Poor personal hygiene practices in a restaurant and how to prevent food poisoning

The kitchen staff and food handlers of a restaurant, deli, cafeteria, meat market, bar etc. are a common source for bacteria and viral contamination in your food, that can very readily cause you be become ill. What can you do then to protect yourself and determine if the business is practicing good health and safety, and the staff good personal hygiene?

There are a number of subtle and obvious signs, practices etc. that the consumer can and should look for in a restaurant related to the personal hygiene of the food handlers. The following list of practices or requirements (by law) are designed to prevent or minimize contamination of food, either directly from the food handler, or from cross-contamination from other sources. Review each one and make a mental note to remember to look for these the next time you are patronizing your favorite restaurant or market:

Look for clean clothing and aprons and hair restraints, either a hat or hairnet to hold all the hair in place for anyone handling or processing open, exposed foods. Clothing must be sufficient to cover the entire body including arms if necessary to block body hair from getting into the food. Fingernails of food handlers must be kept clean, cut or trimmed and well manicured. Hair, skin, and fingernails are common sources of bacteria that if given the right conditions for growth in food, very readily and commonly do cause illness.

Food handlers should be wearing clean aprons and should not wipe their hands on their aprons (paper or single-use disposable towels is the requirement). Aprons must be changed frequently as they become soiled or contaminated.

If the food handlers are wearing gloves, do not automatically consider this a good sign. Gloves are generally not required and at most establishments you will not see cooks or kitchen staff wearing gloves. Gloves are not a guarantee against food contamination. They can become contaminated just as easily as bare hands and the person wearing the gloves may not even realize their hands have been contaminated, whereas they would normally feel a splash or liquid contact on bare hands. Gloves are also not a substitute for washing hands. Hand washing is still required or recommended both before donning gloves for working with food, and between replacing gloves.

Gloves are still required when contacting food or food contact services if the food handler has cuts, sores, rashes, artificial nails, nail polish, rings (other than a plain ring such as a wedding band), orthopedic support devices, or fingernails that are not clean, smooth or neatly trimmed.

Utensils are also either required or recommended when processing or handling food. A utensil, instead of the hands, should be used as much as possible during processing.

Employees serving or placing ready-to-eat food on tableware or containers, or assembling ready-to-eat food should always use tongs, forks, spoons, paper rappers or gloves rather than bare hands. Bare hands, under the law in many areas, can be used if they have been just previously washed. Although as a customer, seeing bare hand contact with any ready-to-eat food would likely cause me to look for, or order something else.

Makeup, perfume and jewelry can also contaminate your food and should be kept to a minimum on all food handlers.

Bad habits to look for while checking out the food handlers (which includes servers, as well) are any use of tobacco, spitting, rubbing or picking the nose, ears, pimples or boils, licking their fingers, or eating while working or just eating or chewing gum in the kitchen area. All of these habits can potentially contaminate your food with hazardous germs (bacteria or viruses.)

Smoking, or any form of tobacco use, by employees is definitely not allowed in any area where food is prepared, served, or stored, or utensils are cleaned or stored, for two important reasons. (1) A person smoking can easily pick up saliva on his or her hands by touching his or her mouth or touching the cigarette that just came from their mouth. This saliva is then passed on to your food as soon as this food handler touches it; (2) The ashes and cigarette butts left behind may be dropped or spilled and thereby mixed into and contaminate your food.

Obviously ill employees cannot work in any way with exposed food, clean equipment, utensils or linens or unwrapped single-use utensils. Symptoms to look out for are persistent sneezing, coughing, or runny nose, or discharges from the eyes, nose, or mouth.

Look for cross-contamination. If you can see into the kitchen or processing area, you can observe how the employees handle raw products, especially meat, chicken and seafood products in relation to cooked or ready-to-eat products, such as salads. They should never use the same utensils, cutting boards, plates, platters or their hands for handling raw product and then turn around and use the same utensil or equipment or hand for handling cooked or ready-to-eat products (known as cross-contamination) without both washing and sanitizing in between. I have witnessed this both as a customer and while working as an inspector. The instances as a customer were observed at various barbeque restaurants where the employee used the same set of prongs and fork for putting the raw chicken on the grill as for taking off and processing the cooked chicken. Cross contamination is a very common and serious hazard and is a leading cause of food-borne illness.

