Food safety

Importance of food safety?
Annually, about 1.5 billion cases of food-borne disease outbreaks are reported, resulting in 3 million deaths globally.

What if food is not safe?
Food can potentially become contaminated physically, chemically, and microbially through improper practices from the time it is produced to the time it is consumed. Foodborne illnesses would happen. They can be classified under foodborne infection and foodborne intoxication.

Consequences of consuming unsafe food
Diarrhoea can occur and is dangerous because it can dehydrate your body, causing weakness and dizziness.

solution: drink safe fluids as often as possible. Start with water, clear soup, and weak tea. Soft drinks are also good because they contain sugar.

How to ensure food safety while dining out?
~Wash hands with warm, soapy water before eating.
~Ensure utensils, dinnerware, and food preparation areas to be clean. Servers should be tidy and plates, glasses, and cutlery should be free of spots and dirt as carelessness in the dining area indicates poor hygiene in the kitchen.

How to ensure food safety while cooking?
Cross-contamination is the transfer of pathogenic (disease-causing) microbes from contaminated foods (usually raw) to other foods, either directly or indirectly. It is a major cause of food poisoning, but is easy to prevent.
~Avoid cross-contamination between raw and cooked food by not using the same utensils for preparing raw and cooked foods. Clean all utensils thoroughly with hot water after use. Another example of a way in which cross-contamination might occur in a refrigerator is by liquid dripping from raw meat or poultry on to cooked items.
~Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold.
~Ensure a clean kitchen. Kitchen work surfaces should be regularly cleaned with hot water and detergent and kept free of pests.

Agencies that monitor food supply
CDC (Centers for Disease Control)
EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)
FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation)
FDA (Food and Drug Administration)
USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture)
WHO (World Health Oragnisation)