Biological and Ergonomic Hazards
You have been hired by the City Council as an Environmental Health Consultant to provide technical advice about two topics. Assignment Write a paper in which you respond to the following questions: 1. There has been an increase in emergency visits due to food-borne poisoning. Samonellosis seems to be a frequent diagnosis in these visits. Explain to the residents of the community and owners of food establishments what guidelines they should follow to improve food safety and to prevent specifically, salmonellosis. In your explanation, it should be evident what the principles of food safety are. 2. Additionally, there seems to be a growing belief in the community that reheating food, particularly leftovers, prior to eating can render the food safe for consumption. Discuss the practice of reheating leftover foods, along with examples and justification of whether or not this belief is true or false; provide specific examples of food-borne pathogens as you give examples.
Sample Solution
The purpose of this paper is to provide technical advice to the residents of a community and owners of food establishments on how to improve food safety in order to prevent salmonellosis. Salmonellosis is an infectious disease caused by the presence of Salmonella bacteria which can be found in contaminated foods. In order to reduce cases of salmonellosis, it is important for both individuals and food establishments to adhere to certain principles related to food safety.
The first principle is cleanliness. This means that all surfaces and utensils used for preparing or handling foods should be kept sanitized at all times in order reduce the risk of contamination (USDA 2021). For example, countertops where raw meats are being cut should be wiped down with a disinfectant after use while hands should also be washed frequently before and after handling any type of food (USDA 2021). Additionally, any spills or messes that are made in kitchens or areas where food may come into contact with them should also be cleaned up promptly as these can potentially provide ideal conditions for the growth of bacteria including Salmonella (USDA 2021).
The second principle is temperature control; foods must always be stored at proper temperatures in order maintain their quality and prevent spoilage as well as bacterial growth. Refrigerated items such as dairy products, fish and meat should never exceed 40 degrees Fahrenheit while non-refrigerated items like breads or grains must remain below room temperature which usually ranges between 68-70 degrees Fahrenheit (USDA 2021). Furthermore, cooked foods must also reach a minimum internal temperature so that they can safely consumed without posing any risk towards those consuming them(CDC 2020).
Finally, another critical principle when it comes to improving overall food safety concerns cross contamination. This involves separating ready-to-eat items from those which need further preparation or cooking because coming into direct contact with uncooked ingredients might lead cause unwanted bacteria from one item spreading onto another (FDA n.d.). Therefore it’s important for kitchen staff especially when dealing with customers orders take extra precautions when using shared equipment such as cutting boards or utensils.
In conclusion, if everyone follows these basic principles related to hygiene cleanliness, temperature control and cross contamination then there will likely be less cases related salmonellosis within communities.
