Dog Poisons

Not all food or household items are dog friendly. In fact, some are toxic and even fatal. As their two-legged counterparts, there are many poisons in food and dogs nearby must avoid.

Bacteria poisoning food routine, such as salmonella, e. coli and yersinia, affect dogs and human beings human. Use the rule that if you do not want to do for you, it does serve to your dog. Homemade foods, especially meat components, should be cooked properly to prevent foodborne illness. Storage and cooking removes vitamins and minerals, so supplements when appropriate should be added before feeding.

If not treated, the symptoms can last up to 3 days and be fatal!

Young dog, the most dangerous is the risk of chocolate poisoning. Baking chocolate is the most dangerous for dogs. Two different toxins called methyxanthines are chocolate the caffeine and alkaloid theobromine (less well known and most dangerous). Ingestion of chocolate can cause vomiting, diarrhea, depression, muscle tremors, excessive thirst with frequent urination. The dog may become restless and start a stimulation. More dangerous symptoms may develop including high/irregular of heart rate, blood pressure changes and seizures.

Reflection on the ingredients don't?

You want may treat your dog to a family rest, not thinking about the ingredients. Onions and garlic contain disulfide called substances can poison your dog. Disulfides damage the surface of red blood cells, forcing them to explode. The result is a disease called Heinz body anemia. The dog becomes weak and breathless and may require a blood transfusion for recovery. The red pigment in urine (hemoglobinuria) is easily confused with urinary problems.

In different fungi poisons can have a variety of results for your dog: failure of kidneys and the liver (with abdominal pain), delirium, vomiting and diarrhea, seizures, coma, perhaps death. Symptoms may begin to 20 minutes to 8 hours after ingestion. Attention when walking your dog in grass or forest areas!

Grapes can be a deadly poison for your dog.

Dogs all over the world love grapes but in 1989, the ASPCA has reported a new trend: almost all dogs that grapes consumed or grapes developed kidney failure. When medical care was requested, blood calcium, blood urea nitrogen concentrations, elevated creatinine and phosphorus were observed. These chemicals reflect kidney function. If urine production is interrupted, grapes can be a deadly poison for your dog. Treatment can have success with immediate medical intervention - call your vet!

If the bones are good or toxic for dogs is strongly debated. Cooked bones become brittle and dry, absorb water from the digestive tract of the dog and cause intestinal blockage and constipation. Many raw bones can break up and punch the digestive tract, usually requiring surgery to repair. Bone fragments may also file in the mouth or throat, causing discomfort, mouth roof perforations, dental damage and suffocation at worst. Raw bones can be toxic to your dog if contaminated by bacteria. Excess in the bone marrow, which is most often fat, can lead to pancreatitis in sensitive dogs.

Other potential toxic food for your dog are:

Careers of PEAR, grains of plums, fisheries, and apricots, apple in the pits database (contain resulting in cyanide poisoning cyanogenic glycosides). The peels of potatoes and green potato research. Rhubarb leaves. Moldy and spoiled food. Alcohol. Yeast dough. Reasons for coffee beans and tea (caffeine). Hops (used in the brewing of the House). Tomato leaves and stems. Broccoli in large quantities. Skin Turkey.

Antifreeze, which accumulates on the fairways and coatings road, odours and good for your dog but is toxic and very deadly. Other very accessible to avoid your dog outside poisons are: charcoal lighter fluid, gasoline, kerosene, lead, limestone, paint more thin, cleaning fluids, rodent poison, essence of turpentine, cocoa mulch.

Household poisons for your dog to avoid are: cigarette/tobacco/cigars, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, Tablet, caffeine, acetone, ammonia, bleach, deodorants, Polish furniture, bands flies, mites, pesticide, alcohol, soap.

If your pet ingests accidentally any food, plant or chemical poison, call your veterinarian immediately or the National Centre poison Animal 1 900 680 0000.

Common plants that are toxic to your dog are: amaryllis, bush azalea, boxwood, cactus, columbine, Daffodil flower bud, dumbcane, Ivy, digitale, hemlock, honeysuckle, horse chestnut, ivy, the lily of the Valley, Lupine, marijuana, GUI, morning glory, Laurier rose, philodendron, poinsettia, rhubarb, cabbage, Skunk, tulip bulbsif.

