The Rural Voice, 2001-12, Page 36♦AAAtA AAAAAA AAA A
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Friendly
wishes for a
Merry
Christmas
and a
Joyous New
Year
from the
Directors,
Management
and Staff.
McKILLOP
MUTUAL
INSURANCE
COMPANY
Established 1876
91 Main St. S. Seaforth
Phone 527-0400
1-800-463-9204
32 THE RURAL VOICE
out with 1,000 bacteria per gram, but
in one hour that multiplies to 4,000
and in 'four hours, 256,000,
D'Alessandro said.
"There will always be bacteria (in
food) but with proper times and
temperatures it reduces growth," said
Cassidy.
Food handler error is the most
common factor in food
poisoning, D'Alessandro said.
The impact of that food poisoning
can hit a victim in as short a time as
one hour after eating a contaminated
food, or up to five days later,
depending on the type of poisoning.
Safe food handling is primarily
common sense, D'Alessandro said.
Problems with food come mostly
from food held at inadequately cold
temperatures, food that takes too long
to cool down, food not held at a hot
enough temperature, inadequate
reheating of food, poor personal
hygiene from food handlers, cross -
contamination, improper sanitation of
equipment, food or
contact surfaces and
unsafe food sources.
Despite the fact
that rural people
often have access to food fresh from
the farm, D'Alessandro cautioned
groups to use food from approved
source. Ungraded eggs or
unpasteurized milk, for instance,
could cause problems.
He also urged food handlers to
consider the problem of people with
food allergies when they are
preparing foods for a banquet. People
who have allergies to things like
peanuts, eggs and seafood, may not
be aware these are contained in a
casserole. "It's important you (as a
customer) know what's in there," he
said, and that can be difficult for
people with allergies.
"We've got to worry about
children, elderly, young and fit —
people who are immuno-
compromised," D'Alessandro said.
He stressed the importance of
good hygiene for food handlers,
starting with the act of washing your
hands. He demonstrated how to
properly lather hands, getting
between the fingers and then rinsing
properly. A good washing will clean
your hands, D'Alessandro said, and
there's no real need for antiseptic
soaps.
But keeping you hands clean can
be the problem. He advised using a
paper towel to dry you hands (he
hates handblowers because people
often don't dry their hands well
enough), and using a towel to turn off
the tap. Hands can also be
recontaminated when you use the
door handle on the way out of the
washroom, he said. "It may sound
like you're neurotic but it's good
common sense," he said.
Food workers should wear
headgear and clean uniforms, he
urged.
"If you're sick, don't handle
food," he said. With volunteer groups
that are short-handed, there may be
the temptation to help out at a dinner
even if you're feeling sick, but find a
job that keeps you away from the
food.
Cross -contamination can spread
bacteria from one contact surface to
another, such as cutting boards used
for more than one purpose. t'As food
handlers we have to
worry about cross -
contamination." In
the endless debate
over whether plastic
boards are better,
D'Alessandro said he favours plastic,
but either should be kept clean. He
recommended cleaning and
sterilizing them in the dishwasher.
Cleaning up after meals is
important. Regulations calling for
three sinks for washing dishes are
now recognized but D'Alessandro
estimated 90 per cent of groups put
the, dish baths in the wrong order,
usually putting the bleach in the
second sink instead of the final bath.
Dishes should properly be sorted,
scraped and rinsed, then put in the
first bath with the hot water and
detergent, he said. The second bath is
just hot rinsewater. The rinse is
important because detergent left on
the dishes will deactivate the bleach.
The final bath contains one ounce of
bleach per three gallons of water.
Ideally dishes should air-dry, but
D'Alessandro acknowledged that if
there are 400 people at a dinner it's
going to take too long to air-dry the
dishes to be practical. In such a case,
use clean, dry tea -towels and plenty
of them, he advised.
Clean hands are good enough for
putting away dishes, he said. Gloves
FOOD SAFETY TIP:
Clean as you go. Wipe up spills
immediately. Keep utensils and
surfaces clean and sanitized.
or wooden