Effective Food Safety Approaches - Assignment Example

The quality of the food would include the overall safety of the food that will be consumed by the customers.

Providing the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) process to the employees on a regular basis will be very helpful in promoting food safety (Altekruse, 1997).  Through this process, certain steps in food preparation can be identified where contamination may occur; and preventive actions can be proposed prior to their occurrence.  Furthermore, regular training gives the employees a sense of alertness during their work in the kitchen.

As the head of the citizen task force, I believe it is an obligation of the restaurant employees, and the entire food industry as well, to provide the best quality that can be served to the consumers. The local health department on the other hand has the responsibility to oversee and monitor that such training is regularly provided to the employees.

1b.       Describe worker behaviors that may promote or compromise food safety.  Please be sure to justify your opinion with literature. 

Proper food preparation such as thorough heating of food and making sure that eggs and hamburgers are cooked well promotes food safety.  Workers must also make sure that no cross-contamination occurs from the raw ingredients to the cooked food that will be served to the consumers.  Personal hygiene must be second nature to these employees to ensure cleanliness. Practices such as washing hands, wearing proper clothes inside the kitchen and cleaning the workplace will minimize the occurrence of food-borne illnesses (Altekruse, 1997).  It is also important that the raw ingredients be properly stored at the temperatures specified in their packages and expiration dates of processed food products must be checked and followed to avoid the use of spoiled materials (usda.gov, 2011). 

2a.       Describe the top recommendation you would give to the public to prevent being bit by mosquitoes that may transmit West Nile Virus. Justify your answer.

The best way to prevent being bitten by a mosquito that may transmit the West Nile Virus is by using an insect repellent spray or lotion.  The insect repellent lotion or spray should be applied only on the exposed skin when the neighbors intend to go outdoors or in an area where a West Nile virus incident was reported.  Those who will be going out in the early mornings or in the evening must know how long they will be staying out.  According to the US Environmental Protection Agency [US EPA], the choice of repellent depends upon the duration of the protection that is needed (cdc.gov, 2012).

2b.       Describe the top one recommendation you would give to the community to control the mosquito population in the community

The life cycle of a mosquito mostly depends on water.  Primarily, it is where the female mosquito lays her eggs; and these eggs hatch only in the presence of water.  The larvae and pupae also thrive in the water until they become adult mosquitoes (epa.gov, 2012).  Knowing that mosquitoes need water in their life cycle, the best solution to control the mosquito population in the community is to remove unnecessary stagnant water in the area, especially areas near our homes.  Swimming pools must be treated with chlorine to prevent mosquitoes from laying their eggs there.  Flower pots, fountains and containers for the water of pets must be drained once a week.  Buckets, covers, toys or other containers where there is stagnant water must be thrown into the garbage.  Water in aquariums must be constantly running as well (epa.gov, 2012).  These steps in preventing the mosquito population from growing do not require a huge amount of resources.  Keeping the community clean and healthy is not only the local government’s responsibility but goes down to each individual in the neighborhood.