Common Food Poisoning Organisms, Bacteria & Viruses

Food related illnesses are causing a great deal of public concern within the UK with a rising incidence of food poisoning and foreign body contamination (e.g. glass in baby food).

The UK Government gave enforcement officers far reaching powers under the Food Safety Act 1990 to aid them in improving food safety standards following the revelations about Salmonella in eggs.

However, during the last 10 years the number of cases of Salmonella has remained fairly constant but cases of Campylobacter have doubled.

In order to address these problems and reduce the number of cases of food poisoning better training of food handlers needs to take place, food must be stored at the correct temperatures, food must be cooked properly and steps must be taken to prevent cross contamination.

Proper application of the principles of Hazard Analysis will enable all food businesses to protect food from the risk of contamination and protect their customers.

Organisms which cause food poisoning and food-borne disease include:-

Bacillus cereus Campylobacter jejuni Clostridium perfringens Clostridium botulinium Cryptosporidium parvum Eschericha coli Giardia lamblia

Listeria monocytogenes Salmonella Shigella Staphylococcus aureus Typhoid & Paratyphoid Vibrio parahaemolyticus Viruses