Lastly, in California it is now state law that if the facility prepares, handles or serves non-prepackaged potentially hazardous foods (ready-to-eat foods), there must be an owner or employee who has successfully passed an approved and accredited food safety certification examination. Unfortunately the law in California does not require the certified owner, manager or employee to be present during all hours of operation. Check with your local Environmental Health Food Inspection Program.

This certificate with the individuals name is usually posted (though not required to be) on a wall near the entrance or where the consumers can view it. Look for it and even inquire if this person on the certificate is present. If they state that this person is no longer working for them then it's time to make inquiries to the manager and even to the Environmental Health program. I have seen both restaurants where everyone working was certified and all their certificates were posted on the wall, and the other extreme, where no one was certified.

When I do see a certificate on the wall, while as a customer, I take note of the name on the certificate and then just ask the waiter, waitress or server if this person is working today. If they are, then I take this as at least a positive sign (no guarantee of course) of improved safety. If they aren't, I might be a little more cautious or alert that before; or even worse if they say something to the effect that this person no longer works here, I would then bring it to the attention of the manager or owner stating that that they need to replace him or her and take down this certificate. I would also contact the local Environmental Health Food Inspection Program for further investigation.

If you observe any of these hazards or potential violations you have really 3 actions you can take:

1. Immediately notify the manager and request the problem be remedied at once (washing hands, discarding the contaminated food, providing a utensil, etc.) and then determine whether to stay depending of the how well the manager reacts.
2. Say nothing and leave without ordering anything.
3. Say nothing, and proceed as if nothing had happened and hope for the best. I would hope that most of us who have experienced the pain and symptoms of a food poisoning, would not take this approach.

Regardless of how you immediately act, I would recommend you still get on the phone or internet and contact your local Environmental Health Food Inspection Program and make a complaint. Believe it or not, one main function and responsibility of the local food inspection and enforcement agency is to respond to and address complaints received by the public. These local government enforcement agencies depend on you to be a second set of eyes and ears as to what is happening in your neighborhood. Most facilities are inspected perhaps on average, and at best, twice per year, and the inspector is only there for an hour or so at most. Therefore, you, being a regular or even occasional customer, may very likely see and experience things that the inspector will never see.

Leave your name and phone number so they can contact you with their findings after the inspection. (Most departments have a strict policy of maintaining complainants information confidential.) They may not observe what you observed but they will bring the complaint to the attention of the manager or owner and will be alert to it at future inspections.

Requirements of the code of health & a Salad Bar or Buffet and how to avoid food poisoning

With the exception of high-end establishments, just about every type of restaurant today has some form of customer self-service buffet and salad bar that serves food ready for consumption. Even El Pollo Loco and other Mexican style restaurants allow you to choose and fill a choice of salsas. Asian style buffet restaurants are another great with many appearing in most major cities. Then of course there are restaurants that focus exclusively on buffets and salad bars.

The safety and health laws governing these views have developed over the years to deal with the uniqueness of this type of set up and some of the unique dangers or risks to consumers. Below are most of these requirements, as well as my recommendations from years of experience inspecting restaurant buffets and salad bars:

An obvious requirement is that all open exposed ready to eat foods must be shielded to block a direct line between the mouth of the client and the food on display. This shield is generally known as a sneeze to displays of food and is usually made of glass or clear plastic, the largest angle above the food enough to block the possible contamination from the mouth of the client (sneezing, coughing, sputum, falandoetc). The shield can also take the form of a container with tight fitting lid firmly connected, usually with hinges. If there is no evidence of a shield or cover view is probably not approved and must be avoided.

A separate utensil with a handle is required for each food displayed for self-service. Any customer can touch any food exposed with hands.

Must be clean plates and other crockery at or adjacent to the salad bar or buffet and customers should be remembered or notified if need be, that just clears the table should be used to return to the buffet.

The proper temperature should be maintained. The food is generally displayed on ice (and really should be buried in the ice), or containers are sitting in a refrigerated unit or hotter, or food is sitting under a heat lamp. Browse by steam from the heater or steam table and even feed themselves. don't rely on a chafing dish for long term holding (over 2 hours). You usually only see chafing dishes in a temporary buffet setting. They are large plates of metal surface with one or two canned gas lit flame below, trying to keep the food hot. Perhaps they are good for short periods of time only and should not be trusted or definitely not approved for a more permanent configuration of buffet. Heat lamps usually fall into this same category. They are also not the best way to keep hot holding temperatures over a long period of times.

