Military Hygiene and Hygiene in Emergency Situations - K.O. Pashka 2005

Fundamentals of organizing and conducting sanitary supervision and medical control over the nutrition of military personnel and the civilian population in the field.
Organization and conduction of sanitary and epidemiological expertise of food supplies

Sanitary and epidemiological examination of food products is a branch of activity of the sanitary and epidemiological institutions (establishments) of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine in carrying out sanitary supervision over the Organization of troop catering. It aims to determine the nutritional value or safety of food for military personnel.

Conclusions and instructions of the specialists of the sanitary and epidemiological service following a sanitary and epidemiological examination are mandatory for execution by commanders and chiefs of facilities under their sanitary supervision.

Along with the specialists of the sanitary and epidemiological service, the sanitary and epidemiological examination of food products is also carried out by the military veterinary service, which is tasked with conducting veterinary and sanitary inspection during the procurement and slaughter of domestic animals, procurement, storage, trade, and Processing of meat, meat products (canned meat and meat-vegetable products, sausage products, smoked meats, fats, etc.), milk and dairy products, eggs, fish, and other products and raw Materials of animal origin, beekeeping products and plant products, as well as wild game and poultry.

The sanitary and epidemiological examination is organized jointly with the military veterinary service in the event of a food poisoning outbreak in a military unit associated with the consumption of meat from emergency-slaughtered animals; meat, offal, and other products contaminated with the microorganisms that caused the poisoning.

A sanitary and epidemiological examination of products is conducted to establish:

- changes in their organoleptic properties and the causes of these changes;

- harmful impurities or any substances in quantities exceeding the permissible limits established by standards and hygienic norms;

- deviations in Chemical Composition and their causes;

- epidemiological data regarding a specific product as a potential pathway (vector) for the transmission of infectious agents.

In addition, during a sanitary and epidemiological examination, it may be necessary to:

- study storage conditions and their impact on the quality and Nutritional Value of products;

- determine the conditions of sale and Methods of processing conditionally fit products or the disposal of rejected foodstuffs.

Sanitary and epidemiological examination is conducted as part of the routine work of sanitary and epidemiological institutions (establishments) when exercising preventive and routine sanitary supervision over food facilities, as well as on an ad-hoc basis.

During routine work, the sanitary and epidemiological examination is carried out to monitor:

- the quality of products, especially perishable ones, primarily according to bacteriological and physicochemical indicators of hygienic significance;

- the release of new products and items, as well as The Use of new materials for products and equipment that come into contact with food;

- the content in food products of non-food additives (Dyes, preservatives, nitrites, etc.); residues of pesticides used in agriculture, heavy metals, arsenic, and other harmful substances;

- the quality of ready-made meals in military canteens and public catering establishments;

- the vitamin fortification of ready-made meals, the vitamin content in them and in food products;

- compliance with the sanitary regime at food facilities (cleanliness of equipment, inventory, personal hygiene).

Ad-hoc sanitary and epidemiological examination is carried out:

- in the event of suspicion or establishment of facts of food contamination with radioactive (RR) and toxic substances (TS), as well as infection with bacterial (biological) agents (BA);

- in case of suspected food poisoning due to product contamination during transportation, storage, and sale, as well as upon receipt of data on violations of technology and recipes in the food production process;

- upon the instruction of senior commanders of the sanitary and epidemiological service, as well as by proxy of the military prosecutor's office and inquiry (investigative) bodies;

- to determine the feasibility of using products whose expiration date has passed or after their prolonged storage in warehouses;

- when making a final decision on the feasibility of consuming food products that fail to meet standards and technical specifications.

During the sanitary and epidemiological examination of food products, specialists of sanitary and epidemiological institutions must be guided by all current regulatory documents governing the quality, production technology, storage, and distribution of the product in question (state standards, technical specifications and processing instructions, orders, directives, guidelines, and resolutions). When examining products lacking accompanying official documentation, general hygienic requirements should be followed.

Upon initiating a sanitary and epidemiological examination, specialists first ascertain the reason for contacting the sanitary and epidemiological institution. Next, they review the documentation characterizing the specific batch of food products, such as veterinary and sanitary certificates, transport waybills, quality certificates, and others. At the same time, attention is paid to special labels indicating product quality, as well as verifying whether the storage and distribution periods have been observed.

