Food Safety and Sanitation: Essential Practices for Healthy Living
Having good sanitation is vital to any kitchen. A clean kitchen is mandatory for a healthy environment. A kitchen is where people cook and consume food. This would draw attention to the standards for personal and environmental hygiene that must be followed. If you're at home or a restaurant, it is always important to keep the kitchen safe as well as clean for yourself, your family, the general public. The kitchen, more than any other location, is the room most prone to the growth and development of disease causing bacteria and pests. In the importance of food safety and sanitation essay this topic will be considered.
The issue of food safety is a universal concern. This is because everyone has to consume food. The United States of America has one of the cheapest, most abundant, food supplies throughout the entire world. Consumers have driven our agricultural sector to be one of the most powerful in the world.Sanitation in the kitchen is important because the bacteria that thrive there can make people very sick via contamination of foods. In fact, the dirtiest object in the kitchen is the sponge. A way to sanitize this item is to microwave on high for 2 minutes. Living in a dirty kitchen filled with microbes isn't going to help strengthen the immune system. It's not the same as over-sanitizing oneself with antibacterial soap. For food safety purposes.
Poor cleanliness and practices can promote the spread of food borne illnesses. Foodborne illness is caused by consuming contaminated foods or beverages. There are various disease causing microbes and pathogens that can contaminate foods, so there are many different types of food borne illnesses.Most food borne diseases are caused by infections of a variety of bacteria, viruses, or parasites. Other risks are poisons caused by toxins or chemicals that may be harmful. These foods that have contaminated food that can be fatal to some people and can destroy a business. You may experience illnesses such as diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, nausea, fever, joint/back aches, and fatigue. Some origins of these things are raw foods of animal origin, that is, raw meat and poultry, raw eggs, unpasteurized milk, and raw shellfish. For example in the end of October in 2003, Pennsylvania health officials learned of a hepatitis A outbreak that could occur from emergency room doctors treating patients in the area of Beaver County. The County Health Department and the Department of Health in Pennsylvania began investigating the apparent outbreak, and learned through interviews that all case patients had eaten at the Chi Chi’s restaurant at the Beaver Valley Mall in the weeks before becoming ill. The outbreak of hepatitis killed 4 people. This fiasco eventually killed the business and now the company only produces tortillas in supermarkets. Would you eat at a restaurant that is known to have failed one or more health inspections?
There are many reasons a food service operation could fail a health inspection. Food safety and sanitation is a very important part of the food service industry, which is why the Food and Drug Administration has issued various rules that must be followed to protect the public health. Although individual cities have the right to increase their standards, they cannot fall below the standards already set by the FDA. According to the National Restaurant Association, the FDA provides a Food Code but it is a food service operation’s responsibility to implement the code. Food service operations should require proper employee training, certification, and diligent management supervision because the primary cause of safety and sanitation failure, in a professional kitchen, is the lack of education, and the lack of implementation of the regulations, and lack of management supervision. The FDA website states that they guide and regulate all food safety programs, manufacturing processes, industry systems, and import/export activities to make sure that food is safe for the public to consume. There can be a serious risk to the public if safety and sanitation regulations are not closely followed. Because of this the National Restaurant Association has a training and certification program, which includes the FDA’s Food Code and the techniques to correctly implement the practices of food safety. The National Restaurant Association’s certification program offers three different certifications.That’s why it’s mandatory that employees wash hands, wear gloves, sanitize equipment, etc. It’s also why there are regulatory bodies that routinely inspect any food establishment to ensure proper sanitation practices are in place.
Not keeping a restaurant clean may damage one's reputation. People may not feel safe eating your food. Some people that go to the restaurants in these poor conditions are the people most at risk for illnesses like elderly,people with weak immune systems,and children. The FDA provide information about inspections, recalls, warning letters, and other actions taken by regulatory agencies. These actions are often directly linked to sanitation issues within a company. One such example is USDA closure, for an indefinite period of time, of a California meat facility for failing to meet cleanliness standards.Sanitation and cleaning tasks must be completed in a manner that will not harm employees carrying out the cleaning tasks. Some activities require employees to clean potentially dangerous equipment or areas of the plant. These must be carried out in a way that does not pose the risk of employee injury. Other cleaning activities may require the use of chemicals that can cause employee injury as well.Sanitation also may be necessary to keep the workplace neat and prevent dangers such as slips, trips, and falls and to prevent excessive dust from accumulating and developing into combustible dust situations. The frequency of the cleaning activity is key in these instances. You also must keep the kitchen clean. You must do things as,before beginning cooking, clean counter tops, tables and other surfaces in the kitchen. This is not just about wiping surfaces down, it is also about sanitizing surfaces to stop the growth of bacteria. Sweep floors and wipe walls clean on a daily basis or more often if necessary. Liquids spilled onto floors and other surfaces need to be taken care of by using proper disinfectants. In addition, remove as many insects and animals,or any entrances that may allow entry in the kitchen. A clean sink is the greatest indicator of the level of hygiene in your kitchen. If you keep your sink clean, all other kitchen items, utensils, equipment, and surfaces will follow. Remove any food that spills out or drops onto kitchen surfaces immediately.Bacteria thrives well in locations where there are dirt and food. Rinse and dry all kitchen utensils after washing but before putting them away. Every single step is important, and the removal of dirt ensures your kitchen is safe for the preparation of food meant for consumption. Equipment, furniture and electronic appliances should also be cleaned before use. Routinely clean the refrigerator, oven, stove, microwave, freezer and other kitchen appliances.Some say “Cleanliness is next to Godliness”. Another good thing to do is cook as you go. This reduces work in the future and lets you clean while cooking. Cleanliness can also be a way to save money. If you let food go bad that would waste that product. If you were to let that rot it might infect the other foods in that space. There are kitchen appliances in most homes. Your garbage disposal, dishwasher, toaster, coffeemaker, food processor and other appliances will all work more efficiently when they're clean.
To conclude, cleanliness means longer life. When something is dirty it may cause the appliance to work harder an appliance has to work harder to do its job. It will usually work hotter, too.When the condenser coils behind or under your refrigerator get dirty, the compressor runs longer and hotter. That means a shorter lifespan for that product. In the end you will reduce costs with cleanliness. Your electricity bills may go down too due to the fact the items use less energy to work. That extra cash might allow you to cook more or go out somewhere.
