Which one of the following food contaminations is best prevented by cooking to safe temperatures?
Discover the major potential food contaminants, 10 tips for how proper cooking temperatures prevent them, and how food safety software can help you.
The best way to avoid bacterial contamination is to apply strict food safety practices. The growth of bacteria is ...
Food products become unsafe for consumption when bacterial contamination occurs. Bacterial species such as Staphylococcus, Campylobacter, Clostridium, Listeria, E.coli., and Salmonella cause the majority of the infectious risk of foodborne illnesses around the world. Scientists have estimated that at least 39% of foodborne illnesses in the United States are caused by bacteria, whereas the rest are caused by any viral contamination and parasites. These bacteria can travel from one food to another because of their close relationship with the food, food handler, and food contact surfaces. As a food business owner, you can contribute to protecting public health and preventing food recalls by knowing what is the best way to avoid bacterial contamination.
Bacterial contamination can come from many different sources, but it can always be avoided by proper food safety practices. Food and bacteria will always come together and as food handlers, what you can only do is to control their presence and make their environment inhabitable to produce safe food. Protecting your consumers from foodborne illnesses is a top priority for any food business.
We will give you a detailed overview of bacterial contamination and how to prevent its occurrence in this article.
Bacterial contamination is a type of biological contamination in which bacteria is unintentionally introduced into a food material and causes it to spoil. The presence of bacteria can cause foodborne illnesses to consumers especially for risk groups like pregnant women, children, the elderly, and individuals with autoimmune disease. Biological contamination can be divided into two major classifications: food intoxication and food infection.
Food intoxication is microbial contamination caused by bacteria that can multiply fast on food and produce bacterial toxins that cause the negative reaction of illnesses. It is the most commonly caused by Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium perfringens, and Bacillus cereus. These bacteria are most associated with poultry meat products, low-acid canned foods, and foods rich in starch such as rice, respectively. Food intoxication causes symptoms that include upset stomach, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Contrary to food intoxication, food infection is caused by the bacteria themselves and does not produce toxins. These bacteria can cause foodborne illnesses once they greatly multiply on the food and are consumed by a customer. Bacteria that can cause food infection include Salmonella, Listeria, and Shigella.
The detection of bacteria and contamination in products can produce obvious changes in the food that they contaminate at a certain point. Contaminated food by kitchen germs can exhibit the following characteristics:
Although, you have to keep in mind that not all spoiled foods will show obvious signs right away. To avoid and control bacterial contamination and observe for any signs.
Depending on the surrounding environment, the contaminating bacteria, bacterial load, and the food material, bacterial contamination can occur to unsafe levels anywhere between 20 minutes to a day. Bacteria double in number in a very short time, commonly around 4 to 20 minutes. The initial bacterial load of food materials can dictate the rate of spoilage especially around the temperature danger zone which is 40°F–140°F or 4°C–60°C.
Here are other related questions you might be interested in:
Food can become contaminated once it comes in contact with previously contaminated food or any unsanitized food contact surfaces or if it stays in conditions that favor bacterial growth. Transmission of pathogens can occur upon contact or within 20 minutes, whereas spoilage can occur within the first 2 hours.
Under the right conditions, bacteria can double in number every 10 to 20 minutes. Imagine this, if you had 2 cells of a bacterium, you will have 4 cells after two minutes and 16 cells after an hour. This is the reason why pathogens can easily cause spoilage in a short time.
Some of the most common bacterial contaminations and outbreaks of infection are caused by the bacterial species Campylobacter, Staphylococcus, E.coli, Listeria, and Salmonella. The symptoms of foodborne illnesses caused by these microorganisms are almost the same with the most common symptoms being nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach cramps. The degree of symptoms experienced by customers depends on the contamination level of food.
