Any physical object that ends up in food where it does not belong, such as glass, metal, plastic, hair or packaging fragments.
Any physical object that ends up in food where it does not belong, such as glass, metal, plastic, hair or packaging fragments. Foreign matter, sometimes called foreign material or a physical hazard, is any unwanted object found in food that was not meant to be there. Common examples include shards of glass, pieces of metal, hard or soft plastic, wood splinters, stones, hair, insects, jewellery, fingernails, bandages and fragments of packaging. Some foreign matter is a direct safety risk because it can cut, choke or break teeth, while other pieces are mainly a quality and complaints issue. Foreign matter can enter food at any point in the supply chain, from raw ingredients delivered to the premises through to preparation, cooking, packing and service. It often points to a breakdown in handling, maintenance or hygiene, for example a chipped utensil, a worn piece of equipment shedding fragments, or staff wearing jewellery over food. Because a physical hazard is usually visible or tangible, a single complaint can quickly damage a business's reputation. Australian food businesses manage foreign matter by designing it out and inspecting for it. Practical controls include keeping glass and brittle plastic away from open food, maintaining equipment so worn or broken parts are found before they contaminate product, filtering or sieving dry ingredients, and enforcing a no-jewellery and hair-restraint policy for food handlers. Where the risk is higher, some operations use magnets, metal detectors or sieves as part of their food safety program. Standard 3.2.2 requires food to be protected from contamination, which includes physical contamination by foreign objects. Staff should be trained to check incoming ingredients, report and record any breakages of glass or hard plastic near food, and remove and dispose of any affected product. If foreign matter is found, the business should investigate the source, isolate potentially affected stock, and take corrective action so it does not happen again. A kitchen hand drops a glass measuring jug near an open bain-marie during service. Rather than assume the pieces missed the food, the venue follows its glass-breakage procedure: the exposed food is discarded, the area is cleared and cleaned, and the incident is logged. This avoids serving customers food that might contain glass fragments and shows the council a proper physical-hazard control was in place.
Frequently asked questions
Is foreign matter the same as a physical hazard?
Largely, yes. Foreign matter is the physical object itself, and in food safety terms an object that can injure a consumer, such as glass or metal, is classed as a physical hazard.
What are the most common types of foreign matter in food?
Glass, metal, hard and soft plastic, wood, stones, hair, insects, jewellery and fragments of packaging are among the most frequently reported, along with items shed from worn equipment.
How can a food business prevent foreign matter contamination?
Keep glass and brittle plastic away from open food, maintain equipment, inspect incoming ingredients, enforce no jewellery and hair restraints, and use sieves, magnets or metal detectors where the risk warrants it.
What should staff do if they find foreign matter in food?
Isolate and dispose of the affected food, investigate where the object came from, record the incident, and take corrective action so the source is fixed and it does not recur.
Do I have to report foreign matter to the council?
Routine minor incidents are managed internally with records, but a serious contamination or a customer injury may need to be reported to the local council or state authority, and it can trigger a recall if affected product has been sold.
