Food borne illness

People can get sick when the food they eat has germs. Germs cause food borne illness or food poisoning. Some foods are more likely than others to grow germs that cause food poisoning; these are called potentially hazardous foods. Germs grow easily in foods like meat, fish, poultry and milk; they grow fast in refried beans, cooked rice and baked potatoes. These are all foods that are moist or damp, and they have protein that the germs need to grow. Germs also grow well in other foods kept warm in the "Danger Zone".

It is part of your job to protect the food and stop germs from growing, so that no one will get food poisoning.

• First, wash your hands well.
• Second, be sure the food is wholesome and protect it from germs.

There are different kinds of germs; bacteria are the most common. They are everywhere, they grow fast, and they may spoil food or cause food borne illness. Some bacteria make poison. Almost always the food looks and smells good, but it may have enough bacteria to make someone sick. (Two examples of this are potato salad that has not been kept cold enough, and chicken soup that has not been kept hot enough). One kind of bacteria that you may hear about is Salmonella; it is not named for a fish; in fact, it's not found in fish at all. It is in dairy foods, poultry and eggs, and it can cause very serious food poisoning.

A virus is another kind of germ that causes food poisoning; some viruses can travel through the air, in liquids and foods that a sick person touches. Hepatitis A is spread by a virus. Someone can have the virus and not know it. When a food worker with the virus does not wash her or his hands well after using the toilet, the virus is carried to the food the worker handles. This is one reason there is a law that all food workers must wash their hands.

Parasites are tiny worms or bugs that live in fish and meat. They die if they are frozen long enough or cooked long enough.

If you keep food very hot or very cold, out of the "Danger Zone", germs will not grow.

Chemicals, such as rat bait or cleaners, can cause some food poisoning. You must be sure to keep all chemicals away from food.

What to do if you or a customer gets sick from food

When people get sick from food, they may feel like they want to throw up (nausea), they may throw up (vomit), they may have chills, cramps (pain in their belly), loose bowels (diarrhea); they may have a fever.

Here is what you must do right away if you or a customer gets sick from food:

• Call the nearest office of the Public Health Center.
  
• Save the food that may be causing the sickness. Do not serve that food. Do not throw out any food until Public Health tells you to. Mark it clearly and put it in the refrigerator.

You should report all food borne illness to Public Health -- those at work, at home, at church, on picnics. Someone from the Public Health Department will help you to find out how it happened, and how to prevent it in the future.

If someone needs first aid for choking.