F

FDA (Food and Drug Administration)

As part of the Department of Health and Human Services, FDA ensures that domestic and imported food products (except for most egg products and most meat products) are safe, sanitary, nutritious, wholesome and honestly labeled. FDA duties include inspecting food processing plants and warehouses, inspecting imported foods as they come into the country, providing guidance through documents such as the Food Code, regulating the bottled drinking water industry, approving food additives, monitoring seafood products, and approving alcohol-based hand gels for retail or foodservice.

FECAL MATTER
Human or animal excrement.

FIFO – "FIRST IN, FIRST OUT"
Food should be used in the order of delivery to make sure that no product spoils or grows dangerous germs.

FOMITE

An inanimate object that when contaminated with a viable pathogen, can transmit infectious agents from one person to another.

FOOD BIOSECURITY (aka Food Bioterrorism, Food Security, Food Defense)

Protecting the food supply from intentional contamination.

FOODBORNE ILLNESS or INFECTION
An illness or injury obtained from eating food containing live pathogenic bacteria, virus, parasite or other disease-causing organism.

FOODBORNE INTOXICATION
Illness resulting from eating food in which harmful toxins are produced by molds or bacteria.

FOOD CONTACT SURFACE
Surfaces such as countertops, utensils or equipment which come into direct contact with food. These areas offer opportunities for cross-contamination if not properly cleaned and sanitized.

FOOD HANDLER
Any person who handles opened or unopened food, equipment, utensils or surfaces used for food preparation and serving.*

FOOD HYGIENE
All measures necessary to guarantee the safety of food at all stages of the food chain.*

FOOD QUALITY

The taste, smell, appearance, and nutritional makeup of a food.

FOOD SAFETY
The degree of confidence that food will not cause sickness or harm to the consumer when it is prepared,served and eaten according to its intended use.*

FOOD SUITABILITY
Guarantee that food is acceptable for human intake according to its intended use.*

FOOD TEMPERATURE
The internal temperature of food, as measured with a thermometer.

FSA

Food Standards Agency (www.food.gov.uk) the co-ordinating body for food safety and standards within the U.K.

FSIS (Food Safety and Inspection Service)

As the main regulatory agency within the USDA (see USDA), FSIS duties include inspecting meat and poultry processing plants, developing food safety guidance for the meat and poultry industry, certifying that all foreign meat and poultry plants exporting products to the US operate under a system equivalent to the U.S. system, and ensuring that state meat and poultry inspection programs are at least equal to the federal program.

FUNGUS
A type of plant. Molds and yeast are fungi, some are edible (mushrooms) but most molds should not be eaten.

FUSED BRISTLE

A patented technology where bristles are fused into the base, eliminating the potential harborage of pathogens.