BACTERIA

As a foodservice professional, your goal, and that of your

employer, is to satisfy your customers with good tasting, quality
food. Your job depends on this.
But it also depends on something more. You are responsible for
serving food that is safe to eat.
What does this mean? Specifically, it means food that is free of:

Objects that dont belong there,

Bacteria that could cause illness, and
Chemicals that may be used in the area where you work.

Its everyones job to see that none of these hazards come into
contact with the food you serve.
What are bacteria?
Because you handle food on a daily basis, you need to understand
a little about bacteria. Bacteria are living things too small to be
seen with your eye. Our daily encounters with them usually cause
little concern, but human and bacterial life interact on many
levels. The relationship between bacteria and food can be good or
bad.
Some bacteria can actually be beneficial to humans. For example,
bread, wine, cheese, yogurt, beer, pickles, and summer sausage
are all infused with bacteria to give a desired aroma, flavor, or
texture to the food. Unfortunately, other bacteria are responsible
for the spoilage and decay of food and serious foodborne
illnesses.
Harmful bacteria can cause painful, prolonged illness, and for
some people-particularly young children, the elderly, and those
who are sick-can be life threatening.

There are also bacteria that cause foods to deteriorate quickly

and to take on unpleasant odors or tastes.
Harmful bacteria
Harmful bacteria, or pathogens, that cause foodborne illnesses
have long, strange names, but they are not complicated to
understand. These bacteria infect people who eat the
contaminated food. The bacteria can either produce a toxin
(poisonous substance) in the food before the food is eaten or in a
persons intestines after the food is eaten. Once infected, people
can become very sick because the body tries to reject the toxin.
The results can be deadly!
Foodborne illness can be caused by these pathogens:

Clostridium botulism
Clostridium perfringens
Listeria monocytogenes
Salmonella
Staphylococcus aureus
Campylobacter

The following is basic information you need to know about each of

these potentially dangerous bacteria.
Bacteria
Botulism
(Clostridium
botulism)

Clostridium
perfringens
E. coli
(Escherichia
coliform)

Source

Symptoms

Preventive Practices

Improperly
canned low acid
foods, or under
processed home
prepared food

Blurred vision
Dry mouth
Difficulty
swallowing
Difficulty
breathing
Nausea
Diarrhea
Mild disease
Severe abdominal
cramps
Diarrhea

Proper heating of food

Maintaining low pH and water
activity
Temperature controls
Cleaning methods

Slow cooling or
slow reheating of
food
Usually
contamination
from contact with

Time and temperature controls

Rapid reheating and cooling
Good personal hygiene
Thorough cooking of food
Good personal hygiene
Proper refrigerator of food

feces

Fever
Dehydratation
that can lead to
death

Proper sanitization practices

Campylobacte
r

Spoilage bacteria

Pathogens that can cause dangerous foodborne illnesses are just

one type of bacteria. There are also bacteria that cause food to
deteriorate and develop unpleasant odors, tastes, and textures.
These are called spoilage bacteria and can cause fruits and
vegetables to get mushy or slimy or meat to develop a bad odor.
Most people would not choose to eat spoiled food. However, if
they did, they probably would not get sick. Remember, harmful
bacteria like E. coli, salmonella, and Listeria cause illness, but
generally do not affect the taste, smell, or appearance of food.
Food that is left too long at unsafe temperatures could be
dangerous to eat, but smell and look just fine.
There are different spoilage bacteria and each grows at specific
temperatures. Some can grow at the low temperatures under
refrigeration or freezing. Others grow well at room temperature.
Bacteria will grow anywhere if they have access to nutrients and
water.
Under the correct conditions, spoilage bacteria reproduce rapidly
and the populations can grow very large. In some cases, they can
double their numbers in as little as 30 minutes. The large number
of these bacteria and their waste products cause the
objectionable changes in odor, taste, and texture.

Spoiled food is very unappealing to customers. Therefore, its

important that you continue to guard against all bacteria
contamination to help make safe food by always following food
safety procedures.
Viruses
We know that bacteria can cause foodborne illness, but viruses
can also cause illness. One difference between bacteria and
viruses is that viruses must have a living host-like a plant or
animal-to multiply, while most bacteria can grow on non-living
surfaces. While bacteria attack the body, viruses invade human
cells and cause the cells genetic material to produce the virus
itself.
One virus, the Norovi-rus, may be the leading cause of foodborne
illness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
believes that at least 50percent of all foodborne illnesses are due
to noroviruses. These viruses can be transmitted by food or
person to person. They are difficult to get rid of and can be real
problem-makers.
Outbreaks are usually caused by direct contamination of food by a
food handler immediately before it is eaten. Because the virus is
so small, a sick food handler can easily-without meaning tocontaminate the food he or she is handling.
One of the most important things you can do to prevent
infecting customers with norovirus is to stay home when youre
sick. The virus can be present in your systems for two to three
weeks after you feel better, so always wash your hands after
using the bathroom and before handling food items to prevent
spreading this virus.
Molds
Weve talked about how bacteria and viruses can affect people,
but molds can also create problems.

Molds are very small fungi that live on plant or animal mater and
can sometimes be seen with the naked eye. Most are threadlike
organisms and most produce spores. These spores give mold the
color you see on foods.
Molds have roots that are like very thin threads. The roots can be
difficult to see and may grow deep into the food. Foods that are
moldy may also have invisible bacteria growing along with the
mold.
Be cautions when serving leftover food. It should be inspected
before serving. If mold is present, the food should be thrown out.
Simply cutting away the mold may not make the food safe to eat.
In conclusion
Its your job to provide good tasting, safe food to your customers.
Because there are so many potential food hazards-bacteria,
molds, viruses-every foodservice professional must constantly be
aware of these hazards and be alert to prevent them. You need to
follow all safety rules so they dont contaminate food and make
someone sick.