Starting a Food Business

This guide is for prospective operators of food enterprises (food establishments, retail food stores, food warehouses, and food processors) desiring to open a food business in either their local city, county or state jurisdiction. This is a general overview and may not be all inclusive of the codes and ordinances in your locality.  It is good to note that though this document will more than likely cover most if not all requirements for starting a food business in your jurisdiction, it would be in your best interest to familiarize yourself with the codes and regulations of your local city, county and/or state. 

Operating Permits – Food Enterprises
A Food Establishment application can be obtained at your local city or county health department.  If you plan to manufacture foods and package for retail sale you may be required to obtain a food manufacturer’s license from your state regulatory agency.  If you plan to distribute your product outside of your state lines a federal license may also have to be obtained.  It is recommended that you submit a fully completed application and fees at least one month prior to your anticipated opening date.  This gives the local authority the needed lead time to process it and schedule any needed pre-opening inspections.  Again, make sure that you provide ALL information required on the application.  Incomplete applications may delay your approval.
Food permits are generally in effect for one year from the date of issue and are renewable each year thereafter when the appropriate fee is paid and as long as the establishment remains in compliance with applicable Health codes and regulations.
Home preparation of food for public consumption is prohibited. All food that is to be consumed by the public, whether free or for purchase must be prepared at a permitted establishment that is inspected by a federal, state, or local Health Authority.

Food Establishment Fee: Food establishment fees are variable depending on jurisdiction. Contact your local health authority to inquire about permitting fees.

NOTE: Larger establishments that have multiple food service operations on site may need to obtain a health permit for each operation.  A separate application and fees may need to be submitted for each operation.

Food Enterprise Pre-Opening Processes
When starting a Food Enterprise business you may be required to go through either or both A) a change of ownership inspection or B) a plan review process. Read through options A & B below to determine which best fits your situation. Contact your local health authority if you need help in making that determination.

A) Change of Ownership Inspection Process-

Before opening for business you may be required to go through a change of ownership inspection.  This inspection verifies your establishment complies with current regulations and that clearance to occupy the site has been granted by your city or county.  This inspection may incur a fee and the fee for this inspection will more than likely be required to be paid before the inspector conducts the inspection.   If applicable, a request for a Change of Ownership application should be available at the offices of your local city or county health authority.  Again, to expedite your request, a fully completed application must be submitted.  After submitting the application; call to schedule the inspection with your inspector.  If the establishment doesn’t comply with current regulations you will be required to bring it up to code before your operating permit is approved. Prospective business owners, if available, it would be in your best interest to request a change of ownership inspection before finalizing the sale. This gives the prospective business owner a heads up on any items that may be required for the establishment to be in compliance with local city or county codes. Under no circumstances may you begin operations without approval from the local city or county health authority.  Legal charges may be filed against you if you do.

B) Food Establishment Plan Review Process¬

A plan review will more than likely be required for any newly built business or in the event of an extensive remodel of an existing business.  NOTE: This will also more than likely require a completed application and fees be paid in order to initiate this process.

