Analysis of Food Poisoning - Essay Example

? Day Month Year Food Poisoning and its Impact on the Catering Industry Introduction The tourism industry, and in particular the catering sector, is largely judged in the court of public opinion. Many aspects determine whether or not people will trust a certain destination, venue, or attraction. These aspects cover all ranges of health, safety, comfort, and the level of enjoyment and service offered. Primary among these is the food industry. Depending on the event, time of season, and location, the amount of food that must be prepared on a daily basis is staggering. With this comes a great responsibility to ensure the safety and integrity of the food supply. Little kills a tourist destination or catering business more than bad publicity. This can occur in the media, or via word of mouth. One of the primary concerns in the industry has long been outbreaks of food poisoning (Adams and Morrell 38). Catering businesses must depend not only on their own quality control standards, but also on the safe supply of fresh food to their business as well. It is critical that food born illnesses be eliminated from the food supply to the greatest extent possible. Much has been discussed in this area in recent years as the number of tourism based businesses continues to grow exponentially. This paper will examine a particular case of food born disease that directly affected the catering industry in Africa, and will enter into a discussion of relevant legislation and recommendations to avoid future outbreaks worldwide. Case Study and the Causative Agent Salad has long been a staple of the catering industry. Nearly every meal in world wide tourist circles, particularly meals that are catered, have some form of salad mix as a part of the set menu (Henderson 318). Produce, however, must be handled carefully as there are many food born diseases that can result if not properly handled (Chapman et. al. 1101). Because of the mass quantities of lettuce and other ingredients of salad that must be collected for any one event, it becomes even more critical to examine the health and safe of such food products. Since salad is not cooked, heat and extreme temperatures utilized in the cooking process do not assist in the elimination of contaminants (Amhadi and Hussain 172). One such case study was recently conducted in Nigeria to determine the prevalence of food born bacteria in ready made salad mixes typically used in the catering industry. General Details Scientists tested 150 different ready-to-eat salad samples from various sources in Calabar, South Nigeria. The samples were taken from such tourist and catering sites as fast food centers, wedding reception banquets, and birthday parties in the main part of the city. This occurred during the three-month period in order to ensure that the food and produce supplier remained relatively consistent (Udo et. al. 1). During the analysis of the samples, it was discovered that five main types of bacteria were present in the lettuce on an above average scale. “The probable human pathogens isolated were Staphylococcus aureus 35 (41.18%), Escherichia coli 21 (24.71%), Klebsiella aerogenes 11 (12.94%), Slamonella Enterica var Typhimuirum 3 (3.53%, and Bacsillus species 15 (17.65%)” (Udo et al 2). It was discovered that an astounding 40% of fast food centers, 52% of birthday parties, and 78% of wedding receptions had enough bacteria in their salad to cause food poisoning amongst the guests. Obviously this is an unacceptable number, but this case study is reflective of the overall danger of the food preparation industry if proper handling of food is not undertaken. The case study from Nigeria demonstrates that salads typically eaten in tourist venues and at catering events are often contaminated with pathogens that can cause grave illness in humans. This indicates a strong need to take care that food service personnel, particularly in the hospitality industry, use proper hygiene standards and that fruits and vegetables are disinfected and stored at the proper temperature. This is actually part of current legislation in Nigeria and elsewhere, yet the standards are often neglected and food poisoning in the result (Eves and Pangiota 8). This food poisoning outbreak was seen in area of Nigeria where over ten million visitors come every year. The incidences of food poisoning in the region has doubled each of the last two decades. While the local people of the region typically eat more homegrown food and fresh seafood, the tourists demand a different diet. Must of the produce is trucked in from suppliers that may not adhere to quality standards (Udo et al. 4). In addition, the hospitality industry in the region is experiencing phenomenal growth, and the current workforce is often pressed for time. Unfortunately, this seems to result in the lack of proper care that is required for produce and other ingredients used in salad. Now that we have established an incidence of food poisoning in the hospitality and catering sector, it is important to review legislation, policies, and procedures that are designed to eliminate food poisoning altogether. Relevant Legislation at the Time of the Incident As a result of these findings, and many others like it, many questions have begun to be asked about the safety and quality of food produce used in the hospitality industry. Outbreaks, such as the ones described in Nigeria, are becoming all too commonplace as the number tourists, and the need to cater events, is continually on the rise. In many developing countries, the problem is compounded be a lack of clean and potable water available at centers that prepare produce. Since lettuce and other key ingredients must be washed and disinfected, this has become a serious problem (Adams and Morrell 39). Legislation in many areas of the world requires the hospitality industry to abide by certain national microbiological standards. Unfortunately, during the outbreaks in Nigeria, such standards were not enforced, nor were they really even covered in national food preparation and standards legislation. Such standards in most countries require food service outlets to keep microbiological agents existent in produce to acceptable levels. This is enforced by regular and random testing. Procedures have been implemented to ensure that all salad products used in the hospitality industry come from suppliers