Food Safety, Sanitation, and Personal Hygiene Show
There are many myths about foodborne illness and food poisoning. Table 1 dispels some common misconceptions about food poisoning.
Foodborne illnesses can be caused by any of:
Understanding each of these is critical in ensuring that food safety is maintained. Food can be:
Biological causes of foodborne illnessBiological contaminants are by far the greatest cause of illness. Many of the risks associated with biological contaminants can be controlled or removed by effective food handling practices, so it is critical that the safe food handling and prevention procedures outline in the rest of the book be followed. Microbes are all around us. They are living things, often too small to be seen without a microscope. Many microbes are beneficial, but some can cause illness or even death. These harmful microbes are called . Five types of microbes include bacteria, viruses, parasites, protozoa, and fungi.
Food Intoxication and Food InfectionHave you ever had the “24-hour flu”? Probably not, because there’s no such thing. Many people who think they have the 24-hour flu have had a foodborne illness caused by some type of pathogen. A rapid reaction is normally caused by a food intoxication. A slower reaction is normally caused by a food infection. Here’s how to tell the difference between the two:
Improper Food Handling PracticesThe top 10 causes of foodborne illness are the following:
We will be looking at this top 10 list in greater detail later in the book.
Food allergies are specific to individuals, but can be life threatening, and can be prevented by a thorough understanding of the allergy issue, knowledge of ingredients used in the preparation of foods, including pre-prepared foods, and care in ensuring separate cooking utensils, cookware, and food preparation surfaces. Oftentimes, the smallest oversights can have serious consequences, as indicated in the example below: A customer has indicated they have an allergy to MSG and ordered chicken strips with a sweet and sour sauce. The server tells them that the restaurant doesn’t add MSG to any of its food normally, so the order should be fine. After eating the sauce, the customer experiences tingling lips and hives. In follow up, the manager discovers that the pre-prepared sweet and sour sauce served with the chicken strips contains MSG on the list of ingredients. This incident could have been prevented if the server was aware of all of the ingredients used in the dish. Unwanted bacteria or substances An agent that causes disease, especially a living micro-organism such as a bacterium, virus, or fungus Effects on the body produced from the consumption of harmful pathogens or substances Invasion of the body by pathogenic microorganisms Cross-contamination is the nasty culprit behind many foodborne illnesses. That’s because pathogens can spread from food or unwashed hands to prep areas, equipment, or utensils. Even if the food is cooked correctly, meals can still be contaminated with pathogens if the prep process isn’t done properly. The CDC estimates that an average of 3,000 people die each year from foodborne illness so preventing such illness with proper food handling is of monumental importance. Cross-contamination occurs when disease-causing microorganisms, like bacteria and viruses, are transferred from one food to another. As a result, cross-contamination is one of the leading causes of foodborne illness. This happens most frequently from unwashed cutting boards, hands, or kitchen tools. So, how can you prevent cross-contamination? Start by making sure your staff has gone through proper food safety training so that your employees all have knowledge of how to properly clean surfaces and equipment and how to prepare and store food in ways that prevent cross-contamination. Aside from that, here are the basics that you need to know. Wash your handsPersonal hygiene is critical to preventing cross-contamination. Washing your hands often gets rid of bacteria that could contaminate the food you are preparing. Switch equipment for raw and cooked foodUsing the same utensils and cutting boards for different foods, such as raw poultry and produce, can lead to cross-contamination. So, make sure you have a system in place to keep these utensils separate. Also make sure to wash and sanitize your utensils after each task to kill of the bacteria that might be lingering. Clean and sanitize all work surfacesMake sure that work surfaces are being cleaned after every task. It’s important to use sanitizer and not just wipe off the surface, since that does not kill pathogens. Do not wash raw meatIn general, washing food removes bacteria. However, you should never wash or rinse raw meat before cooking it, since bacteria from raw meat and poultry juices can spread to other surfaces or utensils. Cover raw food and keep it separate from ready-to-eat productsProper food storage techniques can help prevent bacteria from spreading from one food to another. Cover raw foods to prevent any bacteria from transferring to ready-to-eat products and contaminating them. It is also best practice to store these foods separately to reduce the risk of contamination even further. Use proper food safety labelsClear food labels let employees know what food is being stored so they can properly separate food in a way that prevents cross-contamination. Having the date labelled ensures that employees know when to throw the food out. For a more in depth look at cross-contamination as well as other ways to prevent foodborne illness, take our food handlers training course. And watch this quick video to learn more about how to prevent cross-contamination. |