A Plan Review is required whenever a building is constructed or substantially remodeled to be a food enterprise, whenever a substantial change is made to an existing food facility or may be required if a plumbing permit, building permit, or other construction permit is required by the local city or county development offices. 
The Plan Review Application, including proposed menu, Fees, and 1 or more sets of building plans all may be required to be submitted as a package. Review all forms thoroughly to ensure accuracy of information provided. Incomplete or inaccurate applications could delay your plan review.  The Plan Review Application should be available at the offices of your local city or county Health Authority. Upon approval, the plans are stamped by the Health Authority and the person submitting the plans will be called to pick them up.
Submit building plans after the type of food operation and menu has been determined and after receiving Building approval from your local city or county development offices. The building plans should be drawn to scale with most plans drawn in a scale of ¼” = 1Ft. and detail the layout of the kitchen, dining area, restrooms, storage areas, break room, wait stations and bar. The plans are to include a materials list of specifications for all floors, walls, and ceilings. 
Certificate of Occupancy
All Food Enterprises will more than likely be required to have a Certificate of Occupancy (CO). A CO is issued after the Building and Health Officials inspect the building and find no violations of the Building or Health Codes during new construction and/or a remodel. The CO will also state the use for which the building will be used. The CO Inspection is usually required prior to getting final health approval but in some cases not only may a preliminary CO inspection be required prior to receiving your final health approval but a secondary (final) CO inspection may be required by your building inspector before your Operating Permit is approved.  Inquire with your local health authority and building inspectors to see what process is required.  NOTE: Contact the building inspectors at least 7 days prior to the time you are ready to schedule your inspection.  This should insure that you get a timely response.
Permit Approval
Once you have completed the pre-opening processes and your Building and Health Inspectors have approved your operating permit, you may open for business. Under no circumstances may you begin operations without approval from both the Building and Health Inspectors. Legal charges may be filed against you if you do.
Other Approvals
Building Permits: Plans may need to be submitted for a Commercial Plan Review.  If required, contact your local Building or Development Services Office to schedule this review and to obtain a building permit.
Industrial Waste: If you are taking over a previous business and changing the type of operation, ensure the grease trap meets the requirements for your new operation.  For example, when a “sandwich shop” becomes a “fried chicken” location, the existing grease trap may need to be modified. Contact your local industrial waste inspector to ascertain if any changes need to be made to the existing system or to evaluate your engineered designs if your plans require the installation of an on-site septic system.  
Fire Inspections: Building Inspectors are concerned with grease-laden vapors and proper hood protection in food facilities. All cooking equipment must be installed under an approved hood system.  In addition, establishments in excess of 5,000 sq. ft. are required to provide a sprinkler system. Establishments with an occupancy load in excess of 50 people are required to provide fire alarms. Call your local building inspector, fire inspector or fire marshal to evaluate plans or to schedule a site inspection.

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What to put in a plan Review

Include and Identify the following on your Building Plans
? Major pieces of equipment
Refrigerator/freezer units  
Vent-hood  
Ice machines/bins/dispensers
Steamers    
Microwaves  
Warming Drawers
Stoves    
Prep tables  
Ice Cream Dispenser
Ovens     
Dish Machines 
Beverage Station/dispenser
Grills     
Mixers   
Blender Station
Fryers     
Food Processors Salad/Food Buffets

? Sinks
Hand sinks (food prep areas • ware-washing area • restrooms)   Ware washing sinks Service Sink/Mop sink/curbed floor sink      Food Prep Sink
? Dumpster
? Grease Barrel
? Chemical Storage areas
? Mop drying area
? Employee area for belongings
? Dry food storage area
? Doors
? Mechanical ventilation in restrooms
? Outdoor food prep areas (bars/wait station/BBQ)
? Grease trap size and location
? Water Wells
? Underground and overhead sewer and waste lines
? On Site Sewage Facility

Health Code Plan Notes
1) Refrigeration All refrigerated units are to hold foods at or below 41°F.
2) Restrooms (two are normally required). If the establishment has only carry-out or seating for less than 20 people, and less than 10 employees, then only one employee restroom may be allowed. Two restrooms may be required if alcohol is served on the premises or more than 20 seats are provided.  Each restroom must have a hand sink with hot (at least 100°F) and cold water, mechanical air ventilation to the outside, and a solid, self-closing door. Restrooms may not open directly into a kitchen. The total number of restrooms for a Childcare facility is dependent on the “minimum standards” of the Texas. Dept. of Family and Protective Services (834-3195) as it relates to Childcare.
3) Sinks
A. Service Sink/Mop Sink/Curbed Floor sink: At least one of these must be available for mop washing and disposal of mop water in an approved waste water disposal system.  A drying rack is required for mops to air dry. This sink must be provided with a backflow preventer on any threaded hose bib to protect the water supply.  Note: the mop sink may be located in a different area of the building than the kitchen.
B. Hand washing sinks: Shall be located to allow convenient use by employees in food preparation, food dispensing, ware wash areas, and any wait station where ice is dispensed, bar area or in a walk-in where meat is cut or trimmed.  At least one hand sink will be required; additional, separate hand sinks may also be required. Small kitchens with food prep and ware washing in close proximity may be allowed to use one hand sink to serve both activities.  Other hand sinks must be associated with restrooms. Provide at least 12” tall splashguards if a hand sink is located near food prep, open food, ice, or clean food contact surfaces.  Otherwise, the hand sink must have at least 18” lateral separation from these. A sign or poster that notifies food employees to wash their hands shall be provided to all hand washing sinks and be clearly visible. A small, swinging door (as in a bar area) could separate a hand sink from a work area, otherwise no doors separating hand sink from work areas.
Each sink must be supplied with hot (100°F) and cold water, soap and disposable towels. Childcare facilities must have hot water in the diaper changing area and kitchen.  If plans do not provide sufficient hand sinks to meet the requirements of the establishment you will be asked to provide a revised plan with additional hand sinks.