Find a Pet Dart poison

Living in the countries of South and Central America as Costa Rica, Colombia, the Bolivia and the Peru, poison dart frog is a stunning, brilliant colourful frog secretes a poisonous toxin. Only this unique frog was discovered by the scientific community in the 1960s, but known by tribes for many years. The name of the frog, one might think that it is somehow able to shoot poison darts, but is simply not the case. The designation of dart poison comes of the tribes in the rainforest use poison on the advice of darts that they would use to submit a threat.

The poison dart frog is not only a frog but a frogs set that contains more than 100 different types of poison dart frogs. Usually, these frogs are relatively small and are less than 2.5 cm long, but some species can grow up to about 2.5 inches.

Then the poison in many species of poison dart frogs may not be sufficient to kill a man in good health, they have had cases where the poison entered a cutting or zero which resulted in the death. Their poison is very effective in controlling predators, but if a poison dart frog was born in captivity, it is unlikely that they will contain poison. The poison that developed in the frog while out in the wild is because of its diet of ants, termites, beetles and other insects. When they eat has more toxic beetles of Central America, the toxins in their bodies are more products, making them harmless.

Most of us is used to see frogs on a pond, Marsh or streams, but the dart frog is different. It has no webbed feet and is therefore not a good swimmer, so you will not find one of these frogs live in ponds.

Unfortunately, the Poison Dart Frog is experiencing a crisis in the population and is on the list of endangered species. The years, the destruction of lands of the rainforest and drought in their regions, these frogs have decreased in number. Fortunately, pet Poison Dart Frogs are raised in captivity and are not collected in nature.

The vivid colours of these frogs are just incredible and this is why people want to keep as pets is no surprise. With proper care, Poison Dart Frog can live many years in captivity.

Food is poisoning us - P2

There are many causes of food poisoning:

· Bacteria are responsible for the highest number of outbreaks. 80% of all food poisoning cases are caused by bacteria.

· Chemicals such as cleaning products, excess additives and preservatives, fuel fumes, strong after shaves/perfumes, agricultural chemicals, pesticides. In 1997 aluminum sulphate was inadvertently dumped into a reservoir in Camelford, Cornwall, UK. Twelve years later many relations of people who have died from Alzheimer's disease, claim that the contamination in 1997 caused their deaths. (Autopsies of Alzheimer victims show a large proportion of aluminum in their brain cells compared to people who have not suffered from dementia).

In the 1970s an Austrian wine company deliberately sweetened their produce with industrial anti-freeze.

In the 1980s a Spanish company passed off used, industrial motor oil as virgin olive oil.

In 2008 a Chinese company deliberately added melamine to baby milk powder.

In the above examples there were a considerable number of deaths.

· When certain moulds grow on fruit or grains, they produce a poison called a mycotoxin, such as ochratoxin A and patulin. Both can cause cancer.

· Metals such as cadmium, zinc, lead and mercury can cause illness. Also one has to be careful what type of metallic container acidic fruit is cooked in. In the catering industry we tend mainly to use aluminum saucepans. If acidic fruit is cooked in aluminum, the metal becomes discoloured and the fruit retains a metallic taint. Probably not life threatening in the short term, but certainly illegal as far as the UK legislation is concerned. The best container to use would be one that would not react with the fruit such as stainless steel or glass.

· Only food safe plastics must be used for storage of food items. Plastic containers bought from hardware stores that are not meant for food storage contain industrial dyes, which can contain arsenic and strychnine, which could leach into the food.

· Natural poisons include poisonous fungi, rhubarb leaves, deadly nightshade and dried red kidney beans. Always ensure you identify the edible species of fungi if you like foraging for wild mushrooms. Rhubarb leaves contain oxalic acid (wood bleach), which is deadly poisonous. Deadly nightshade was found in dried fruit tea, imported from Germany, several years ago, which caused severe illness. Dried red kidney beans contain a natural toxin. In order to deactivate the poison, the beans must be boiled vigorously for at least 15 minutes before using. The boiling can be before or after soaking. Canned red kidney beans are safe; they have already been processed to de-activate the toxin.

· Fresh fish must be thoroughly cooked before eating. Do not undercook as serious parasitic infection could ensue. The freshest fish to eat is frozen fish, strangely enough! All fish, whether from fresh or sea water, from cold or warm temperatures contain parasites within the flesh. Cooking the fish to the right temperature will kill all parasites and the fish will be safe to eat. If the fish is undercooked, as some "so called" telly chefs would insist, then you can develop a parasitic infection, which can be quite serious. If fish is to be undercooked, then it must be frozen first, which will kill the parasites. Under UK health and safety legislation, all fish used for use with Sushi rice, must be frozen for at least 36 hours before being used. All animals, including fish, must be refrigerated immediately after slaughter, to prevent any build up of bacterial growth and toxin production. Depending on the fishmonger's or supermarket's location, it can take as long as 7 days for the fresh fish to be transported from water to display. If the integrity of the cold chain has been compromised in any way, the fish can be hazardous.

