Food safety issues seem to be in the headlines lately. A recent
survey by the Asian Food Information Centre into food
biotechnology showed that the number one concern people in Asia have
about their food supply is safety. While consumer
concerns largely focus on contamination by chemicals, the most common
cause of food-borne illness is actually microbial contamination.
Here are some of the more common microbiological food hazards as well
as tips on how to avoid food-borne disease.
Bacillus Cereus (Bacillus)
Onset: 8 to 16 hours
Symptoms:
Abdominal pain, watery diarrhea, vomiting and nausea
Associated Foods:
Meat products, soups, vegetables, puddings and sauces, milk and milk
products
Clostridium perfringens (Perfringens food poisoning)
Onset: 8 to 22 hours
Symptoms: Diarrhea,
abdominal cramps, headache, and the chills
Associated Foods:
Meat, poultry, stuffing, gravies and cooked foods held for serving or
stored at inappropriate temperatures
Escherichia coli (E. coli) 0 1 57:H7 (Hemorrhagic Colitis)
Onset: 2 to 5 days
Symptoms: Severe
abdominal cramping and diarrhea which is initially watery but becomes
bloody. Occasionally vomiting occurs. Fever is either low grade or
absent. Some individuals exhibit watery diarrhea only
Associated Foods: Raw
or undercooked ground beef, pasteurised milk, some fresh produce,
unpasteurised apple juice, alfalfa and radish sprouts
Listeria monocytogenes (Listeriosis)
Onset: 2 days to 3
weeks
Symptoms: Fever,
nausea, vomiting and diarrhea may precede more serious forms of
listeriosis or may be the only symptoms expressed. More serious
manifestations of listeriosis include meningitis and septicemia
(infection in the blood)
Associated Foods:
Improperly refrigerated milk, raw vegetables, soft or semi-soft cheese,
pate, delicatessan meat, poultry, seafood. Can grow slowly at
refrigerated temperatures
Salmonella species (Salmonellosis)
Onset: 6 to 48 hours
Symptoms: Nausea,
vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, fever, headache and chills.
Arthritic symptoms may follow 3-4 weeks after onset of acute symptoms
Associated Foods: Raw
or undercooked meats, poultry, milk and dairy products, shrimp, frog
legs, home-made commercial sauces and salad dressings, cream-filled
desserts and alfalfa sprouts
Staphylococcus aureus (Staphylococcal food poisoning)
Onset: I to 6 hours
Symptoms: Severe
nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramping
Associated Foods:
Frequently transmitted to foods by human carriers. Foods associated with
outbreaks include custard- or cream-filled baked goods, ham, tongue,
cooked poultry, gravies, eggs, potato salad, cream sauces, sandwich
fillings
TIPS ON AVOIDING FOOD-BORNE DISEASE
Always wash your hands. It sounds obvious but lack of hygiene is
still the leading cause of food poisoning.
Cook all foods thoroughly. Hamburger patties for example, should
not be pink in the middle.
Re-heat leftovers until they are steaming.
Keep hot foods at 140oC to prevent bacterial growth.
Cook cooked foods rapidly. Do not cool or defrost foods on the
kitchen bench. Refrigerate or freeze the foods as soon as possible.
Never re-freeze defrosted raw foods such as chicken or meat.
Throw our leftovers after 3 to 4 days.
Prevent raw foods from coming into contact with cooked foods.
Store raw and cooked foods on different shelves in the refrigerator.
Use different chopping boards for raw and cooked foods.
Wash kitchen sponges in water that is as hot as possible (or in
the dishwasher) and replace sponges frequently.
