Food Safety Research Paper

Food Safety

Since the dawn of time human beings have developed methods to preserve their food. These methods have enabled people to live the way they do today. During the old ages, cave men used these methods to preserve their food and keep it from spoiling, which allowed them to survive the harsh era. These preservation methods have evolved throughout the years, and they include drying, submersion in oil and vinegar, salting, submersion in sugar syrup or honey, candying, smoking, pickling, and jellying. The point of preserving food is to prevent it from being contaminated or spoiled. This processes keep bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms from damaging the food and prevent diseases caused by food poisoning. Many diseases that are known today are caused by food poisoning, meaning that they come from bacteria that grow on food that has been badly processed or preserved. These diseases have affected many people over the years, and can be very deadly. Food poisoning is extremely serious but highly preventable. (“Brain, Marshall. 2013”)

Drying is the oldest method of preserving food. For this method temperature is applied in the food. The temperature must be low enough to prevent the food from getting cooked, but high enough to eliminate humidity. This can be done with a dehydrator or with the sun. Submersion in oil and vinegar is when food is submerged into any of these liquids. Bacteria die in these liquids and it does not keep growing because of the acids that are composed in it (“Food Preservation”. March, 2013).Salting is when salt is put into the food to eliminate its humidity. Also, the salt stops the microorganisms from spreading and growing in the food. Submersion in sugar syrup or honey is the same process as the submersion in oil, and vinegar. Microorganisms are prevented from growing and extending a long the foods. The process of exposing food to smoke is smoking. The food becomes more eatable, less contaminated, and lasts longer (Jeanroy, Ward. 2013). Candying is when the food is put into heated syrup, and then it is drained. This makes the food more tasty for the people, and kills bacteria. Pickling is the process in which an anti-microbial brew is put into the foods such as oils, vinegars, and more. This is like the submersion of the liquids mentioned before. Jellying is when the food is cooked in a substance that creates a gel in which bacteria do not spread, and do not grow. (Hohmann. 2013).

If food is not treated correctly or the food preservation does not work, the food can get contaminated. It can become contaminated in many other ways too. If a person consumes food which is polluted they get food poisoned. Its symptoms could be nauseas, diarrheas, vomit, stomach pains, sweating a lot, feeling weak, headaches, and many other things. This happens because microbes with diseases, which are bacteria, get in the food. One of the ways in which food gets poisoned is because of animals. Bacteria of the animals such as the ones that come from their intestines get us sick. They also can get dirty because of animal manure. Also, water can contain any of these bacteria or microorganisms getting in touch with the food contaminating it. The second way of polluting food is by the people that handle it. The workers of industries, waiters, chefs, farmers, and many other people that work with food can contaminate it. The people can get sick, sneeze over the food, get it dirty with rests of other food, bacteria, and even by not washing their hands. Via this, people can get sick of shigella, and norovirus. (“Reuters”. 2013).

Food storage can get the food poisoned. If the food is not stored in the refrigerator, or is kept at a room with an inadequate temperature for the meal; it can get it polluted. If they are not stored correctly, the bacteria can grow and spread. The germs will be everywhere, and when the person consumes the food, they will get sick. The last thing that creates and poisons food is by heating it. Sometimes the heated water kills the germs, but sometimes they spread. Germs such as the staphylococcal toxin do not get killed in boiling water. Also, the water can be dirty or polluted, making people sick. (“8 Food poisoning and contamination”. Nov 2010).

It may not be easily seen or thought, but the food can get contaminated everywhere. It gets polluted at factories, trucks, shops, foot outlets, and even at home. When the food is not supervised it can get waste on it, germs, pet’s hairs, flies, bugs, and even humans contaminate the food. When the humans do not wash their hands, when they touch their hair, or anything; and then they touch food, it can be polluted. The most common bacteria found in food are salmonella which comes from the intestines of animals, and humans. Clostridium, which is located in the soil and animal’s intestines. At last the Campylobacter which is found in animals. Therefore, there are many foods and meals that get easily contaminated. These include leafy greens, eggs, fresh tuna, oysters, potatoes, cheese, ice cream, tomatoes, sprouts, berries, and meat. Food poisoning is so dangerous and sensible, that it can leave people in hospitals. (“Gekas, Alexandra. 2013”).

Food contamination occurs a lot. You can imagine whether food is contaminated with by the way it looks, tastes or smells. The main causes of food contamination are; people not washing their hands, not proper storage and cooking temperatures, and also contamination by animals. Some harmful substances, for example natural chemicals added to food, bacteria formed during food processing. That leads to symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Symptoms can last from one day, months or even longer, depending on the gravity of the infection.

