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Food Poisoning

Food poisoning is an illness caused by consuming contaminated food or liquids (e.g. water). It’s not usually serious and most people get better within a few days without treatment. However, some infections spread by food are serious and can be life-threatening. In extreme cases, hospitalisation might be required. Furthermore, some illnesses caused by food poisoning might lead to other health problems, including:

  • Meningitis
  • Kidney damage
  • Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which can cause kidney failure
  • Arthritis
  • Brain and nerve damage

For some people, these health problems can last for weeks or months after recovering from a foodborne illness. For others, they never go away.

 

Infections That Cause Food Poisoning

Food poisoning is usually caused by:

  • Campylobacter bacteria – usually found on raw or undercooked meat.
  • Salmonella bacteria – often found in raw or undercooked meat, raw eggs, milk, and other dairy products.
  • Listeria bacteria – can be found in a pre-packed sandwiches, cooked sliced meats and soft cheeses.
  • E.coli bacteria – usually caught after eating undercooked beef.
  • Norovirus – spread from person to person, through contaminated food or water.

 

Food Poisoning Symptoms

Food poisoning usually occurs within one to 72 hours of eating contaminated or poisoned food. Symptoms normally last from one to seven days and include one or more of the following:

  • abdominal pain,
  • diarrhoea,
  • vomitting,
  • feeling sick,
  • fever,
  • dehydration,
  • collapse.

 

The Most at Risk

Every day thousands of people in Ireland suffer from food poisoning. Many of these will be very ill and some of them will die. Those most at risk include the very young, the elderly, persons who are already ill or recovering, and pregnant women and their unborn babies.

Most cases of food poisoning are the result of people not working properly in the kitchen, ‘taking chances’ and not paying proper attention to the delivery and storage of food. This is why training is important, so that you know what are you doing and are following a safe system when handling or preparing food at all times. That system is HACCP.

 

Common Causes of Food Poisoning

There are many causes of food poisoning, all of which are avoidable. Let’s look at the most common causes:

  1. Contamination of food by bacteria and viruses, due to not washing hands frequently, especially after sneezing or visiting the toilet, and in between handling raw meats and ready-to-eat food such as salads.
  2. Not heating food sufficiently to kill bacteria.
  3. Holding food: keeping it not hot enough (above 63°C) for too long a period, which allows bacteria to grow.
  4. Holding food: not cold enough. Not keeping food cold in the refrigerator, allowing bacteria to grow in a warm environment.
  5. Contaminating food, which will be not cooked, with bacteria. This is why we keep cooked and raw food separate.
  6. People carrying bacteria. This may be in the form of an infected boil or cut. Some people can carry dangerous bacteria without any sign of being ill.

Bacteria are not only living hazard. Viruses are found in shellfish and ourselves, especially living in close quarters. Other hazards include chemicals such as cleaning solutions and objects such as steel wire that can cut someone’s mouth, and our own hair which can easily fall into food and many carry bacteria. Effective instruction and training will prevent food poisoning if the good practices food handlers are thought are implemented in the workplace.

 

Please remember – it is a legal requirement that staff who are involved in a food environment are trained and/or supervised commensurate with their work activity!

Myelearnsafety offers fully online Food Safety (HACCP) courses.

To find out more, please check our Courses page.

Alternatively, should you need any additional information, please do not hesitate to let us know via email info@elearn.ie

Starting a Food Business from Home

Starting a food business from home can be a rewarding business venture. However, it is only for those committed to maintaining the highest level of hygiene and food safety. Producing food in your home for many people to eat is a serious undertaking. It is not the same as cooking for the family! You will be entering into a highly regulated business area with serious legal obligations. Food business operators are legally responsible for producing food that is safe.

 

Food Hygiene Legislation

Operating a food business from home does not exempt your business from the requirements of the food hygiene legislation (Regulation EC 852/2004). This legislation sets out requirements for:

  • Registration of the business with the Health Service Executive (HSE).
  • Hygiene rules to be complied with.
  • Training.
  • Food safety management system based on the principles of HACCP (Hazard analysis and critical control points) to ensure the production of safe food.
  • Traceability systems and recall procedures in the event of unsafe food being placed on the market.

Where food of animal origin, e.g. meat, poultry, eggs, fish, unpasteurised milk, is being processed, you may also need to comply with the legislation setting down specific hygiene rules for foods of animal origin (Regulation 853/2004). In some cases, the business may require approval by the HSE.