Employees must constantly monitor and maintain your buffet or salad bar. They should be doing everything refueling for cleaning and checking temperatures frequently.

No sulfites or sulfating agents. Sulphites used to be an agent of common especially on fruit preservation, keeping a fresh appearance. Most if not all Member States shall prohibit any food enforcement agents sulfating for fresh fruits and vegetables to raw consumption, or for all potentially hazardous foods. Sulphites are still allowed on fruits and vegetables not sold in raw state, such as dried fruits and grapes used for wine.

Absolutely no flies or other types of parasites (cockroaches, rodents) may be present. Contrary to what you may have heard, there is no acceptable number or amount of worms allowed in a food. Parasites are strictly illegal in all areas of the establishment. They harbor and can transmit dangerous microorganisms like dirt for your food and should not be tolerated.

No leaking and grouping of wastewater in the soil surface, the melting of ice, or cooling or warmer unit.

Most food must have a label identifying the common name of the food, sauce, dressing, seasonings, etc.

Learn the requirements and potential risks of a buffet or salad bar is the only good consumer awareness and can give you the advantage of preventing a serious food borne illness.

Safe foods

Food preparation

The term "cooking" encompasses a wide range of methods, tools and combinations of ingredients to improve the flavor or digestibility of food. Cooking technique, known as culinary art, generally requires the selection, measurement and combining of ingredients in an ordered procedure in an effort to achieve the desired result. Constraints on success include the variability of ingredients, ambient conditions, tools, and the ability of the individual cooking.

Cooking requires applying heat to a food which usually, though not always, chemically transforms it, thus changing its flavor, texture, appearance and nutritional properties

It's no coincidence that "health comes first. As the doctors say, you are what you eat. However. Today, most people spend their lives in search of health, wealth and happiness, many people take efforts to buy nutritious food, good for you and your loved ones, only to undo your efforts through cooking unhealthy

Food borne illness are usually caused by improper handling, preparation or storage of food.Good hygiene practices before during and after can reduce the chances of disease. It can reduce, but not always prevent because it might be someday be other reasons for the contamination.

Food poisoning can lead to serious health problems and even death, especially for babies, children, pregnant women, elderly patients and people with weak immune system.

Bacteria and viruses need to be thought of as hitchhikers that can be carried around and deposited wherever the contact is made. A dirty knife in cooked meat will deposit bacteria at the time. Dirty hands in Sandwich next deposit bacteria that you do. A dirty Board, which had only chicken will transfer the bacteria in meat cooked on the spot.

Dirty hands in Sandwich next deposit bacteria that you do. A dirty Board, which had only chicken will transfer these bacteria to your lettuce if you choose to use it without washing and cleaning for the first time.

How can I make sure my food is safe? 1. temperature controls bacteria that commonly cause food poisoning bacteria grow rapidly between 5oC and 60oC, this is known as the "temperature danger zone".

To keep food safe:

Don't let the perishable foods in the danger zone temperature for more than 2 hours
Keep cold food in a refrigerator, freezer below 5oC until ready to cook or serve, e.g. If you keep salads serving them in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Keep hot food in a furnace or hot box above 60oC until you are ready to serve, refrigerate leftovers as soon as possible, within 2 hours. If reheating leftovers, reheat steam hot never defrost food on top of the stove. Foods should be thawed in the refrigerator overnight or in the microwave.

Preparation:

Always check your food ingredients for health before starting. The use by date, look and smell are excellent indicators that the item hasn't spoiled. Do not defrost food at room temperature. Thaw frozen foods in the fridge, completely or in a microwave if cooked immediately.

Keep food clean, avoiding cross-contamination. Keep dirty preparation activities and away from food cleaned or cooked. Do not share utensils, plates and chopping boards between dirty and clean operations of cooked foods. Between handling raw foods and cooked, wash utensils such as tongs, knives and chopping boards with hot water and SOAP. Make sure that the utensils and equipment are always clean.

Wash hands thoroughly before preparing, after going to the bathroom and after treatment of pets and raw foods. Use SOAP and warm water, rubbing at least 30 seconds because of the risk of serious illness

Safety tips for preventing food-borne disease this summer

As picnic and grilling season is upon us so much of our focus is on enjoying warmer and Alfresco dining. But now is also a good time to refresh our memory on food handling safety and prevention of diseases, food borne illness. We can take two approaches to protect our health food illness: cleaning of the kitchen and food storage and preparation of food.

