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Pregnant
women, babies, young children and the elderly have particular needs
which require special care in selecting, storing and preparing food.
In general, people with reduced natural defences should particularly
protect themselves against foodborne diseases. People taking certain
kind of drugs, including antibiotics and chemotherapy treatment, are
also more susceptible than normal to microbially-caused food disease.
WHICH FOODS POSE THE GREATEST RISK?
Foods of animal origin are the primary source of many food poisoning
microbes, such as Salmonella, Listeria, Campylobacter, E. coli and L
monocytogenes. These may occur on the live animal, and remain in the
meat after slaughter. Without appropriate treatment to kill the microbes,
or if conditions of hygiene or temperature control are poor, microbes
may still occasionally be present in the final food product.
Foods which pose a relatively high risk of foodborne illness include:
poultry, meat & eggs.
Poultry
The incidence of contamination is probably highest in poultry. Here,
rapid growth in poultry production has resulted in a readily-available
source of meat. However, there has been increased infection with food
poisoning microbes in poultry, meat and eggs.
Eggs
These can carry bacteria such as Salmonella enteritidis on their shells
or within the egg. Salmonella infections are on the increase across
Europe. An important precaution in preventing foodborne illness from
poultry and eggs is thorough cooking; the World Health Organisation
recommends that raw egg should be viewed as a potentially hazardous
ingredient which should not be used in foods which will receive no further
heat treatment.
Red meats
These can also be contaminated with pathogenic microbes, probably
to a lesser extent than poultry. The process of grinding meat to make
mince and burgers may spread the microbes from one source into many
products. As for poultry products, red meats should be thoroughly cooked
before serving.
Dairy products
Raw milk can contain various pathogens from the dairy animal or its
environment. Pasteurization destroys all pathogens, and sterilisation
ensures that the product is free from all microbes. Whilst pathogens
are inactivated by many of the methods used to produce dairy products
- including acidification and fermentation of milk - certain types may
sometimes survive. Hard cheeses, yoghurt and butter are regarded as
safe because of their acidity or lack of moisture, but mould-ripened
soft cheeses can allow growth of Listeria monocytogenes.
Shellfish
As filter feeders which extract their diets from large volumes of water,
shellfish can concentrate pathogens in their bodies. Inadequately heat-treated
shellfish can cause a range of infections due to bacteria (such as Vibrio
and Shigella), various parasites or viruses. Herbs and spices - These
frequently carry large numbers of bacteria such as Bacillus cereus,
Clostridium perfringens and Salmonella.  |
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