Question

Discuss food borne illness and protective measures to prevent foodborne illness. Choose a foodborne outbreak in the media or news in the past two years and discuss how it was handled and how it could have been prevented

Answer 1

Foodborne illness (also foodborne disease or f

ood poisoning) is any illness resulting from the contaminated food, pathogenic bacteria, viruses, or parasites that contaminate food, as well as toxins such as poisonous mushrooms and various species of beans that have not been boiled for at least 10 minutes.

After a year of consultation with food safety experts and risk communicators, the WHO introduced a global health message to prevent foodborne disease:

The Five Keys to Safer Food.

1. Keep clean
2. Separate raw and cooked
3. Cook thoroughly
4. Keep food at safe temperatures
5. Use safe water and raw material

This message has been developed by the Food Standards Agency using the 4 C's approach to Food Safety.

The Four C's

The Four C's that will help you to stay safe from food-borne illnesses in the kitchen.

1. Cleaning
2. Cooking
3. Cross contamination
4. Chilling

Cleaning

Clean kitchen surfaces after preparing foods; try to 'clean as you go'.

• After handling raw meat, poultry, fish and other raw foods always wash hands, utensils and surfaces thoroughly and before any contact with other food, especially cooked and ready-to-eat foods.

Cooking

Follow recipes and label instructions on cooking times and temperatures.

• Remember to pre-heat the oven properly.

Check food is piping hot before serving. Double check that sausages, burgers, pork and poultry are cooked right through; they should not be 'rare' or pink in the middle and when pierced with a knife any juices that run out of the meat should be clear, not bloody.

Don't cook foods too far in advance. Once cooked, keep foods covered and piping hot (above 63°C) until it's time to eat them.

When using the microwave stir foods and drinks and allow them to stand for a couple of minutes to avoid hot or cold spots.​

Cross contamination

Food poisoning is often caused when harmful bacteria on one food or surface are spread via hands or kitchen utensils to cross-contaminate other foods.

Good hygiene helps prevent this. Keep raw foods separate from cooked and ready-to-eat food at all times.

In particular keep raw meat, fish, poultry and other raw foods away from ready-to-eat foods such as salads, bread and sandwiches.

Chilling

Do not put hot food directly into the fridge or freezer, let it cool sufficiently first; but remember that cooling should be completed within one or two hours after cooking.