food safety
...paration. Chickens are raised in specially-designed buildings under artificial lighting and cramped conditions. These unnatural conditions promote spreading of harmful (pathogenic) bacteria and diseases. Farmers combat them with antibiotics. Constant use of antibiotics, however, weakens their efficacy on humans. Similarly, cattle are fattened under appalling conditions in feedlots full of their excrement. Their feed contains all kinds of harmful additives and antibiotics. Same conditions prevail in pig-, fish- and other seafood farms. The amount of pollution a huge pig farm creates is a major problem for rural authorities in charge of water supply. Farm animals are administered antibiotics for speedy growth and disease resistance, but this practice males food pathogens increasingly resistant to antibiotics, a growth hormone, is used by dairy farmers to increase daily milk production, but some scientists claim this practice to yield unhealthy food. . Food distribution is fast and literally spans the world. You can find fresh beans from some remote place in the world, Moroccan or Japanese tangerines, Chinese pears, New Zealand Gala apples, Florida oranges, California produce, Chilean or South American or Italian grapes, Portuguese or Argentine pears, French cheeses, Indian or Mexican okra, and mangoes routinely in many large North American cities. Moreover, this is justly a fraction of what else you can buy. Rapid transportation and distribution help spread pathogenic bacteria and facilitate the outbreak of epidemics. In developing countries, irrigation and water treatment still leaves a lot to be desired. While the populations in these countries are immune, North Americans’ tolerance for even low bacteria counts is practically nil. A lot of food consumes in North America is processed or purchased as take out. The more food is processed, the more chances exist for it to be contaminated. Improperly cleaned machines and plants are responsible for many food borne diseases, but more importantly employees often disregard even the most routine and preventive measures – washing hands thoroughly after visiting the toilet, coughing away from food being prepared, and staying away from work if ill with flu. In the restaurant world all these practices have to be kept daily, food safety is number one in any commercial kitchen. Proper food preparation is an important link in the food chain. Ground meat must be cooked at 155 F (80C) for a minimum of three minutes, and egg yolks well. Admittedly, well done eggs and hamburgers fail to provide less than the expected eating pleasure than when slightly undercooked, but it is better to be safe than sorry. Potentially hazardous foods are: pates, hot dogs, sliced deli meats, smoked fish, blue cheese and soft cheeses. All may contain listeria . Essentially the finer the food is ground and the more it is handled the more dangerous it becomes. Food is not sterile and cannot be made ri...