After reviewing the documentation, an inspection of the entire batch of food products is carried out, paying special attention to the order and conditions of product storage, the state of the packaging (presence of damage, deformation, contamination, or traces of tampering), as well as labels and warning inscriptions on the packaging, which must be documented in the inspection report.

Upon completion of the inspection, individual boxes (packages) are opened. Depending on the objectives of the examination, up to 5-10% of the boxes from the given batch may be opened. Products in packaging showing external defects are inspected with particular care, and sometimes, depending on the type and Nature of the damage and the product's quality status, all damaged boxes may be opened.

Organoleptic analysis of products is performed after opening the packaging by assessing their appearance, consistency, color, and odor. Taste is evaluated only when there is no suspicion of spoilage or contamination of the products.

The results of the batch inspection are formalized in a report indicating:

- the place and time of drawing up the report;

- the position, military rank, full name of the sanitary and epidemiological institution specialist, as well as other persons participating in the examination;

- the reason for conducting the sanitary and epidemiological examination;

- General Data on the food batch (its volume, condition of packaging, presence of accompanying documents, date of dispatch and arrival of the product batch, etc.);

- the results of the product inspection (storage conditions, number of opened packaging units, results of organoleptic tests, etc.);

- data on sampling for laboratory testing;

- conclusions regarding product quality and instructions for its further use, if possible without waiting for laboratory test results.

The conclusions of the sanitary and epidemiological examination are based on comparison with relevant standards, verification of compliance with technical specifications, as well as sanitary and veterinary-sanitary rules for the procurement, processing, and storage of the given product batch.

Laboratory testing of products is conducted in cases of:

- discrepancies in evaluations during the examination process;

- submission of an application by the supplier or recipient of the products;

- detection of a portion of products in the warehouse with obvious or questionable signs of spoilage.

In such cases, sampling for laboratory testing is carried out by a commission comprising Representatives of the sanitary and epidemiological service and other interested services, and is formalized in a report. The samples, along with the report, are sent to the laboratory of the sanitary and epidemiological institution. The accompanying document must specify the precise objective of the testing.

The authority to decide on the quality of a given batch of products and its suitability for human consumption rests with the HEAD of the sanitary and epidemiological institution, who must state whether:

- the product is fit for human consumption without restrictions;

- the product is conditionally fit;

- the product is unquestionably unfit for human consumption.

If a product is deemed fit for human consumption without restrictions, the Conclusion is issued as an examination report or a laboratory test protocol. Products recognized as conditionally fit are distributed only under specific requirements (established shelf lives, distribution in designated locations, special conditions for heat and culinary processing, etc.), which are specified in the examination report. Products found unfit for human consumption, yet posing no sanitary and epidemiological hazard, may be directed, with the permission of veterinary and sanitary service specialists, for animal feed or technical processing.

For food products that are deemed unfit for human consumption and must be destroyed, the head of the sanitary and epidemiological institution issues a special resolution "On the Destruction of Rejected Food Products", which specifies the Procedure, method, timeframe for destruction, and the procedure for appealing this resolution. When determining the method for destroying rejected products, their potential epidemic and sanitary hazard must be taken into account.

To prevent the use of food products designated for destruction, they are denatured with substances having a strong specific odor (kerosene, crude oil, phenol) or given an unusual color using various dyes. Infected products that pose a hazard to humans are disinfected prior to or during destruction using a 20% solution of bleaching powder (chloride of lime), caustic soda, formalin, etc. The destruction (incineration, burial) of rejected products is carried out using the personnel and equipment of the military unit in the presence of a commission appointed by the unit commander. The commission draws up an act on the destruction of the product batch, which must reflect the following:

- time (date) and place where the act was drawn up;

- position, military rank, last name, first name, and patronymic of each commission member;

- name (number) of the unit to which the products belong;

- name and quantity of the products subject to destruction;

- name of the product manufacturer;

- method of destruction.

A representative of the military medical service must be present during the destruction only of those products that pose a hazard to human health.

The act must be submitted no later than 5 days after the destruction of the products to the sanitary and epidemiological institution that performed the expertise.