Some symptoms are dehydration, like dry mouth, problems with urine, diarrhea, fever, sometimes abdominal pain and vomiting. Food poisoning can be the result from eating food contaminated with viruses, bacteria, etc. Some food products need to be cooked properly or being kept in the refrigerator. These include a list of chicken, seafood, cooked rice, meat, eggs, milk, etc. found in many animals, infection from these bacteria are usually in food and water. (“Trading Standards Institute Advice”. 2013). Some examples of bacteria that can be in your food if it is contaminated are; staphylococcus, salmonella, clostridium, and campylobacter. Staphylococcus is a kind of bacteria that is found on the skin, also in infected eyes, in the nose, throat, saliva, etc. ”This bacteria doesn’t cause illness until they get onto food and multiply” ("8 Food Poisoning and Contamination”. November 2010). Salmonella has hundreds of different types, but not all are harmful for humans. People can get salmonella food poisoning from poor food they have eat, “seafood in polluted water, or eggs with dirty shells” ("8 Food Poisoning and Contamination”. November 2010). Clostridium is bacteria found in the soil and in the intestines of animals. This bacteria is very common in the environment and may be easily in your food. Finally campylobacter, bacteria found in many animals, infection from these bacteria are usually in food and water. (“Food Poisoning and Food Contamination”. 2013)

When a person consumes a food or drink that contains bacteria, toxins or viruses, food poisoning is very probable to happen. Germs such as Salmonella, E. coli enteritis and cholera can cause food poisoning. These and other germs can be found in contaminated foods that were prepared, cooked or processed in a dirty and unhealthy environment or that are undercooked, unwashed or probably haven’t been well preserved. There are various symptoms that people can recognize to know that they suffer from food poisoning, and that will enable them to treat it faster before the circumstances get worse. The symptoms vary depending on the germ that caused the food poisoning, but they are more or less the same. Symptoms begin to show from 2 to several more hours after eating the contaminated food. (“United States. 22 Mar. 2013”).

Symptoms  for salmonella include diarrhea, fever, abdominal cramps and nausea. It can be caused by undercooked chicken and other white meat, eggs, prepared food, contaminated meat or food contaminated with poop and poor hygiene. Staphylococcus symptoms are mainly vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps. It is caused by unsanitary practices and releases its toxins in food that is at room temperature. E. coli, another disease, causes bloody diarrhea, nausea, maybe vomiting and abdominal cramps. It can even cause permanent kidney damage and even death. Listeria’s symptoms are fever, horrible headaches, delirium, nausea, vomiting and more. It comes from consuming dairy products that have not been pasteurized well, fresh fruit and vegetables that have been cultivated in contaminated soil. Shigellosis is caused by foods that have had contact with human waste. The symptoms are abdominal cramps, diarrhea, vomiting and fevers. Botulism, a horrible disease, includes symptoms like fatigue, nausea, vomiting, headaches, constipation, dry mouth, difficulty in breathing, paralysis, etc. It is caused by contaminated vegetables and seafood, low-acid canned food, food contaminated by soil in a low oxygen environment.

(“Common Types of Food Poisoning”).

These are only some diseases that are caused by food poisoning and contaminated foods. There are many more, and they manifest themselves differently, some with graver consequences than others. To get better, people need to undergo treatments that will help the body to keep functioning during the disease and continue until the disease ends. Supplying the body of fluids is very important, since it is constantly vomiting and with diarrhea, which releases a lot of those fluids. It is also important to manage the diarrhea and vomiting by taking small meals, eat salty foods, and drinking lots of fluids. People should also rest constantly so that the body can have the strength to start curing itself. Finally, when suffering from food poisoning it is most common that doctors will not prescribe or give any antibiotics, but they will most likely prescribe something that will help stop the vomiting and diarrhea. With food poisoning, the body must get rid of the germ on its own. (“United States. 22 Mar. 2013”).

Food contamination, or poisoning sometimes can cause serious illness that may lead to death. Most people think food poisoning comes from places where you eat like restaurants, fast food, etc., but according to FSA” you’re just as likely to get ill from food prepared at home. People don't like to admit that the germs might have come from their own home," says Dr. Andrew Wadge, chief scientist at the FSA. If you take certain kind of care, food poisoning and contamination can be avoided.

Some actions you can make to avoid this kind of illness are; wash your hands with a lot of soap and hot water, and dry them before handling food. “Wash worktops before and after making the food.” Also wash dishcloths. Always cover meat and place it on the bottom shelf of the fridge, where it can't touch other foods. Remember to keep your fridge temperature below 5°C. That is how you will stop food poisoning bugs to grow. Try not to eat leftovers. Finally, respect the past date label. If you follow this steps and be careful you can avoid to get ill. ("How to Prevent Food Poisoning. 2013; Ten Ways to Prevent Food Poisoning. 2013”).

Many of the food that is consumed everyday has the possibility of being contaminated by germs and bacteria that are found in unsanitary conditions. Contaminated food leads to food poisoning, which can cause grave and horrible diseases, some of them leading to death and other fatal conditions. It is vital to understand where the food that is consumed comes from, to clean it correctly and make sure that it was processed in sanitary conditions. This way, many diseases can be avoided. It is important to know about this subject because many people suffer and die from food poisoning relative diseases every day, mainly in countries that don’t have a good potable water access and have poor hygiene. From learning from this subject people can understand the importance of clean food free of contamination, and how common and easy it is for someone to consume contaminated food without knowing.

Bibliography

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