You should contact your local HSE office as soon as possible to check if your home is suitable for the intended food business activities. Contact details for local HSE offices are available HERE (Contact details if you’ve made a complaint about a food business and want to follow it up with the local food inspector, or if you need to register your business).

 

Additional Legislation

Compliance with additional legislation may be required depending on the type of product which you intend to make, e.g. labelling, additives, marketing standards for eggs, nutrition and health claims etc.

Full details of all food legislation can be found on FSAI website page Food Legislation.

 

Possible Pitfalls when Operating a Food Business from Home

Starting a food business from home can present specific problems that you should be aware of.

1) Food can become contaminated due to:
  • Normal domestic activities – there must be proper segregation of business and domestic food preparation and activities.
  • Poor hygiene – not washing hands properly or frequently enough, particularly after using the toilet, handling refuse etc., dirty cloths and tea towels, poor cleaning. practices, dirty equipment/utensils etc.
  • Working when ill, particularly when suffering from vomiting/diarrhoea, infected skin wounds, flu, coughing and infections of the mouth, throat, eyes or ears.
  • Changing/feeding babies in food preparation areas.
  • People or pets entering food preparation areas.
  • Facilities being too small.
2) Production of too much food for the size of the area.
3) Insufficient/unsuitable refrigerator space to keep food chilled.
4) Lack of equipment necessary to cool food fast enough after cooking.
5) The type of food being produced or the process involved presents too high a risk to take place safely in a domestic kitchen.
6) Food may be supplied to a vulnerable group, e.g. babies and young children, pregnant women and the elderly.

 

Food Labelling

Food which is prepacked by the manufacturer before being brought for sale at a farmers market or other food stall is subject to the full labelling rules. All of the mandatory information, must then appear on the product label. More information on what is required to be declared on the label is available in FSAI factsheet Food Information for Consumers at Markets Operated by Country Markets Limited. These rules also apply where it is intended to sell your produce in local retail premises.

 

Additional food safety related useful information can be found on FSAI website.

 

Please remember – it is a legal requirement that staff who are involved in a food environment are trained and/or supervised commensurate with their work activity!

Myelearnsafety offers fully online Food Safety (HACCP) courses.

To find out more, please check our Courses page.

Alternatively, should you need any additional information, please do not hesitate to let us know via email info@elearn.ie

Safe Food Preparation Tips

Every person working in a food-handling industry must maintain a high level of safe food handling. This article is going to provide some basic safe food preparation tips.

The primary objective of the hygiene rules is to ensure a high level of food safety to protect customers. It covers the activities carried out by food service outlets that prepare and sell food to be consumed directly by customers or wrapped and pre-packaged before they are sold.

You can prevent the spread of food poisoning bacteria through good food handling practices and by maintaining good personal hygiene.

 

Burning Hot Tips

  • Cook food thoroughly. The core temperature should reach 75°C instantaneously or equivalent, e.g. 70°C for two minutes. The core is taken as the centre or thickest part of the food.
  • Keep hot food hot. Keep hot food in a hot holding cabinet (above 63°C). This is outside the danger zone.
  • Lukewarm food is dangerous. Keeping food only warm is a perfect environment for bacteria to grow.
  • Cooked food not stored above 63ºC should be used up within two hours of cooking.
  • First In First Out. Ensure the first batch of cooked food placed in the hot holding cabinet is served first.
  • Only reheat, i.e. regeneration, once.
  • Reheat to piping hot at 70°C at the core of the food.
  • Discard hot held food leftover at the end of the day.

 

Ice Cold Tips

  • Keep cold food cold. Store in a refrigerated display unit (below 5°C). This is outside the danger zone so bacteria will not multiply.
  • Only freeze food once. Once food is defrosted, bacteria can multiply. If this is frozen again, the amount of bacteria could be at a dangerous level.
  • Defrost thoroughly. If the centre of the food is still frozen it may not be fully cooked before serving and some bacteria may survive.
  • Date leftovers and as a general rule, discard after two days. Salads and sandwich fillings leftover at the end of the day may be kept for use for the following day provided they are covered and remain at refrigeration temperatures.
  • Use up the leftovers first and avoid mixing them with freshly prepared salads or sandwich fillings.
  • If cooling cooked food for refrigerated storage – cool food quickly but let the steam evaporate from the food first before covering and placing in the refrigerator. Cutting the food into smaller portions or spreading in a shallow dish will facilitate quicker cooling.

