food borne illness Archives

January 24, 2017January 8, 2017

Norovirus and Online ServSafe Training

The Norovirus is covered thoroughly in online ServSafe training, it sickens more people each year than any other food-borne illness cause. Since this virus mainly spreads through contact with an infected food worker rather than a natural occurrence in food product, there are numerous challenges in preventing it from contaminating prepared food product.

Online ServSafe Training Guide to the Norovirus

The most common source of the Norovirus comes from human contact or the failure to properly sanitize work stations after use. The usual ways that this pathogen comes into contact with food includes:

Contact with microscopic traces of infected blood, vomit, or other bodily excretion
Contact with contaminated surfaces
Contact with saliva or unwashed hands of an infected person

There are two lessons that are covered in our online training that should be apparent from looking at these regular causes of the Norovirus. First, do not work while sick. The chances of spreading the Norovirus increase when ill workers handle food product. The possibility also exists that your staff could still spread the virus after symptoms have dissipated. The Norovirus hangs around in the infected people’s blood and digestive systems for a few days after they have appeared to have recovered, so it may be necessary to take a few extra sick days after contracting this illness.

The second important lesson to learn is one that should be practiced even if there is little chance of spreading the Norovirus. Hand washing must be done diligently and properly after using the restroom, eating, smoking or participating in any activity that causes you to touch your mouth or other unsanitary areas of your body. Steps also should be taken to see that there is no barehanded contact with food product. Make sure that you have plenty of utensils and food-service gloves available so that potentially infected hands stay away from your product.

While the main causes of Norovirus poisoning come from human contamination, our online ServSafe guide would be incomplete if we did not mention potential hazards in food before it reaches your facility. There is a chance that an infected farmer or other worker could handle raw fruits and vegetables before they reach your business. In this case, you must make sure that all raw produce is properly washed and stored. Shellfish can also naturally absorb the Norovirus from the water that they are harvested from, especially in the warmer months of the year. Shellfish should be prepared properly and care should be taken to reduce the risk of cross-contamination with other food product.

December 20, 2016December 29, 2016

Food Safe Training Guide to E. coli

Over the past few months, we’ve run a series of articles focusing on the most common causes of food-borne illnesses and product recalls. This month, we continue our series with a look at how E. coli and the related STEC bacteria strains are spread and how you can prevent your guests from consuming contaminated food.

Food Safe Training and E. coli

E. coli poisoning recently garnered national attention with a nationwide outbreak traced to Chipotle restaurants. Even with this high-profile case, E. coli is no longer ranked as a top-five cause of food-borne illness according to the CDC. It is, however, still very important to understand how to reduce the risk of spreading illness due to E. coli because according to this same study, this bacterium causes over 2,000 hospitalizations each year.

In order to control the spread of E. coli, we must first know where it comes from. The STEC strains may exist in:

Undercooked ground beef
Unpasteurized milk and cheese
Unpasteurized juices
Alfalfa sprouts
Unwashed vegetables

If you have worked in the food industry for a length of time, you know that you must cook ground beef thoroughly in order to kill E. coli, but some of the other causes might come as a surprise. We have discussed the dangers of serving raw milk products numerous times in the past, and we can now add the potential for E. coli poisoning to the list of risks involved with consuming unpasteurized dairy products.

Raw fruits and vegetables pose a threat that often goes undetected. While the STEC bacterium does not naturally occur in raw produce, exposure to cross contamination is a real risk. E. coli naturally occurs in the digestive tract of livestock, and it spreads through contact with the animal, its feces or raw milk. Produce can be contaminated simply by a farmer walking through a cow pasture and transferring it to the soil raw vegetables grow in by wearing the same shoes. The same can happen with farm equipment on a much larger scale.

To keep your vegetables safe, especially leafy greens and sprouts, we urge you to wash all produce that you receive before serving it to guests or incorporating it into other menu items.

Next month, our series will continue as we tackle the number-one culprit of food-borne illness, the easily spread norovirus.

May 12, 2016October 28, 2024

Bacteria Controlling Additives and Food Safety Certification MN

The prevention of food-borne illness due to harmful bacteria is one of the major topics that we cover in our food safety certification MN training sessions. Bacteria can be removed from foods through washing of raw fruits and vegetables, proper handling of animal proteins and adhering to cooking temperature guidelines. For some time, major food processors have taken an extra precaution to prevent bacteria such as Listeria from contaminating their manufactured product by adding chemically based compounds that slow or kill the growth of harmful bacteria. According to research conducted at the University of Guleph in Canada, these additives can also kill the good bacteria that aid digestion, but they feel that they may have discovered a natural, soy-based product that effectively controls the growth of bad bacteria in manufactured food product.

Food Safety Certification MN and Controlling Bacteria in Manufactured Products

We understand that this subject is a little out of our food safety certification MN jurisdiction, but we feel that since it does affect the safety of our food supply, it’s one that needs to be talked about. If you read the ingredients of most pre-packaged foods, you’ll see a long list of chemical compounds with nearly unpronounceable names. While all of these additives have been approved by the FDA, there is more and more research emerging linking health risks to these preservatives and chemically-based bacteria killers in the food supply.

The study conducted at the University of Guleph claims that a byproduct of certain strains of soybeans can be just as effective at preventing the growth of bad bacteria without killing the good bacteria that our digestive system needs. If this research is in fact accurate, it may be a promising development.

A few concerns do arise, however, since we are talking about a soy based additive. There are people who are severely allergic to soy and soy-based byproducts. How will adding more soy-based additives into the food supply affect those who have a sensitivity to these types of foods?

The research claims that the method used to extract the necessary elements from the soy bean prevents any of the compounds that cause allergic reactions from entering the food supply. With this study still in the early stages, we’ll remain skeptical, but optimistic, until more case studies have been done and thorough data on this issue have been released.

Additives have been a hot-button issue for some time, and we like to keep an eye out for innovations that may improve the way our food is produced. Feel free to leave your thoughts on this issue in the comment section below.