According to the CDC, foodborne illnesses affect 1 in 6 people in the United States annually. While many cases are mild, some are severe enough to require hospitalization, and approximately 3,000 people die from these illnesses each year. If your restaurant is responsible for causing a foodborne illness, the consequences can be significant and far-reaching.
Initially, a guest might not report their illness and instead choose not to return to your establishment, leading to lost business. Additionally, it’s very common for affected guests to leave negative reviews, which can tarnish your restaurant’s reputation and further reduce your customer base. Worse still, if a guest decides to file a complaint with the health department, your business could even face closure.
This is a daunting possibility, but there are measures you and your staff can take to prevent foodborne illnesses. By adhering to proper food handling and preparation safety practices, you can protect both your customers and your business.
Keep reading to find out the best practices for preventing foodborne illness in your facility.
What Are Foodborne Illnesses?
Foodborne illnesses, often referred to as food poisoning, are infections or intoxications caused by consuming contaminated food or beverages. These illnesses are typically caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites, or chemical substances that make their way into food.
Some pathogens are more common than others. In fact, there are more than 2,300 different types of salmonella bacteria, but Salmonella Enteritidis and Salmonella Typhimurium make up half of all human infections. Some of the most common pathogens, known as the Big 6 in food safety circles, that cause foodborne illnesses are:
- Norovirus
- Salmonella typhi
- Non-typhoidal salmonella
- E. coli
- Shigella
- Hepatitis A
Symptoms of foodborne illnesses can range from mild to severe and often include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, and fatigue. In severe cases, these illnesses can lead to long-term health problems or even death, particularly in vulnerable populations such as young children, the elderly, pregnant women, and individuals with weakened immune systems.
For the most part, pathogens do not affect the taste, smell, or appearance of food that has been contaminated. For example, foods contaminated by E. coli will have no noticeable difference from foods that are not contaminated.
Foodborne illnesses can affect anyone, unlike allergens which are specific to individuals with the allergy.
Pro Tip: Allergens can also be dangerous but are not foodborne illnesses.
Allergens, or substances that cause allergic reactions, can also harm your restaurant patrons. There are nine common allergens: milk, wheat, peanuts, soy, fish, tree nuts, eggs, crustacean shellfish, and sesame.
It’s important for your staff to understand which menu items contain these allergens to help ensure that they are not served to customers with allergies. However, by following the same food safety practices to prevent foodborne illnesses, your kitchen can prevent allergen contamination.
How to Prevent Foodborne Illness
Because there are so many pathogens, it’s important to keep food safety practices at the forefront of everything your restaurant does. This article will walk you through the 6 most important preventative food safety practices to prevent foodborne illness in your restaurant.
- Purchasing and Receiving Food from Reputable Suppliers
- Safely Storing Food
- Practicing Proper Personal Hygiene
- Creating and Maintaining a Clean Workspace
- Preventing Cross-Contamination and Cross-Contact
- Regulating Food Temperatures
It’s important to follow each of these food safety practices as different pathogens can be removed in different ways. Some may be killed by cooking foods to certain temperatures while others are heat resistant and the best preventative practice is washing your hands and equipment properly.