Causes And Symptoms Of Food Poisoning And Prevention Measures.
Food poisoning occurs when sufficient numbers of particular types of bacteria, or their
toxins, are present in the food you eat.
These bacteria are called pathogens.
Causes of food poisoning.
Pathogens such as Salmonella, Campylobacter and E coli may be found in our food-producing
animals.
Care in processing, transport, storage, preparing and serving of food is necessary to reduce
the risk of contamination.
Food poisoning bacteria can multiply very quickly, particularly in certain conditions.
The factors that affect bacterial growth include.
Time.
In ideal conditions, one bacterium can multiply to more than two million in seven hours.
Temperature - Food poisoning bacteria grow best in the temperature range between 5 �C
and 60 �C.
This is referred to as the �temperature danger zone�.
This means that we need to keep perishable food either very cold or very hot, in order
to avoid food poisoning.
Nutrients - most foods contain enough nutrients for bacteria to grow.
This is especially the case with potentially high-risk foods such as dairy and egg products,
meat and poultry and seafood.
Water - bacteria need water for their growth.
Without water, growth may slow down or stop.
That is why dry foods do not spoil.
pH - �is the measure of acidity or alkalinity and is also important for controlling bacterial
growth.
Low pH (acid conditions) generally stops bacterial growth, but where the pH of food is neutral,
as is the case for many foods, most bacteria grow quite well.
Symptoms of food poisoning.
The symptoms of food poisoning may vary depending on the type of bacteria causing the illness.
Symptoms can range from mild to very severe.
They can occur almost immediately after eating, or a number of hours later, and they can last
from 24 hours to five days.
When you get sick, you usually experience one or more of
the following.
nausea, stomach cramps, diarrhea.
vomiting,fever, headaches.
Some food-borne pathogens cause other symptoms.
For instance, pathogenic Listeria bacteria may cause miscarriage or meningitis in susceptible
people.
Food poisoning can also lead to other long-term illnesses and symptoms.
How to prevent food poisoning.
There are some simple rules you can follow to minimise the risk of food poisoning, these
includes.
Hand Washing.
Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water (warm or cold) and dry them before handling
food, after handling raw food � including meat, fish, eggs and vegetables � and after
touching the bin, going to the toilet, blowing your nose or touching animals (including pets).
Eat Well Cooked Meal.
Make sure poultry, pork, burgers, sausages and kebabs are cooked until steaming hot,
with no pink meat inside.
Don't wash raw meat (including chicken and turkey) before cooking, as this can spread
bacteria around your kitchen.
Store raw meat on the bottom shelf Always cover raw meat and store it on the
bottom shelf of the fridge, where it can't touch or drip onto other foods.
Use separate chopping boards.
Use a separate chopping board to prepare raw food, such as meat and fish.
This is to avoid contaminating ready-to-eat foods with harmful bacteria that can be present
in raw food before it has been cooked.
Wash worktops.
Wash worktops before and after preparing food, particularly after they've been touched by
raw meat (including poultry), raw eggs, fish and vegetables.
You don't need to use antibacterial sprays: hot, soapy water is fine.
Wash dishcloths.
Wash dishcloths and tea towels regularly, and let them dry before you use them again.
Dirty, damp cloths are the perfect place for germs to spread.
Keep raw meat separate.
It's especially important to keep raw meat away from ready-to-eat foods, such as salad,
fruit and bread.
This is because these foods won't be cooked before you eat them, so any bacteria that
get onto the foods from the raw meat won't be killed.
Don't Eat Expired Foods.
Don't eat food that's past its use-by date, even if it looks and smells okay.
Use-by dates are based on scientific tests that show how quickly harmful bugs can develop
in the packaged food.
Freezing raw chicken reduces the levels of campylobacter bacteria but doesn't eliminate
them completely.
The safest way to kill all traces of campylobacter is by cooking chicken thoroughly.
Keep your fridge below 5 degree Celsius.
Keep your fridge temperature below 5 degree Celsius and use a fridge thermometer to check
it.
This prevents harmful germs from growing and multiplying.
Avoid overfilling your fridge.
If it's too full, air can't circulate properly, which can affect the overall temperature.
Refrigerate leftovers quickly.
If you have cooked food that you're not going to eat straight away, cool it as quickly as
possible and store it in the fridge or freezer.
Use any leftovers from the fridge within two days.
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