living or biological source of harm in food, such as bacteria, viruses, parasites, moulds or their toxins.
Bacteria such as Salmonella and Listeria, viruses such as norovirus, parasites, and toxins produced by bacteria or moulds. These are the most common cause of foodborne illness.
Biological hazards are living organisms or their toxins, chemical hazards are harmful substances such as cleaning agents or pesticides, and physical hazards are foreign objects like glass or metal.
They are the leading cause of foodborne illness, can multiply rapidly in the temperature danger zone, and are usually invisible, so they must be controlled through good practice rather than inspection.
From raw ingredients, contaminated water, pests, food handlers and dirty equipment. Cross-contamination and poor temperature control then let them spread or multiply.
It identifies critical control points such as cooking, cooling and cold storage, sets limits like safe temperatures, and requires monitoring and corrective action to keep biological hazards under control.