Food safety around the world
CDC – Norovirus more likely from a restaurant than a cruise ship
Norovirus often gets attention for outbreaks on cruise ships, but those account for only about 1% of all reported norovirus outbreaks. Norovirus is very contagious, and outbreaks can occur anywhere people gather or food is served. People with norovirus usually vomit and have diarrhea. Some may need to be hospitalized and can even die. Infected people can spread norovirus to others through close contact or by contaminating food and surfaces. Food service workers who have norovirus can contaminate food and make many people sick. In norovirus outbreaks for which investigators reported the source of contamination, 70% are caused by infected food workers.
The food service industry can help prevent norovirus outbreaks by:
- Making sure that food service workers practice proper hand washing and avoid touching ready-to- eat foods, such as raw fruits and vegetables, with their bare hands before serving them.
- Certifying kitchen managers and training food service workers in food safety practices.
- Requiring sick food workers to stay home, and considering use of paid sick leave and on-call staffing, to support compliance.
For the full article see the CDC Website
Food poisoning myths demystified
This blog covers 4 myths about food poisoning. The myths are:
- One of the major causes of food poisoning is mayonnaise.
- Washing hands momentarily before food preparation will suffice.
- Eggs are easy to prepare and are safe to eat as long as they are fried.
- It is safe to use same utensils for a meal because they were clean to begin with.
Food safety handy links
CDC – Preventing the spread of norovirus
As mentioned above, the CDC have a great article about stopping the spread of norovirus. It is well worth reading.