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