 

Good Safe Food Handling Practices

  • Never allow raw food to come into contact with cooked or ready-to-eat foods.
  • Store raw foods separately from cooked and ready-to-eat foods.
  • Alternatively, store raw food on the bottom shelf in the fridge and store cooked and ready-to-eat food on the top shelves.
  • Keep food covered or store it in sealed food containers.
  • Wash your hands between handling raw and cooked/ ready-to-eat foods.
  • Use separate work areas, utensils and equipment for preparing raw and cooked/ready-to-eat foods. If this is not possible, clean and disinfect utensils and work surfaces carefully between these tasks.
  • Ensure that your service cloth is kept clean and is replaced frequently.

 

Good Personal Hygiene

Good personal hygiene is one of the most important practices to ensure safe food.

  • Wash hands regularly
    • Wash your hands thoroughly using hot water and liquid soap:
      • Before starting work
      • Before handling cooked or ready-to-eat food
      • Before using disposable gloves
      • After handling raw food
      • After using the toilet
      • After handling rubbish
      • After smoking
      • After touching your hair or face, sneezing, coughing and using a handkerchief
      • After performing routine cleaning tasks
  • Be clean and tidy
    • Be clean and tidy and wear clean protective clothing such as an apron or overall when handling or serving food.
    • Keep hair clean and covered under a cap or hairnet. Long hair must be tied up.
    • Keep nails clean and short.
    • Don’t wear strong perfume, nail varnish or excessive make-up.
    • Restrict your jewellery to a plain wedding band and small earrings.
  • Treat food with care
    • Do not handle food unnecessarily – use tongs where possible.
    • Do not pick your nose, lick your fingers, taste food with your fingers, eat, chew gum, cough or sneeze near food that you are preparing or serving.
    • Cover cuts and sores with a blue waterproof dressing.
    • Inform your immediate supervisor if you have diarrhoea or an upset stomach. If you are ill you should not prepare or handle food but may perform alternative duties until the illness has passed.

Adherence to these safe food practices is essential in any food safety business. However, there is no reason why safe food handling should not be practiced in your home as well. SefeFood has some additional advices for kitchen hygiene and food safety for domestic kitchens.

 

Please remember – it is a legal requirement that staff who are involved in a food environment are trained and/or supervised commensurate with their work activity!

Myelearnsafety offers fully online Food Safety (HACCP) courses.

To find out more, please check our Courses page.

Alternatively, should you need any additional information, please do not hesitate to let us know via email info@elearn.ie

Are there Food Safety Requirements for a Childcare Provider?

The Environmental Health Association of Ireland (EHAI) recommends that where a childcare service provides food to children, relevant staff are required to have food safety training.

The childcare provider needs to have a HACCP (Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Point) Food Safety System in place.

 

Your food safety management system allows you to identify and control any hazards that could pose a danger to the preparation of safe food. It helps you to:

 

  • identify what can go wrong
  • plan to prevent it
  • make sure you are doing it.

 

According to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI), If you are responsible for developing and maintaining your business’s HACCP based procedures then you must undertake adequate training in the application of HACCP principles.

 

HACCP training is a requirement

 

What Level of Food Safety Training Do Our Staff Need?

 

Food Safety HACCP Level 1

The Food Safety (HACCP) Level 1 course is ideal for those with no previous experience, with light food handling duties and/or performing low-risk duties (such as waiters, baristas, caregivers, kitchen porters, deli shop assistants, etc.). 

 

Food Safety HACCP Level 2

This is the recommended level for all food handlers, or those working in a kitchen setting, who do not have management responsibility for HACCP.

 

Food Safety HACCP Level 3

Food Safety HACCP Level 3 defines food safety skills for management and is aimed specifically towards Catering Managers, Supervisors, Executive and Head Chefs within the Hospitality Industry, Industrial and Institutional Catering Units, along with the Health Sector, Retail Sector and Delis.There should be at least one food worker with Food Safety HACCP Level 3 on duty in a food premises. 

 

Managers, Owners, need to be able to manage HACCP systems. They should also have a good understanding of how to implement a HACCP Programme for their workplace. All food businesses are required by law to have a food safety management system in place based on the principles of HACCP (Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Point).

 

What Can Myelearnsafety Do for You?

Contact Myelearnsafety, HACCP Food Safety Training Consultants can be contacted for free HACCP Food Safety Advice and Guidance.

 

Telephone the office @ 01 278 1938 – As for Shane or Cormac