The Microworld and Foodservice Illness Outbreak - Report Example

Every food service professional needs to understand most food service issues including the different ways of prevention when such issues arise. In this article, four issues will be considered. First, there is a need to understand the origin of the pathogen issue. Secondly, some of the unlikely culprits of foodborne diseases in food service will be identified. Further, the necessary steps of prevention will be looked into and finally, an inquiry will be made on whether the public is notified promptly and proper steps are taken to keep people safe.

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The origin of the pathogen issue begins in different ways. When potentially hazardous food is held at improper temperatures, pathogens will be generated. Cooking that is not done properly and at the proper temperatures is another cause of pathogens. It occurs when food is not cooked at proper internal temperatures (Paudyal et al., 2017). Contaminated and dirty utensils can also generate pathogens. Some of the unlikely culprits of foodborne illnesses include root vegetables, stalk vegetables, nuts, and vegetables (Paudyal et al., 2017).

Most of the causal factors that lead to foodborne illnesses in food service are brought about by the code of conduct within a food service entity (Lahou et al., 2012). To reduce foodborne illnesses, there is a need to give better training to the staff to avoid human error in the food service. Standardized processes should also be taken into account (Lahou et al., 2012). The food service operators should ensure that food suppliers and manufacturers follow the necessary guidelines to avoid additional risks. The food service handlers should always be prepared for any incident by ensuring there are safety measures and processes, to which employees and suppliers should adhere (Lahou et al., 2012).

Public health officials play a key role in enlightening the public on any particular outbreak and the necessary steps to prevent the illness. I think the public is promptly notified and proper steps are taken to ensure people are safe. The consumers are always warned and public health officials communicate clear, specific, steps for consumers to follow to protect themselves from an outbreak.

The article herein seeks to investigate the reasons behind romaine lettuce E. coli contamination. There has been no specific source or cause for the contamination, but I think the major cause is the agricultural contaminated water. If the water testing rules introduced by the Obama administration could be strictly adhered to, the illnesses caused by this contamination would be reduced.

References

Lahou, E., Jacxsens, L., Daeman, J., Van Landeghem, F., & Uyttendaele, M. (2012). Microbiological performance of a food safety management system in a food service operation. Journal of Food Protection, 75(4), 706-716. https://doi.org/10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-11-260

Paudyal, N., Anihouvi, V., Hounhouigan, J., Matsheka, M. I., Sekwati-Monang, B., Amoa-Awua, W., & Abdelgadir, W. (2017). Prevalence of foodborne pathogens in food from selected African countries – A meta-analysis. International Journal of food microbiology, 249, 35-43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2017.03.002