Fugu (Puffer or Blow fish) is a delicacy in Japanese restaurants. The internal organs: the ovaries, liver and skin, contain a deadly toxin (tetrodotoxin). If the fish is not prepared correctly, the toxin can leach into the flesh and cause lethal poisoning if ingested. The poison causes paralysis of the muscles while the victim stays fully conscious, and eventually dies from asphyxiation. There is no available antidote. In order to prepare fugu, the chef must be licensed. The training course for licensing lasts for two years. Part of the training course involves eating their preparation. 75% of trainee chefs fall seriously ill, some die, during the training course. If you see this delicacy on a menu, give it a wide berth, unless you are one to live on the edge!

Some symptoms of food poisoning include:

Nausea

Vomiting

Abdominal Cramps

Diarrhoea

These are the body's self defence mechanisms to deal with the disease. When pathogens are ingested with food, the chemicals on the bacterial membrane act as an alert signal, which the brain quickly senses and sends messages, firstly to the oesophagus, giving rise to nausea, and secondly to the stomach. The vomiting centre (a region within the brain) instructs the stomach to expel all contents as quickly as possible (vomiting).

Another line of defence is the stomach. The parietal cells within the epithelium of the stomach secrete hydrochloric acid (gastric juices). Its main purpose is to start to break down food and kill pathogens. The acid is non discriminatory and will kill all bacteria, including the pre-biotic bacteria that allegedly help the digestive processes. The main digestive processes take place in the small intestine, which the pre-biotics never reach! Because of the size of that industry, no government of the day will repudiate their claims.

E coli are acid tolerant bacteria and if they remain in the stomach after vomiting, they resist the stomach acid and reach the small intestine. The bacteria will start to grow and attract the body's next line of defence, its antibodies. The antibodies attack the bacteria and a battle commences. This battle causes the stomach cramps. Some variants of E coli release poisons into the blood stream, which affect the kidneys, often causing kidney failure.

If other bacteria manage to invade the small intestine, they also cause stomach cramps.

We have symbiotic bacteria living in our colon, which break down the last of the food material, leaving faeces. Even E coli are residents, but harmless, helpful variants; good friends! These E coli synthesise vitamin K from the food, which acts as a blood clotting factor. So if it wasn't for E coli we could bleed to death!

However, as the surviving pathogens enter the colon they interrupt the colon's main duty of absorbing as much water as possible from the faeces and actually reverses the process. The bacteria cause an influx of chloride ions into body cells, causing a mass diffusion of water from the cells to enter the colon, mixing with the faeces and giving rise to diarrhoea.

The symptoms of food poisoning are not life threatening, albeit not very pleasant. The life threatening element of food poisoning is dehydration, resulting from fluid loss via vomiting and diarrhoea. Dehydration does kill.

The body requires sufficient water and salts in order for the major organs to work. Severe dehydration causes the organs to fail, resulting in death.

Dehydration is not a serious problem in developed countries as fluids can be replaced with chlorinated tap water or bottled water. In under-developed countries which have a non-chlorinated water supply or well water, hydration can exacerbate the situation. The water might well be contaminated from faeces or decomposing animal life.

Natural disasters are also a major problem, such as earthquakes and floods. Even "clean" drinking water becomes contaminated from dead and dying animals and faeces from flooded or damaged sewers.

Statistically speaking, if no clean water is available for disaster victims, at least 50 times the number of people who are killed by the disaster, will be affected, and possibly die, from food poisoning or from a Foodborne disease such as typhoid or cholera.

There are groups of people who are more affected by food poisoning than healthy adults.

They are:

· The elderly, whose immune system is not as strong as it used to be, their organs are much weaker as they get older. In 1996, 22 people died from E coli food poisoning in Wishaw, in Scotland. All victims were elderly.

· The very young haven't developed an immune system yet, their organs are still not fully developed to be able to cope with poisoning. Mason Jones, a five year old child from Deri, South Wales, died from E coli food poisoning due to contaminated meat supplied by a butcher in Bridgend, South Wales.

· People who are already ill cannot fight another disease. The body has evolved to competently fight one disease at a time. It concentrates all its resources to one battle only.

