worldfoodreview.com

Paul Hata asked:


Food poisoning is more common in areas with poor sanitation or living conditions (often occurs in community feasts, cooked and served under unhygienic conditions or food stored under such conditions for several hours). Most cases of food poisoning are from common bacteria like Staphylococcus or E. coli

What Is Food Poisoning

Food poisoning refers to poisoning that occurs due to eating foods contaminated with toxins or poisonous substances secreted by some bacteria. Contaminated food or water infected with or carrying micro-organisms can food poisoning. Improper cleaning and washing of fruits and vegetables, and improper cooking of food can also cause food poisoning.

What are the Symptoms of Food Poisoning

Food poisoning generally occurs within 2 to 3 hours of eating or drinking infected food or water. However it may also occur earlier or later. The symptoms include nausea or a feeling of vomiting, vomiting, pain in the abdomen and diarrhoea. Other symptoms are fever, cold sweats, weakness, headache and dehydration.

Types of Food Poisoning

1.Bacterial food poisoning – Here the micro organisms called bacteria are responsible.The food material may contain the pathogenic bacteriae or their toxin and will be ingested along with the food.

2.Non bacterial food poisoning – Due to the presence of toxic chemicals like fertilizers, insectisides, heavy metals and ect.Since bacterial food poisoning is common it is discussed here.

3.Bacterial food poisoning – All bacteria are not harmful.There are some pathogenic bacteria which secrete toxins and cause clinical manifestations.These organisms enter the human body through food articles or drinks.

How Food Poisoning Occurs

1.Presence of bacteria in the water.

2.The raw materials for the food may contain toxins.

3.Premises where the food is prepared may contain micro organisms or toxins.

4.Food handlers may have some infectious diseases.

5.Some animals like dogs,rats may contaminate the food.

6.If prepared food is kept in the room temperature for a long time and heated again can make a chance for food poisoning.

7.Purposely some body mixing toxins in the food.

Some Common Bacterial Food Poisonings

1.Salmonella food poisoning – There are three different varieties of salmonella bacteria.(salmonella typhimurium,salmonella cholera suis,salmonella enteritidis) These bacteria are present in milk, milk products and eggs. Symptoms of this food poisoning include nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. Fever is also common.

2.Botulism – This is the dangerous type of food poisoning caused by clostridium botulinum. The spores of these organisms are seen in the soil and enters the human body through pickles and canned fish ect.Compared to other food poisonings here vomiting and diarrhoea are rare Mainly the nervous system is affected.The symptoms starts with double vision,numbness with weakness.Later there will be paralysis with cardiac and respiratory failure ending in death.

3.Staphylococcal food poisoning – It is caused by staphylo coccus aureus. These organisms usually cause skin troubles like boils and eruptions.It causes mastitis in cow.Through the milk and milk products it enders and causes gastroenteritis.There will be vomiting,abdominal cramps with diarrhoea.

4.Closteridium food poisoning – This is caused by closteridium perfringens.They are present in stool,soil and water. They enter the body through,meat,meat dishes and egg ect.If food articles are cooked and kept in room temperature for a long time and heated again before eating can result this food poisoning.Symptoms include vomiting ,diarrhoea and abdominal cramps.

5.Bacillus cereus – The spores of these organisms can survive cooking and causes enteritis. Diarrhoea and vomiting is common in this infection.

How to Investigate Food Poisoning?

1.Examine each and every person affected.

2.Water sample should be tested.

3.Kitchen, store room and food samples should be examined.

4.The cook and food handlers should be questioned and examined.

5.Samples of vomitus and stool of all victims should be tested to identify the bacteria.

How to Prevent Food Poisoning

1.Only purified water should be used.

2.Hygiene should be maintained by all persons keeping contact with food.

3.Workers should use masks, cap and gloves during cooking and serving.

4.Sick individuals should not come in contact with food materials.

5.Kitchen and premises should be neat and clean.

6.Utensils should be washed with soap and hot water.

7.Should not keep the prepared food for a long time in room temperature.

8.All food materials should be kept in closed containers.

9.Animals like dog, cat, rat ect should not come in contact with food materials.

10.Vegetables should be washed before cooking.

11.Meat should be fresh and should be purchased from recognised slaughter house.

peterhutch asked:


Food poisoning is a common, usually mild, but sometimes deadly illness. Typical symptoms include nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramping, and diarrhea that occur suddenly (within 48 hours) after consuming a contaminated food or drink. Depending on the contaminant, fever and chills, bloody stools,dehydration, and nervous system damage may follow.

It is the result of eating food contaminated with bacteria or other toxins. Symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach cramps, and generally start 4 – 36 hours after eating contaminated food.

While many cases are caused by bacteria, some cases can result from eating poisonous plants (some mushrooms, for instance) and animals (pufferfish). Food poisoning is not uncommon, especially during summer when food may not be kept cold enough to prevent bacteria from growing.