Cleaning kitchen: even in a kitchen immaculate contamination can occur. Media practice good practice immediately flush anything that comes into contact with raw meat using a cleaning rag is dedicated exclusively to the cleaning of instruments and surfaces that have come into contact with raw meat or poultry. Some restaurants use dish cloths pink to work in areas where raw meat is treated and white cloths in areas where the cooked food is handled. It is advisable to confine the handling raw meat for so small area as possible, as the collector and clean thoroughly after the preparation of meat.

A diluted mixture of bleach and warm water is an effective disinfectant chlorine sterilization of surfaces where raw meat has been treated. To maintain convenience hand disinfection wipes or Lysol for Clorox that kill 99% of bacteria. Use the wipes to wipe counters and tools, and then drop to avoid spreading bacteria and contamination of cloth to other surfaces. I keep a spray bottle with 1/3-part chlorine 2/3-parts water on hand for spray surfaces and wipe with paper toweling. Allow the mixing of chlorine set on the surface of a few minutes before clearing clears and discarding the toweling paper.

Food handling: handling food safety begins at the time of purchase. At best the meat or poultry will be used soon after purchase, but if not they must be stored between 28F and 32F on meat refrigerator compartment. If the meat is not used within two days should be wrapped in a plastic not permeable and stored in the freezer until use, but not more than 6 to 12 months. Meat should only be thawed in the refrigerator, never the temperature where bacteria, yeasts, moulds and viruses could develop.

E. coli is the most well-known food borne bacteria can live on meat and vegetables. In fact, any food can be contaminated with it: undercooked hamburger and roast beef, unpasteurized milk, raw unpasteurized cider apples unwashed that fell in soil contaminated by manure from sick cows, vegetables grown in soil fertilized with cow dung. There is no way a farmer, however careful and aware can know which cow is contaminated and what is not. so is the Cook to prepare the food they serve correctly according to handling food safety guidelines.

The US Department of Agriculture has prepared a list of Fahrenheit temperatures for meat, poultry and eggs should be cooked to kill food-borne bacteria. Temperatures shall be measured with a thermometer instant-read cleanup inserted in thickest part of beef. See the table below:

Fresh ground beef, veal, lamb, pork: 160fs

Beef, veal, lamb: roasted, steaks, chops: 145F (medium rare); 160fs (medium). 170F (well done)

Fresh pork roasts, steaks, chops: 160fs (medium). 170F (well done)

Ham: cooking before eating: 160fs

Ham: fully cooked, to reheat: 140F

Poultry: chicken, Ground Turkey: 165F

Whole poultry: chicken, Turkey: 180F

Poultry breasts, roasts: 170F

Poultry: thighs, and wings: Cook until juices run clear

Stuffing (cooked alone or in bird): 165F

Egg dishes, casseroles: 160fs

Leftovers: 165F

For more information contact the USDA meat and poultry Hotline at 1-800-535-4555.

Fruit and vegetables: raw foods, such products must be washed in cold water running in an area free of contamination from preparation of raw meat. Separate utensils and cutting boards should be used to produce and meat to avoid cross contamination.

Vegetables are best stored refrigerated to slow deterioration. Refrigeration of fruit and vegetables makes all the metabolic activities, including breathing, slow down. Most fruits and vegetables are best stored at refrigerator temperatures and under conditions where oxygen is limited. Store crisp vegetables in the refrigerator compartment, unwashed, until the time of use.

Simple food safety tips in the kitchen of each villa

Food safety is a guarantee that the food is free of any food borne illness. People who love cooking and those who get most of their time in the kitchen must know the ways of preparing food are clean and ensuring safe. Cleaning should start for the first time at home, especially the kitchen area. Bacteria grow fast in the kitchen, because this is where food is stored.

Read the items below to ensure food safety is followed.

clean the kitchen counters with anti-bacterial soap. Scrub any dirt in the kitchen area. Stoves must be cleaned daily. Spillage of food is common in stove counters.

create the habit of washing any tools used with raw meat. Using a knife in raw meat and use it to cut a piece of cake that is not good to eat. Living bacteria from uncooked meat will transfer directly to your mouth.

cutting board or cutting boards should be separated using. Use one cutting board for meat, fish and vegetables.

never mix raw meat with meat cooked as bacteria can transfer to the cooked meat and eat it could cause you to get sick.

o make sure that you use utensils are sterilized. The closet in your kitchen should always be cleaned without any dust.

the proper hygiene is important. Cover cut the toes with bandages and never touch food with their hands. Blood can mix with what we're doing and not hygienic.