that adhere to the strictest of standards. In addition, legislation calls for food service workers, or caterers, to implement certain washing and care procedures that further reduce the evidence of any bacteria that may cause food poisoning (Ali-Awadhi 446). It is estimated that foodborne illnesses and disease impact about 30% of the population every year. It is has been determined that roughly 70% of these cases occur outside of the home (Chapman et. al. 1102). This indicates the seriousness of the problem for the hospitality industry. Policies in place during the outbreaks in Nigeria and elsewhere are now being reexamined. The reality is the such legislation must govern all food from the warehouse to the table. It is critical that suppliers adhere to the same standards as the food preparer. The reality is that many food borne illnesses can not be eliminated by proper sanitation and food preparation. If the source is contaminated with certain bacterial elements, such as salmonella, the food and its source must be eliminated altogether (Eves and Pangiota 7). A rising star in the hospitality industry years has been Dubai. The UAE in general has been consistently trying to attract tourists globally. As such, the government has reviewed its own legislation governing food supply and preparation. Dubai itself has created the Dubai Municipality Food Control Department to deal with and implement certain food safety initiatives (Al-Awadhi 443). Dubai itself has found that “Many hospitality businesses are not adequately managing food safety despite basic training of employees, which has prompted a move towards management level training” (Al-Awadhi 445). The department has implemented procedures that requires the mandatory training of ‘persons in charge’ in all food service businesses, including the hospitality and catering sectors. In addition, they are now working towards a broader goal of ensure that more in-depth food safety management systems are implemented in the future (Al-Awadhi 447). Legislation, like those previously discussed, that become necessary as health concerns have arisen globally in response to food poisoning outbreaks at the hands of both domestic and international tourism. Travel to new places can increase the risk of contracting a food borne illness and ‘travelers diarrhea’ has become an all too common occurrence in recent years (MacLauren 332). In the United Kingdom alone, more than 17% of citizens have reported some type of food borne illness while traveling internationally, and 35% of those report that the problem manifested itself with gastrointestinal problems or food poisoning (Cheung, Prisk, and Maxwell 14). This indicates that global initiatives, policies, and legislation is needed to protect tourism and the entire hospitality industry for irreparable damage if the problem continues. Recommendations to Avoid Future Outbreaks In order to avoid future outbreaks of food poisoning, more action is needed. Legislation alone is not enough. Many food service workers are ill-equipped to deal with the stress that is involved with handling mass quantities of food. They are often overworked, understaffed, and undertrained. This creates a ‘perfect storm’ whereby contamination of the food supply used by the hospitality industry is not only possible, but likely (Badrie, Gobin, & Dookeran 372). Proper training of all food service workers is sorely needed. One such initiative that has shown promise in the United Arab Emirates. Named The Sharjah Food Safety Program (SFSP), the initiative is direct from the government, and it involves the team at the Quality and Health Control Department. “The program is brining innovative and integrated food safety training, assessment, management system implementation, audit, and certification to the food sector [in the area], which includes over 7,000 food service, food retail, and food-manufacturing businesses” (Al-Wassemi 434). This meets the recommendation that controls are implemented from the very outset to ensure that the food is fresh and free of food borne illness to arriving at any catering venue. Then, with proper training of all workers in the sector, proper care of the food will continue throughout the food preparation stage (Al-Qassemi 436). Recommendations for developing countries should be centered around adopting the principles and practices employed by more developed tourist destinations. Consider Trinidad as an example. Restaurants there are 55% more likely to experience food poisoning than other more developed destinations. Escherichia coli and Salmonella are all too common and the industry has few food safety authorities to police hospitality venues (Badrie et al 371). In reality, the industry cannot wait for other to do something about the problem of food poisoning. International tourism agencies need to demand action in regards to safe food handling and preparation, no matter how small the destination may be. A suggestion would be to discover training programs that are working, such as the one in Dubai, and implement them on a more grand scale. One may not always be able to control the way that food is processed at the source, but they can certainly do everything in their power to ensure that is handled properly during the preparation stage and well before it reaches the plate of anyone associated with the hospitality industry. Any training program must center and focus on the reality that everyone in the tourist establishment is responsible for the proper handling of food. Amjadi and Hussain (2005) maintain that “Hygienic regulations established by local, state, and national bodies must be consistently enforced by management” (369). Such regulations need to come about in the form of proper health codes that are not only enforced, but regularly updated as outbreaks and other events relative to the hospitality industry occur. Catering agencies must be doing more than this, however, because once a person suffers from food poisoning, the damage is already done. By implementing proper procedures, the traveling public is not only assured of safe eating environments, but they can enjoy the healthy and clean surrounding established in such venues (Knight, Worosz, & Todd 482). Works Cited Adams, Alan and Morrell, Stewart. “Food Safety and the Hospitality Industry.” Nutrition and Food Science. 1.1 (1999): 37-41. 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