{"id":4447,"date":"2019-09-10T15:21:51","date_gmt":"2019-09-10T19:21:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wasserstrom.com\/blog\/?p=4447"},"modified":"2019-10-22T11:15:56","modified_gmt":"2019-10-22T15:15:56","slug":"salmonella-prevention-in-restaurants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wasserstrom.com\/blog\/2019\/09\/10\/salmonella-prevention-in-restaurants\/","title":{"rendered":"Salmonella Prevention: Going From Scary to Safe"},"content":{"rendered":"

Even the strongest foodservice brand can get tarnished if patrons contract a foodborne illness<\/strong> in their venue.<\/p>\n

The most common form of food poisoning is Salmonella and E. coli. And these two bacteria are the most common causes of what’s traditionally known as food poisoning<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Often you hear more about E. coli when it comes to wide-spread restaurant contamination. However, Salmonella is the leading and most common cause for foodborne illnesses in the United States.<\/p>\n

Where does Salmonella and E. coli come from?<\/h2>\n

The Salmonella and E. Coli responsible for food poisoning have a dirty secret that connects them. They both come from animal poop<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

To be more accurate, they originate from the intestines of animals and humans. And these bacteria are\u00a0everywhere<\/em>. If you purchase your animal product from suppliers that hold their animals in poor conditions, it can increase the chances of exposure to bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli. Not to mention it can often be synonymous with inhumane conditions.<\/p>\n

\"Chickens
Crowding animals at the source of your food chain can increase the risk of Salmonella and E. coli. It’s also inhumane. Sourcing ingredients from responsible suppliers can decrease the chances of contamination.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Salmonella is found in a wide variety of ingredients including chicken, beef, vegetables, eggs, port, nuts<\/strong> and more.<\/p>\n

Some ingredients such as chicken, pork and vegetables come in contact with the bacteria directly. Other ingredients are cross-contaminated when you prepare clean ingredients on the same prep table<\/a> as contaminated ingredients such as raw chicken or pork.<\/p>\n

In addition, Salmonella and E. coli spread by prep cooks not washing their hands between handling the various ingredients.<\/p>\n

How dangerous are Salmonella and E. coli?<\/h2>\n

In a word, “very.”<\/p>\n

Both E. coli and Salmonella are bacteria<\/strong> and are responsible for a wide range of sickness outbreaks, including Typhoid fever (Salmonella typhi<\/a><\/em>).<\/p>\n

In fact, Mary Mallon is nicknamed “Typhoid Mary” because she was infected with a severe form of Salmonella. However, she displayed no symptoms. Because of this, she spread Salmonella to over 50 people while working in the foodservice industry as a cook. Several of those she inadvertently infected died from Salmonella typhi.<\/p>\n

\"Bacteria\"
Bacteria such as Salmonella & E. coli are the cause of most foodborne illnesses.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Most people don’t realize how widespread food poisoning is.\u00a0Foodborne illness affects 1 in 6 people<\/strong>\u00a0a year in the United States alone.<\/p>\n

Out of 48 million people that get some form of food poisoning, the CDC reports<\/a> that 128,000 are sent to the hospital and 3,000 cases are lethal.\u00a0Symptoms of Salmonella normally pass in about a week.<\/p>\n

Each year, hundreds of millions of dollars<\/strong> are spent in medical costs treating people who have contracted a form of food poisoning.<\/p>\n

What are the most common symptoms of food poisoning?<\/h2>\n

Salmonella and E. coli come with an array of uncomfortable\u00a0symptoms such as:<\/p>\n