Proper food handling is easy to overlook when you’re preparing your own food even though the consequences are well documented. However, those in the service industry know better and have a professional obligation to do better. If food is not properly stored, handled or prepared it can result in some nasty food-related illnesses. Let’s have a closer look at a few of the more common “creepy crawlies” that can cause real harm to one’s digestive system.
Sometimes danger needs a name and a face to be taken seriously; here are 3 microscopic creepy crawlies that will encourage proper food handling.
Salmonella
At first, it might sound like a tasty way to prepare salmon. Obviously, that’s not the case at all and just us bringing comedy to a serious matter. Salmonella is a bacterium that affects the intestinal tract and it can quickly become a very messy and discomforting business. This infection is typically the result of eating undercooked poultry or eggs.
Salmonella is often confused with the stomach flu but symptoms can include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, vomiting and chills. These symptoms can last a few days and in more concerning cases, up to a week or more.
Escherichia Coli
Let’s go ahead and call it by its more common name E-Coli. This is a group of bacteria that normally lives in the gastrointestinal tract but there are variations of this bacteria that can cause real harm. E-Coli can enter your system by way of undercooked meat or raw fruits and vegetables that are not washed well. Yep, it’s that simple.
E-Coli symptoms are similar to salmonella and often include diarrhea, stomach cramps as well as loss of appetite. Unlike salmonella, E-Coli can also branch out and affect your urinary tract which leads to a host of other very bothersome medical issues.
Listeria Monocytogenes
Commonly referred to as Listeria, this is a very troubling bug that can grow at refrigerator temperatures and even survive in your freezer. It’s often found in deli meats and certain raw vegetables. This is a bug that poses a very serious threat to the elderly as well as people with a weakened immune system. Pregnant women are particularly vulnerable if this bacterium is acquired.
Unlike the aforementioned, Listeria might take a while before it presents itself. Symptoms might begin a few days after consuming contaminated food but, according to the Mayo Clinic, it can also take up to 30 days or more before those first symptoms surface. Watch out for the ever-common diarrhea, fever, chills and nausea and also prepare for the possibility that Listeria can spread to your nervous system causing a whole other host of issues.
Proper Food Handling Saves the Day in So Many Ways
These are just a few of the “creepy crawlies” that will encourage proper food handling, preparation and storage. If you are employed as a food handler in the service industry the stakes are even higher; you not only have the health and safety of you and your family in your hands, but the health and safety of hundreds if not thousands of patrons in your hands. The best way to prepare for proper food handling is to make sure that your food handling certification is up to date and that you abide by your learnings from this training. Remember, when it comes to food handling, if you’re not in the “know” then you are needlessly putting lives and livelihoods at risk. American Course Academy offers food handler certificates for many states. Enroll for your food handler certification today.