· Pregnant women can become infected by Listeria, bacteria that infect the placenta, and prevent nutrients and oxygen from reaching the foetus, causing stillbirth or miscarriage.

The majority of food poisoning is caused by bacteria. Other culprits of food poisoning include chemicals, moulds, metals, plastics, natural poisons, and fresh fish. The symptoms of food poisoning are the body's self defence mechanisms. The groups of people who are more susceptible to food poisoning than health adults include the elderly, very young, pregnant women and ill or immunocompromised.

Food poisoning - how to avoid, how to deal

While the supply of food America's is the safest in the world, food poisoning is responsible for about 76 million illnesses to the United States each year. In fact, it is estimated that 60% or more of the poultry sold today probably with pathogenic bacteria. Anyone who eat food contaminated by some bacteria, parasites or viruses can get food poisoning. Some factors such as age and physical condition can make some people more vulnerable than others to food poisoning. Infants, pregnant women, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are most at risk.

For most people in good condition, food poisoning is usually long lasting or fatal. However, at least healthy individuals, it can become a threat to health, accounting for approximately 5 000 deaths each year.

The good news is that by taking simple precautionary measures when purchasing, handling and food preparation you can prevent most cases of food poisoning in the home.

What causes food poisoning Food poisoning is most often caused by bacteria, parasites or viruses that may be present in the foods you've eaten. You may have heard the names of many of these organizations. They include Escherichia coli (e. coli, Campylobacter jejuni, Clostridium botulinum, Shigella, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, Trichinella virus and hepatitis, to name a few. They can be present in a wide range of foods, including red meat, poultry, milk and other dairy products, eggs, unpasteurized vegetable juices and cider, spices, chocolate, seafood and even water.

These organisms may be present on your food when it is purchased or can be found in foods, including cooked foods, if the food comes into contact with the juice of raw meat on Sales utensils, cutting boards or countertops used to prepare contaminated food. That?s why it is important not only to completely Cook your food, but to wash your hands, utensils and countertops, before and after handling raw foods.

What are the symptoms Symptoms vary depending on the type and quantity of contaminants eaten. Some people may get sick after ingesting only a small amount of harmful bacteria, while others may remain free of symptoms after eating larger amounts. The most common symptoms of food poisoning include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, pain in the stomach (cramps), fever, headache and fatigue. Symptoms can appear as soon as 30 minutes after eating food contaminated, but more generally do not develop several days or weeks. Symptoms of food poisoning, viral or parasitic appear not for several weeks, while some toxins in fish may take a few minutes to cause symptoms.

If you have the botulism, you probably do not have a fever and symptoms may include blurred vision, fatigue, dry mouth and throat.

How food poisoning is diagnosed Food poisoning is often suspected when several people sick after eating the same meal. To diagnose the cause of the disease, your doctor will need to know the symptoms and what was eaten just before the occurrence of the disease. The doctor may need food, stool samples or vomiting. These samples can be tested in the laboratory to determine whether the food has been contaminated and identify the organism causing the disease.

How is it treated If symptoms are severe, the victim must consult a doctor or to obtain emergency care. Treatment depends on the severity and the cause of food poisoning. Generally, for cases mild food poisoning, the doctor will recommend to you rest, drink fluids to prevent dehydration due to diarrhoea or vomiting and follow a specific regime. It only takes usually about 1 to 5 days to recover from food poisoning.

If you have the botulism, your doctor will prescribe an antitoxin. Other types of food poisoning have no antidote. Antibiotics are generally not useful in the treatment of food poisoning. Medicine stop vomiting and stomach cramps can be given.

Prevention is the best approach to avoid food-borne illness that can prevent most cases of food poisoning. Here is a list of some simple Do's and Don't for you help avoid food poisoning in the home.

