Food Hygiene simply means or can be defined as the act of storing or preserving food in a way or manner that would prevent the food from been infected, contaminated or poisonous for human consumption.
The dangers of not been food hygienic is very deadly and suggestive of the fact that food hygiene should be practiced at home, restaurants, bakeries, retail stores and food factories.
According to a research conducted by CDC statistics shows that about 48 million people get sick from food borne illness every year, 128,000 are hospitalised and about 3,000 die from food poisoning.
This brings for the need and awareness of the benefits of food hygiene and the dangers of not been food hygienic. In this article we will be looking at those things respectfully and also how one can be or practice food hygiene.
Dangers and Effects Of Improper Food Hygiene
1. The risk of not been food hygienic is high for those in the high-risk category: New born babies, pregnant women, little children, aged people and also the immunocompromised patients (HIV and cancer patients) have a high rate of been affected by improper food hygiene.
2. Everyday a large number of people are affected by the bacterias, parasites and viruses found in the food or drink they consume which leads to food poisoning.
3. Food poisoning may lead to certain health conditions such as gastroenteritis and dehydration or even more serious cases like kidney failure and loss of life.
4. Not washing the hands properly during cooking or before eating accounts for about 33 percent of all food poisoning related cases. It is advised you wash your hands always to prevent germs and bacterias.
Why Is Food Hygiene Important?
1. There is no immediate or adequate way of telling if a food has been contaminated by bacterias, viruses or parasites because the food will still maintain its taste, smell and form however it may be deadly for human consumption.
2. Food hygiene prevents germs from multiplying in foods and reaching deadly levels.
3. Food hygiene keeps one healthy and prevents additional costs that comes from treating sicknesses, taking medications or buying drugs. Additionally it saves companies the stress of loosing employees due to downtime and illness.
4. It maintains daily healthy living and happiness it also prevents the depressions associated with falling sick.
How to Practice Food Hygiene at Home
1. Practice Personal Hygiene: Personal hygiene is a personal daily practice that everyone should engage in, always maintain a clean body and also wash your hands before cooking and before eating.
2. Clean Utensils and Cooking Equipments: After using your cooking utensils while preparing dishes cultivate a habit of cleaning them always and not leaving them dirty for hours or days as it will attract germs. To be on the safe side wash any utensil you use immediately you are done using them to avoid pilling up dirty utensils in the kitchen.
3. Keep Foods That Needs to be Kept Cold in the Fridge: Items such as raw meats, dairy and so on to prevent bacterias from growing in them before consumption, keeping your food cold also ensure they food does not get sour before final consumption.
4. Sperate Raw Food's From Ready to Eat Food: Raw foods always contain bacterias that is why they are always washed properly, steamed and rinse before cooking so to prevent the bacterias in the raw foods from entering the cooked ones they have to be separated.
5. Keep Insects and Pests Away From Food Items: Keeping insects away from pests is a fundamental food hygiene practice, to do this you have to store your food items in a safe place that is not accessible to Insects and other organisms. You also need to clean your cooking environment regularly to avoid food borne illness. Places like cupboards, fridge corners and dark unaccessible places in the kitchen should be regularly cleaned up.
6. Use Clean Water To Cook Always: Using dirty water to cook is very unsafe and can cause common food borne illness such as diarrhoea, vomiting and stomach upsets. Water is very essential when it comes to cooking generally and dirty water of any kind shouldn't be tolerated while cooking.
Do you have any question regarding Food Hygiene? Kindly ask them in the comments section thanks!