C. Ware Wash Area:  A commercial dishwasher or 3 compartment sink is required in most cases. Dish machines must be able to effectively sanitize all equipment and utensils. They must dispense a chemical sanitizer or provide a final rinse of at least 180° F. (single, stationary rack machines are required to reach 165° in the sanitize cycle). Test strips are required. Above-the-counter dish machines are required to have Type II vent-hood.
Ware washing sinks shall be of sufficient size to immerse the largest piece of equipment. Cold and hot (100°F minimum) water under pressure delivered through a mixing valve shall be provided. Provide at least 2 integral drain boards or 1 integral drain board and a mobile dish cart. Drying racks or shelves will aid in adequately air drying all wares. Facilities with very limited ware washing and using disposable containers may request a variance to install a 2 compartment sink (example: convenience store). These sinks are required to have a drain board. The sinks must have an indirect connection to the sanitary sewer (at least a one inch air gap). This includes all food prep sinks and ware wash sinks.
4) Ceiling Construction: Ceilings over open food, ice, soda fountains, ware washing, restrooms and bars must meet construction criteria and be smooth, durable, nonabsorbent, and cleanable. Open rafters, trusses or grid work and exposed duct work, pipes or utility lines are usually prohibited with no open structure permitted.  If drop down acoustic tiles are used, they must be properly constructed.  These tiles are washable and have a smooth surface without pinholes. Painted dry wall or boards are generally acceptable.  
5) Walls/Floors: Must be constructed of approved materials. Cleanable water-based enamel paint is usually acceptable for most wall surfaces.  Areas that are subject to regular cleaning and splash may be covered with FRP, stainless, or galvanized metal.  Floor/wall junctures shall provide no greater than 1/32” gap.  Baseboards are required. Caulk wall/floor junctures to prevent the collection of food particles and water.  Masonry (brick/concrete) wall/floor junctures DO NOT require baseboards since a masonry juncture provides no gap. Raw brick and concrete in the kitchen area requires sealing.  The sand grout of all tiles needs to be sealed. Epoxy grout does not require sealing. VCT floor tiles require a coat of wax to seal out liquids.
6) Solid Waste: Dumpster and grease barrels shall rest on a machine laid asphalt or concrete pad. These containers must have tight fitting lids and drain plugs in place.  
7) Outdoor Cooking facilities: Barbeque pits or smokers shall be enclosed, and if screened in, at least a 1/16” mesh screen is required.  They shall rest on a concrete or asphalt pad. The meat may only be placed on the smoker; no food prep allowed in this enclosure. Any seasoning, cutting, etc. must take place inside the establishment.  Outdoor bars and wait stations will be approved on a case by case basis by your local health authority.  
Water and Sewage Systems: All private onsite sewage facilities and wells serving a new food enterprise, an extensively remodeled food enterprise, or a food enterprise coming under new ownership must meet current standards. These systems are required to be evaluated with respect to whether the system (a) meets current standards and (b) is adequate for the proposed use.

NOTE: A food service facility or Childcare facility using a well may be considered public water supply and subject to specific restrictions and regulations.  Consult your local health authority to inquire about any questions regarding the use of a private well.