Wash your hands, utensils, cutting boards and countertops between different foods

hrefrigerate or freeze perishable immediately (the refrigerator temperature should be 41° f and freezer 0°F)

hompletely Cook the food. Cook the beef, lamb and pork to an internal temperature of 160°F; whole poultry and thighs to your; poultry breasts to 82°c, chicken or Turkey 165°F

hrefrigerate foods remains as soon as possible. shouldn't remnants remain without refrigeration longer than two hours.

while shopping, select the frozen foods and perishables such as meat, poultry and fish last - before checking out

use cutting boards smooth hard maple or plastic which are free of cracks and the cracks

store meat raw in leakproof containers or on the bottom of the hrefrigerator to avoid the juices dripping onto other foods

Don't allow grilled meat, juices of meat, or unwashed fruits and vegetables to come into contact with foods cooked or washed

Don't buy seafood frozen if the packages are open, torn or crushed on the edges

buy canned food is or cupped cupping, or in jars of Don't is cracked

Don't never buy food lapsed. Check the dates of by of use by or sell

Don't buy unpasteurized milk or dairy products

purchase step of hrefrigerated or frozen products which are not displayed at the proper temperature

do not leave small children put food away unsupervised

More information on this important health issue can be obtained from the following sources: Government of Security Information entrance door food  U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/wh-food.html food safety and Inspection Service United States Department of Agriculture http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OA/pubs/consumerpubs.htm

Support as an educational service by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. This information is not intended as medical advice. You should discuss this information with your doctor.

Food security and food poisoning

What is food poisoning? It is an acute illness, usually sudden, brought about by eating contaminated or poisonous food. The symptoms of food poisoning are:

1. nausea - a queasy feeling as if you were about to be sick

2. sickness - vomiting

3. Pains in the bowl - gripping pains in the area of the stomach

4. Diarrhea

5. Fever

The main causes of food poisoning are:

1. Bacteria - the commonest

2. Viruses - which are smaller than bacteria, are normally found in water

3. Chemicals - Insecticides and weed-killers

4. Metals - lead pipes, copper pans

5. Poisonous plants - toadstools, red kidney beans (insufficiently cooked)

Bacteria is the most common form of food poisoning and so it is important that we know more about them. Bacteria are tiny bugs that live in the air, in water, in soil, on and in people, in and on food. Some bacteria causes illness. They are called PATHOGENIC bacteria. Some bacteria cause food to rot and decay, they are called SPOILAGE bacteria. There are four things that bacteria need in order to grow. These are:

Warmth. They love body temperature of 73 degrees but can happily grow at 15 degrees. They grow most readily between 5c and 63c. This is known as the DANGER ZONE

Time. Each bacteria grows by splitting in half. This takes time, on average every 20 minutes. This is known as BINARY FISSION. Imagine, one single bacterium by splitting in half every ten minutes can become more than a million in 3 and a half hours.

Food. They like high protein foods for example, poultry, cooked meat, dairy produce, shellfish, cooked rice, stews and gravies.

Moisture. They need water and most foods have enough water or moisture to let the bacteria thrive.

Some bacteria can form a hard protective case around themselves, this is called a SPORE. This happens when the 'going gets tough', when it gets too hot or too dry. So they are able to survive very hot or cold temperatures and can even be present in dried foods. Once the right conditions (5 - 63c) return, the spore comes out of its protective casing and becomes a growing, food poisoning bacteria again.

Bacteria and food poisoning

We have established that the presence of bacteria is one of the most common causes of food poisoning - the presence of poisonous chemicals can also cause food poisoning. There are a number of potentially toxic chemicals present in food. For example, potatoes which have turned green contain the toxic substance, Solanine, which is only dangerous when eaten in excess.

Rhubarb contains Oxalic Acid - the amounts present in the stems which are normally cooked are relatively harmless to humans, but the higher concentration in the leaves makes them very dangerous to eat.

A toxin is a poisonous substance that may be produced by the metabolism of a plant or animal, especially certain bacteria. Toxic food poisoning is mainly caused by Staphylococci in the UK and more rarely in this country, Clostridium Botulinum.

Foods most commonly affected by Staphylococci are:

Meat pies

Sliced meats

Pies with gravy

Synthetic cream

Ice-cream

50-60% of people carry Staphylococci in their noses and throats and are present in nasal secretions following a cold. Staphylococci are also present in skin wounds and infections and find their way into foods via the the hands of an infected food handler. Hence the importance of keeping all wounds and skin conditions covered. Although staphylococci are themselves readily destroyed by thorough cooking or re-heating, the toxin which they produce is often much more heat-resistant and may need a higher temperature or longer cooking time for its complete destruction.

Food poisoning from Clostridium botulinum - known as botulism - is extremely serious. This produces a life-threatening toxin which is the most virulent poison known. Foods most commonly affected by clostridium botulinum are:

Inadequately processed canned meat, vegetables and fish.

During the commercial canning process, every care is taken to ensure that each part of the food is heated to a high enough temperature to ensure complete destruction of any clostridium botulinum spores that may be present.

