Prevent Spreading Food Borne Illness By Taking A Food Handling Course

Prevent Spreading Food Borne Illness By Taking A Food Handling Course

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The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates 90% of all food borne illness are caused by salmonella, norovirus, campylobacter, toxoplasma, E. coli O157:H7, listeria and clostridium perfringens. These illnesses are the common result of food that is improperly prepared, handled or stored. Anyone working in the food industry even in a volunteer position should have the proper training and knowledge to avoid contaminating food with one of these potentially fatal pathogens. In fact, all retail and hospitality food outlets in New South Wales (NSW) require employees to take a food safety supervisor course.

A food handling course goes far beyond simply pointing out the dangers of incorrectly preparing or handling raw chicken or fish; most are already aware of how easy it is to cross contaminate other foods in the kitchen with raw meats. The food handling course will point out lesser known areas of concern that may come as a surprise to the student. For example, while raw fruits and vegetables are known to provide boundless health benefits and are strongly advised as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle, they still need to be properly prepared in order to avoid contamination with salmonella. Raw sprouts and raw cantaloupe are especially vulnerable. Other foods at risk for salmonella include salad dressings, cream sauces, desserts made with dairy products (including frosting) and unpasteurised milks and cheeses. A few simple steps is all it takes to make sure these delicious and nutritious foods are safe to eat steps that are part of the curriculum of a food handling course.

A particularly disgusting food borne disease is norovirus. Noroviruses are found in vomit and faeces. In a society that practices frequent hand washing, one would think outbreaks of this particular illness would be rare. Unfortunately this is not always the case. In addition to food handlers not washing their hands long enough or with enough soap, those diapering an infected child and those sharing a cup or fork with an infected person become carriers of the disease. Symptoms can take up to 48 hours to manifest; a person carrying norovirus may be completely unaware that they are infected. Sewage in water where shellfish is harvested can affect food directly at the source. The food handling course discusses personal hygiene, which is the main factor in preventing outbreaks of norovirus.

One of the most popular names in food borne illness is E. coli. E. coli is a very interesting because it is a bacteria that lives in your intestines, breaking down the food you ingest. However, when certain strains E. coli migrate from the intestine into the blood stream, trouble abounds. Beef is the popular culprit of harmful E. coli, but plant food sources have not escaped immunity. A particularly virulent strain was traced back to fresh spinach in 2006. In Europe 20 people have died due to a recent E.coli outbreak source still unknown.

It is easy to become discouraged when you learn how quickly and easily an outbreak of food borne illness can occur, however, with tight regulations on food safety and the strictly enforced requirement of a food handling course for those working with food, consumers can dine out in confidence knowing the kitchen and wait staff have received, prepared and served their food in the safest possible manner.

About the Author:
All food workers in NSW require a food handling course. We provide several different levels of certification depending on your type of food service (retail and hospitality, health and community service, or food processing) along with two levels of training to accommodate the entry level employee and those in a supervisory role. Obtain nationally recognised certification with one of our online, correspondence, or in house courses.



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