Food Poisoning and Infectious Diseases
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Causes of Food Poisoning
Certain foods can support bacteria more easily than others. This includes –
- Meat Products – both red meat and poultry, burgers, sausages, etc.
- Dairy Products – milk (especially raw), creams, soft cheeses, etc.
- Egg Products – eggs, mayonnaise, etc.
- Shellfish
The ten main faults resulting in food poisoning outbreaks are –
- Food prepared too far in advance and stored at room temperature
- Cooling food too slowly
- Not re-heating food to high enough temperatures to destroy food poisoning bacteria
- Undercooking food
- Not thawing frozen poultry for sufficient time
- Cross-contamination from raw foods to ready to eat foods
- Storing hot food below 63°c
- Infected food handlers
- Eating raw food such as eggs, milk and shellfish
- Eating cooked food that has been left out of the fridge and has been contaminated with food poisoning bacteria