Hands down, the best way to avoid bacterial contamination is to always observe food safety practices as part of your food safety program. As we have mentioned, the presence of bacteria on food and the risk of bacterial contamination will always be present. Therefore, the best way to keep producing safe food and protecting your consumers' health is to prevent pathogenic bacteria from further multiplying to a point when it can cause severe effects.
Kitchen germs such as bacteria can come from a mobile sources such as food handlers, cooking utensils, equipment, food contact surfaces, and other food materials. A food handler can control the spread and growth of bacteria with very simple practices and an effective food safety program. Some of these food safety practices include the following:
Similar to the principle of avoiding any gastrointestinal illness, prevention is always better than cure. Any foodborne illness caused by kitchen germs can be easily avoided with proper knowledge and strict food safety practices. As a food business owner, ensure that your food workers are well oriented when it comes to these practices.
Additionally, implement a food safety program, that efficiently and effectively monitors all food service operations. A monitoring system will help ensure that all conditions are met regarding food safety compliance. At FoodDocs, we have taken this step to another level. Now, you can get an intuitive digital Food Safety Management System with automatically generated monitoring logs. Learn more about it at the end of this reading.
Here are a few related questions you can use to further understand this section:
Properly training staff with the correct food safety processes and orienting them with the significance of food safety and contamination can ensure the prevention of cross contamination in a food business. When food employees understand what they are dealing with and what they are trying to prevent, they would have a better appreciation of the practices and apply them meticulously.
To prevent food poisoning, practice the basic food safety practices which include the following:
For customers, you can minimize restaurant risks by reviewing the establishment's reviews, checking for a food safety permit, and observing the establishment prior to dining.
For food business owners, the best way to minimize restaurant risks is to implement a comprehensive food safety management system.
The rate at which kitchen germs grow and multiply is not the same all the time. It can vary depending on the conditions at the time of contamination. In knowing what is the best way to avoid bacterial contamination, these risk factors can play a great part. Some of the most prominent factors that affect the growth of bacteria include:
The infectious risk of food poisoning and food recalls increases when multiple favorable conditions are present. As such, food safety practices must be designed based on the food service operations and food products in a food establishment. This is what our machine-learning system at FoodDocs prides itself in. You get an automatically generated digital FSMS tailored to your food business in mere minutes.
Bacterial contamination is a problem that can be easily controlled within a food facility. Contamination by harmful bacteria is dependent on the level of food safety practices applied in a food establishment as well as the quality of products being used. In figuring out what is the best way to avoid bacterial contamination and the foodborne illnesses it can cause, you need to regularly monitor your food operations and closely manage them as a food business owner. What you need is an effective food safety management system.
What if there is a way for you to remotely monitor your operations but still ensure that you are complying with very high standards of food safety laws and regulations? This is what our Food Safety Management System at FoodDocs is all about. Based on the information about your food business that you provide us, our software automatically creates a digital FSMS that fits your operations. All generated documents and operations will be designed to control bacterial contamination and other food safety hazards in your food establishment.
To get a better idea of what our food safety software offers, here are some benefits you will get once you join us at FoodDocs:
These monitoring logs can help you prevent and control the multiplication of bacteria more efficiently. To help food handlers, each monitoring log is equipped with detailed instructions on how to perform and monitor the task more efficiently.
FoodDocs cooking temperature log
Did we mention that switching to our Food Safety Management System will only take 15 minutes? That's right! In just an average of 15 minutes, you can complete and comprehensive digital FSMS for your food business.
Control the growth and spread of harmful bacteria and other food safety hazards in your food business with our digital food safety management system. Become an addition to our more than 10,000 satisfied customers and build a more efficient food business. Try our software free for 14-days and make all your food safe to eat.
Discover the major potential food contaminants, 10 tips for how proper cooking temperatures prevent them, and how food safety software can help you.
When microorganisms are unintentionally present in food, they are considered biological contamination. Learn how to detect and avoid it.
Biological hazards refer to living organisms that can contaminate food and cause negative health effects on consumers. E.g., viruses, bacteria,...