Owning a restaurant or other food service business comes with a lot of responsibility. If you are such an owner, you probably know about the importance of keeping the food you serve safe in order to prevent illnesses. But how much do you know about the illnesses themselves? Understanding the causes and symptoms can help you to stay ahead of outbreaks and improve food safety in your business. In this article, we’ll help you do this by highlighting the important things you need to know about salmonella outbreaks.
What Causes Salmonella Outbreaks?
Salmonella are bacteria. They can contaminate food and drink and, when ingested, have a chance of causing illness. Some foods are more prone to being infected than others, such as raw meats like poultry and seafood. Salmonella can be transferred from person to person and from animals to people through physical contact with each other or through objects such as eating utensils. Since the bacteria can be spread so easily, outbreaks happen when proper food handling is not practiced.
Why Are They Dangerous?
Sometimes, people that ingest salmonella never get any symptoms, but they are a lucky few. Eating contaminated food results in an illness called salmonellosis. The symptoms include diarrhea, stomach aches, and even fever. In some cases, these could develop into serious health problems, especially if left untreated. Salmonellosis can also cause diseases in the nervous system and blood, among others. This is a dangerous situation that could be avoided with proper food safety precautions.
How to Prevent Them
The people who handle food in restaurants are a line of defense against outbreaks as long as they understand and undertake the proper precautions. According to the CDC, one of the best ways to prevent sickness is by washing your hands. Food handlers should undergo ServSafe training to learn when and how to effectively wash their hands. The training will also provide them with other important food and health information that they should implement on a daily basis in order to help prevent outbreaks from happening.
When it comes to the restaurant and food business, safety should always be a number one priority. Salmonella outbreaks are dangerous, but they can be prevented with the right knowledge and training. That’s why it’s so important to make sure the food handlers in your business get ServSafe certification as soon as possible. In many states, it may even be the law. So don’t delay and do your part in ensuring food safety.
