Healthy people have bacteria in their nose, mouth, intestines, and on their skin.
Products can be contaminated directly by our hands or by sneezing or coughing.
Many insects introduce bacteria to products.
Bacteria Growth Requirements
Water (i.e., Moisture)
Nutrients (carbohydrates, nitrogen, etc.)
Temperatures of 5 to 50°C
pH of 5-9
Many do not require oxygen to grow
Where Bacteria are Found
On our skin, nose, ears, and mouth
In our stomach
In soil
On plants and vegetables
In water
In air
Bacteria Contamination Methods (via Pests)
Flies transfer bacteria whenever they land on something.
Cockroaches often live in drains and feed on rotting garbage. They carry bacteria on their legs and contaminate products and equipment that they may crawl over.
Foodborne Illness Defined
Foodborne disease or food poisoning
Any illness resulting from the food spoilage of contaminated food, pathogenic bacteria, viruses, or parasites that contaminate food, as well as toxins.
Foodborne Illness: Bacteria and Viruses
The most common cause of food poisoning.
The bacteria and viruses that cause the most illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths are: Salmonella, Listeria, E.coli, Norovirus, Campylobacter and Clostridium perfringens.
Foodborne Illness: Symptoms and Consequences
Symptoms of food poisoning include diarrhea, nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting, fever, cramps.
Other serious consequences include kidney and liver failure, brain and neural disorders, reactive arthritis, cancer and death.
Foodborne Illness: Allergens
Food allergy is an abnormal response to a food triggered by your body's immune system. Allergic reactions to food can sometimes cause serious illness and death.
The foods that most often trigger allergic reactions are:
Milk
Eggs
Fish (e.g., bass, flounder, cod)
Crustacean shellfish (e.g. crab, lobster, shrimp)
Tree nuts (e.g., almonds, walnuts, pecans)
Peanuts
Wheat
Soybeans
Foodborne Illness: Molds, Toxins, and Contaminants
Some cases of food poisoning can be linked to either natural toxins (such as those in some mushrooms and pufferfish) or chemical toxins (such as pesticides or melamine).
While some molds are desirable in foods (such as blue cheese), other molds can produce toxins that cause illness.
WHO's Five Keys to Safer Food
KEEP CLEAN
SEPARATE RAW AND COOKED
COOK THOROUGHLY
KEEP FOOD AT SAFE TEMPERATURE
Danger zone: 5°C - 60°C
Cook to: 70°C
USE SAFE WATER AND RAW MATERIALS
Controlling Microbial Contamination
Disinfection/Sanitation - alcohol, chlorine, Iodine, Peroxide, Quaternary amines or phenolics