Health is very important. Preventing the deterioration of foods or food poisoning that carries disease brings you away from any health problem. Cleanliness and hygiene are integral in every home and food.

The dangers of food-borne diseases-Salmonella

"Food poisoning" is a common term that people use to describe the disease that may occur after consumption of contaminated food. Salmonella is a type of bacteria that, if ingested, can cause serious illness. If you have never been seriously ill after eating at a restaurant or consume food cooked under, may have been exposed to Salmonella.

Salmonella is found in the intestinal tract of all animals, including humans. Food can become contaminated with this bacterium if it is inadequately processed, stored or manipulated, and a person can become ill whenever appropriate precautions have been taken to ensure that food preparation is fully cooked. For example, meat can become contaminated with traces of animal fecal matter in the business plan. If the meat is then served in preparation, the person may become sick. The bacteria most often is present in products of animal origin, but can also be found in vegetables and other food restaurant after a food handler not wash their hands after using the bathroom.

Symptoms of Salmonella

Bacterial infection symptoms usually begin within 72 hours after consumption of contaminated food. These symptoms may include:

Stomach cramps
Diarrhea
The plague
Chills
Headache
Nausea
Vomiting

A salmonella infection will resolve usually within five to seven days. Sick individuals should drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. However, if the infection spreads to the intestines, can worsen the condition of the person and he or she should seek medical assistance immediately.

Preventing food-borne diseases

Any person may suffer from complications of bacterial intake, but young children, the elderly, and those with immune system disorders are at higher risk of developing serious diseases. To avoid exposure to Salmonella and other food-borne diseases:

Always thoroughly cook all meat before consumption. Prepare burgers and steaks well done, never rare. Do not consume meat that appears to be under-cooked, especially products. Keep raw meat separate from other sources of food to avoid cross contamination and wash all cutting boards, knives and counters after exposure to raw meat.
Avoid all foods containing raw eggs. Learn about the ingredients of the foods traditionally homemade or repaired to ensure that they do not contain raw eggs.
Wash all production before consumption. Use separate cutting boards for vegetables and meat.
Always wash your hands after using the toilet or handling animals or their environment. Birds and reptiles are particularly likely to carry salmonella. Teach children about proper health habits.

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The dangers of poorly cooked foods

Undercooked food is one of the most common ways that food-borne illnesses are spread. Most raw foods, particularly animal products should be cooked thoroughly to kill bacteria that may be present. Meat, for example, has an ideal temperature so they must be cooked to minimize the risk of disease. When bacteria in foods are not completely eliminated, there is a chance that they could infect and cause a serious illness. Restaurants and other places that prepare foods have the responsibility to serve clean, fully cooked food to their customers. When unable to cook foods to proper temperatures, may be liable for any resulting diseases.

Food borne illness and infection sources

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that about 76 million cases of food poisoning occur every year in the United States, affecting approximately 20-25% of the population annually. Of these cases, an estimated 5000 people die from food borne illness each year. Some of the most common sources of infection are products of animal origin, including Turkey, beef, chicken, pork, eggs and seafood. These products may be infected with bacteria while they are being processed. In the United States, two types of bacteria that often cause infection are e. coli and Salmonella. The whole process of cooking destroys the bacteria that may have colonized in food, making it safe to eat.

Recommended internal cooking temperatures

Each type of product has a different ideal temperature to kill bacteria dormant. The United States Department of agriculture (USDA) lists the following internal temperatures as the threshold to be safe to consume:

Chicken: 165 F Egg products: 160 F Fish: 145 F Ground beef: 160 F Pork: 160 F Steaks: 145 F
Effects of food poisoning

Food poisoning is incredibly unpleasant for most people, but usually lasts only 1-2 days. However, for some a more severe case of food poisoning can cause a serious illness or even death. Children, elderly and other people with weaker immune systems are more likely to develop serious food borne illness. Symptoms of food poisoning include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and fever. An individual who falls ill seriously can be overloaded with extensive treatment costs, hospital stays, rehabilitation, medication, lost wages of time off work and pain and suffering.

If you or someone you love has fallen ill or suffered a wrongful death of a food borne diseases caused by poorly cooked foods, a food establishment can be responsible and his family may be entitled to compensation for their injuries and damage.

For more information

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