Can anyone tell me, what's wrong with the picture above?
Just a bunch of students baking some bread right? Nothing bad about that.
Wrong.
Chances are, you've probably already guessed it from my title, that this blog post is going to be all about the term " ready to eat" food.
Let me first tell you more about this term that we frequently use, and how to handle food that is classified as such.
"Ready to eat food" refers to food that will not or no longer undergo cooking, and will be directly served to the customer in its current degree of preparation. For example, sandwiches and salads.
This also means that we have to be extra careful when handling such food, as there is no cooking process involved to kill off any microorganisms that might be transferred through handling.
As such it is necessary to take proper steps in making sure that we do not contaminate ready to eat items. We can do this by wearing disposable gloves and using clean utensils during handling. As well as making sure that our work tops are free from contaminants, such as detergents.
So back to the picture. What's wrong is that the people handling the bread are not wearing gloves or using kitchen utensils to do so. And this has resulted in contamination of the ready to eat bread, posing a risk to consumer health.
You wouldn't want to eat a salad that has been touched by the bare hands of a food handler would you? So don't expect your guests to do the same. Practice good food hygiene by always wearing clean disposable gloves and using clean utensils when handling ready to eat food, as it is pivotal to preventing food related illnesses.
Simple Short and Sweet! Concise explaination on the on the severity of cross contamination
ReplyDeleteWhat types of microorganisms are talking about specifically that can be transferred to food via mishandling? Also what risks do consuming contaminated foods yield? I feel that you could have gone more in depth in these areas
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment!
DeleteThe type of microorganisms that may be transferred to the food via mishandling, may vary, depending on what the food handler might have come into contact with, before handling the ready to eat food.
One common example of a microorganism transferred to food via mishandling is Staphylococcus aureus.This is a type of bacteria that’s commonly found on the skin, throats and nostrils of most healthy people and animals. So if the food handler handles ready to eat food without gloves or proper utensils, there is a high chance of this microorganism being transferred to the consumer's food.
As to the risks of consuming contaminated food. We shall again use the example of staphylococcus aureus. This microorganism, when transferred to food products ( especially ready to eat food) multiply and produce harmful toxins. According to several medical articles, Staphylococcal food poisoning can cause many of the same symptoms as other foodborne illnesses, such as nausea, stomach cramps, vomiting or diarrhea.
This is especially dangerous if contaminated food is consumed by the elderly or young children, who have weaker immune systems. And the consequences could be dire.
Thank you for your comment!
DeleteThe type of microorganisms that may be transferred to the food via mishandling, may vary, depending on what the food handler might have come into contact with, before handling the ready to eat food.
One common example of a microorganism transferred to food via mishandling is Staphylococcus aureus.This is a type of bacteria that’s commonly found on the skin, throats and nostrils of most healthy people and animals. So if the food handler handles ready to eat food without gloves or proper utensils, there is a high chance of this microorganism being transferred to the consumer's food.
As to the risks of consuming contaminated food. We shall again use the example of staphylococcus aureus. This microorganism, when transferred to food products ( especially ready to eat food) multiply and produce harmful toxins. According to several medical articles, Staphylococcal food poisoning can cause many of the same symptoms as other foodborne illnesses, such as nausea, stomach cramps, vomiting or diarrhea.
This is especially dangerous if contaminated food is consumed by the elderly or young children, who have weaker immune systems. And the consequences could be dire.
Thank you for your comment!
DeleteThe type of microorganisms that may be transferred to the food via mishandling, may vary, depending on what the food handler might have come into contact with, before handling the ready to eat food.
One common example of a microorganism transferred to food via mishandling is Staphylococcus aureus.This is a type of bacteria that’s commonly found on the skin, throats and nostrils of most healthy people and animals. So if the food handler handles ready to eat food without gloves or proper utensils, there is a high chance of this microorganism being transferred to the consumer's food.
As to the risks of consuming contaminated food. We shall again use the example of staphylococcus aureus. This microorganism, when transferred to food products ( especially ready to eat food) multiply and produce harmful toxins. According to several medical articles, Staphylococcal food poisoning can cause many of the same symptoms as other foodborne illnesses, such as nausea, stomach cramps, vomiting or diarrhea.
This is especially dangerous if contaminated food is consumed by the elderly or young children, who have weaker immune systems. And the consequences could be dire.
I believe that the right coloured chopping board should be used when handling ready to eat food as well! Typically the kitchen uses blue. To add on, I think you made a good point in suggesting we wear gloves as our hands could be covered in bacteria such as staphylococcus aureus!
ReplyDelete