Causes of food poisoning:

Contamination of food can happen at any point during its production: growing, harvesting, processing, storing, shipping or preparing. Cross-contamination — the transfer of harmful organisms from one surface to another — is often the cause. This is especially troublesome for raw, ready-to-eat foods, such as salads or other produce

Poor personal hygiene, improper cleaning of storage and preparation areas and unclean utensils cause contamination of raw and cooked foods.

Mishandling of raw and cooked foods allows bacteria to grow. The temperature range in which most bacteria grow is between 40 degrees F (5 degrees C) and 140 degrees F (60 degrees C). Raw and cooked foods should not be kept in this danger zone any longer than absolutely necessary.

Undercooking or improper processing of home-canned foods can cause very serious food poisoning.

Since food-poisoning bacteria are often present on many foods, knowing the characteristics of such bacteria is essential to an effective control program.

Preventive measures for food poisoniong:

The first step in preventing food poisoning is to assume that all foods may cause food-borne illness. Follow these steps to prevent food poisoning:

Wash hands, food preparation surfaces and utensils thoroughly before and after handling raw foods to prevent recontamination of cooked foods.

Keep refrigerated foods below 40 degrees F.

Serve hot foods immediately or keep them heated above 140 degrees F.

Divide large volumes of food into small portions for rapid cooling in the refrigerator. Hot, bulky foods in the refrigerator can raise the temperature of foods already cooled.

Some self care tips:

Food poisoning can be prevented by thoroughly cooking food and practicing good hygiene.

A meat thermometer is a good way to ensure meats are cooked to the proper internal temperature.

Store uncooked food in a refrigerator or freezer at the proper temperature, and never defrost food at room temperature.

If food smells or looks bad, throw it away.

Be sure to clean surfaces such as countertops, cutting boards, plates, and utensils properly whenever they contact raw meats.

Don’t let cooked food contact any surfaces that may have been contaminated by raw food. Wash fruits and vegetables before eating them raw, and buy only pasteurized dairy products.

Treatment :

People with food poisoning should modify their diet during the period of illness. They should drink clear liquids frequently, but in small amounts. As their condition improves, soft, bland foods can be added to the diet.

A commonly recommended diet is called the BRAT diet. The BRAT diet gets its name from the four foods it includes: banana, rice, applesauce, and toast.

Milk products, spicy food, alcohol, and fresh fruit should be avoided until all symptoms disappear. These dietary changes are often the only treatment necessary for food poisoning.

Julia Solomon asked:


With the availability of many commercial pet foods in the market, you may be befuddled in selecting the fulfill pet food that takes good burden of your pet\’s wellbeing. You may be wondering whether it is anodyne to supply commercial pet food or pet food equipped at home. Your pet\’s wellbeing can be blemished through any cause of pet food and therefore you should make effective that what food you nourish to your pet should not have been contaminated.

Food allied illness could strike in your pet due to bacterial infections, chemicals, mycotoxins, metals etc. Mycotoxins are toxins formed by yeast and some manners of toxins distress one fourth of the world\’s food crops. Hence mycotoxin litigation is a big riddle and torture to the pet food trade.

We generally get confused with food infection and food poisoning. Pet food infection can be caused when the pets consume food with infectious microbial cell. They primarily hurt your pet\’s tissues and recoil reproducing. Another important position to be renowned is most of the clinical diseases will not be obvious to you before 12 hours. Food poisoning occurs as a significance of pet food that already contains a microbial venom. The food poisoning symptoms are obvious within an hour after your pet consumes the pet food. It is forever recommended that homemade food preparation should be clean and if you are retail commercial pet food, take suggestions from people who are worn to nourish pets with such foods.

Selecting diet crammed pet food is a challenging duty particularly when there are many pet food providers donation more varieties of pet food. You can elect an utter pet food with balanced food by evaluating the ingredients mentioned on the pet food present. The ingredients will signify fat, strand, protein, vitamins and reserves in percentage ideals.

When you prepare to pay an upper rate for the pet food, it is reasonable that you look for high and better quantity and additional shape advantages for your pet. Cheap pet foods have more of ingredients that grain based like wheat, soy and corn. Cheaper pet foods use ingredients like grains, bone meal and meat that are inexpensive and, hence show weak nutritional condition. These pet food manufacturers validate that grain protein is evenly nutritious when compared with meat protein. Nevertheless there are arguments that grain proteins put extreme stress on your pet\’s digestive structure and significance in illness in the later stages of the pet\’s life. Pets like dog and cat eat meat and their digestive scheme is intended for meat and not for grains. So it is forever advisable to provide pet food suitable for your pet\’s digestive routine.

Normally pets are fed with the same kind of food every day if realize diet profit is presented with ordered foods. Your pet always should be served the best nutritious pet food and so take time in choosing the seamless pet food for those deserving pets of yours. You can follow the below mentioned tips to elude petting food problems:

Try to preclude commercial foods for your pets as bench hardening agents are worn by most of the pet food manufacturers. Understand the provisos used in the pet food identify and choose the food that provides the calorie required by your pet. Never over nourish your pet. Provide them plenty of creative water.