YEASTS & MOULDS - microscopic organisms some of which are desirable in food and contribute to its characteristics. For example, ripening of cheese, bread fermentation etc. They are simple plants which appear like whiskers on food. To grow they require warmth, moisture and air. They are killed by heat and sunlight. Moulds can grow where there is too little moisture for yeasts and bacteria to grow. Yeasts are single celled plants or organisms larger than bacterial, that grow on foods containing moisture and sugar. Foods containing a small percentage of sugar and a large amount of liquid such as fruit juices and syrups are liable to ferment because of yeasts. Yeasts are destroyed by heat.

VIRUS - microscopic particles transmitted by food which may cause illness. For example, Hepatitis A (jaundice). Unlike bacteria, viruses cannot multiply or grow in food.

PROTOZOA - single celled organisms which live in water and are responsible for serious diseases such as malaria, usually spread by infected mosquitoes and dysentery. These food-borne infections are mostly caught abroad.

ESCHERICHIA COLI - E Coli is a normal part of the intestines of man and animals. It is found in human excreta and raw meat. E Coli causes abdominal pain, fever, diarrhea and vomiting. High standards of hygiene and through cooking of foods must be applied. Raw and cooked meat must be stored at correct temperature and cross contamination must be avoided.

SALMONELLA - is present in the intestines of animals and human beings. Foods affected include poultry, meat, eggs and shellfish. Prevention should include:

good standards of personal hygiene

elimination of insects and rodents.

washing hands and equipment and surfaces after handling raw poultry

not allowing carriers of the disease to handle food.

Control of Bacteria

There are three methods of controlling bacteria:

1. Protect food from bacteria in the air by keeping foods covered. To prevent cross contamination, use separate boards and knives for cooked and uncooked foods Use different coloured boards for particular foods. For example, red for meat, blue for fish, yellow for poultry etc. Store cooked and uncooked foods separately. Wash your hands frequently.

2. Do not keep foods in the danger zone of between 5c and 63c for longer than absolutely necessary.

3. To kill bacteria, subject bacteria to a temperature of 77c for 30 seconds or a higher temperature for less time. Certain bacteria develop into spores and can withstand higher temperatures for longer periods of time. Certain chemicals also kill bacteria and can be used for cleaning equipment and utensils.

The main food hygiene regulations of importance to the caterer are: Food Safety (General Food Hygiene) Regulations 1995 and Food Safety (Temperature Control) Regulations 1995. These implemented the EC Food Hygiene directive (93/43 EEC). They replaced a number of different regulations including the Food Safety (General) Regulations of 1970. The 1995 Regulations are similar in many respects to earlier regulations. However, as with the Health & Safety legislation, these regulations place a strong emphasis on owners and managers to identify the safety risks, to design and implement appropriate systems to prevent contamination, these systems and procedures are covered by Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) and/or Assured Safe Catering. The regulations place two general requirements on owners of food businesses:

To ensure that all food handling operations are carried out hygienically and according to the 'Rules of Hygiene.

To identify and control all potential food safety hazards, using a systems approach either HACCP or Assured Safe Catering.

In addition, there is an obligation on any food handler who may be suffering from or carrying a disease which could be transmitted through food to report this to the employer who may be obliged to prevent the person concerned from handling food. Catering establishments have a general obligation to supervise and instruct and provide training in food safety & hygiene commensurate with their employees' responsibilities. Details with regard to how much training is required, are not specified in the regulations. However, HMSO Industry Guide to Catering provides guidance on training which can be taken as a general standard to comply with legislation.

Prevention of food poisoning

Almost all food poisoning can be prevented by:

complying with the rules of hygiene

taking care and thinking head

ensuring that high standards of cleanliness are applied to premises and equipment

preventing accidents

high standards of personal hygiene

physical fitness

maintaining good working conditions

maintaining equipment in good repair and clean condition

using separate equipment and knives for cooked and uncooked foods

ample provision of cleaning facilities and equipment

storing foods at the right temperature

safe reheating of foods

quick cooling of foods prior to storage

protection of foods from vermin and insects;

hygienic washing-up procedures;

Knowing how food poison is caused

carrying out procedures to prevent food poisoning.

This has been just a brief overview of food safety. If you are in the catering trade or are planning do become a cook or chef, it is essential that you learn all there is to know about the subject. The following links should help to fill the gaps.

Essentially, you need to know the Food Regulations appertaining to your own country. Its pointless following the Food Safety Regulations of the UK if you live or work in Australia, Spain or New Zealand.