9) Protecting the Water Supply: Threaded hose bibs are required to have a backflow prevention device attached. Spray hoses and fill hoses shall hang at least 1 inch above the maximum flood rim of a basin or the hoses shall be provided with an atmospheric vacuum breaker or backflow prevention device.
10) Indirect Connections: Jockey boxes, ice bins, ice machines and sinks (as identified above in # 3) must be provided with indirect connections to the sewer.  Floor sinks are required on new construction.
11) Lighting: Adequate amount of light shall be provided to all areas.  At least 20 foot candles is required where food is provided for customer self-service such as buffet and salad bars or where fresh produce or packaged foods are sold.  At least 50 food candles is required at surfaces where employees are working with food using utensils or knives, slicers, grinders, saws, or where employee safety is a factor.
12) Outer Openings: All windows, vents and exterior doors shall be tight fitting.  If needed, use weather stripping to provide a tight fit. All exterior doors shall have a self-closure. Screens on windows and doors shall be at least 1/16” mesh.  Roll up doors to be screened or the proposed food service area provided with physical doors to create a separate walled room. Exhaust fans must be screened, or if they are louvered, must automatically close when the fan is disengaged.
13) Food Contact Surfaces: Stainless steel, Formica, polished marble, Corian, machined stone, approved ceramics or plastics may be used for food contact surfaces.
14) Counters: All raw wood must be painted in areas that come in contact with food, liquid or food containers of any kind. Included is the underside of the bar above the ware wash and/or hand sink (and the splash area).
15) Toxic Materials: Specify an area where chemicals are to be stored.  A well-labeled, separate shelf or cabinet is best.
Food Manager Certification: The health codes of your State, County or City may require that one or more food managers of a permitted Food Enterprise to obtain a Food Manager Certificate.  A Food Manager Certificate is recognition that a person has received training in food sanitation.  Inquire with your local health authority to see if food manager certification is required and the necessary steps required to obtain proper certification.

Further information on our website at www foodcertified com in the blog section.

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What is California Natural Cat Food made of? Why is California Natural Cat Food so healthy for your Pets?

California Natural Cat Food is made only of what is needed for a healthy diet for cats, nothing more. California Natural Cat Food is created with lean meats, essential vitamins and minerals, full meats and tasty extras.

California Natural Cat Food has balanced ingredients like herring oil and sunflower oil which have the health supplements Omega 6 and 3 fatty acids which make your cat a shiny coat and healthy skin.

California Natural Dry Cat Food combines wholesome and healthful ingredients to provide the perfect key to good health, long life and shiny coat as well as good digestion.

California Natural Cat Food? Is California Natural Cat Food Good for your Cats or Dogs?

California Natural Cat Food contains NO additives, chemical preservatives, or fillers and has a taste cats love!

Not only are most our cats fussy when it comes to eating cat food, but they also need nutrition supplements to make their coat and skin shiny and healthy. There for, California Natural Cat Food has a healthy, nutritious and tasty formula.

California Natural Canned Cat Food has the right amount of vitamins and nutrients.

California Natural Canned Cat Food uses pure protein sources to satisfy the nutritional need of your cat while providing it with a flavor your cat won’t be able to forget.

The entire line of California Natural Cat Food is made with only wholesome, natural ingredients.

Even in taste tests, California Natural Cat Food was liked best by cats over all the other leading cat foods.<strong>California Natural Herring And Sweet Potato Formula Cat Food</strong>

California natural cat food is healthy and good!

California Natural Herring and Sweet Potato Formula Cat Food provides a unique single source animal protein that will sure to please even the most selective cat. California Natural Cat Food contains 100 percent Herring and Herring Meal, used as animal protein source.

California Natural Cat Food doen’t have any ground bones, chemicals, or crap inside that could eventually make your cat sick or caus diherria.

California Natural Cat Food is all healthy, natural (as already the name says),tasty and healthy,for your cats!

Is California Natural Cat Food Good Even If My Cat Has Dietery Problems?

Yes, for california natural cat Food can meet the dietary needs of cats that cannot tolerate normal cat food ingredients. .

California Natural Cat Food is as good as anything you would demand for yourself. Pamper your cat like you’d pamper yourself!

Get it here for less: http://catlovingcare.com/california-natural-cat-food

If you’re new to raw foods you may have noticed that even though there are now hundreds, if not thousands of raw food web sites on the internet, what seems to be lacking is real basic nuts-and-bolts info about how to get going from a standing start. Only too often do books and web sites jump in at step 2 or 3 (food or equipment) before setting the context in which raw food needs to be placed, or explaining how to get going when everything about raw food is new. And what newbies want to know of course is: ‘How can I do this?’, and when they ask me, apart from recommending my own book, I genuinely struggle to find a written resource to point them to that will take them from the very first basics up (which is why my new book is going to be a life changer).

Now, even if you feel that you’re personally beyond what you’ll learn about here, this information may well be perfect to pass on to a friend or family member who is struggling to comprehend just what you’ve been getting so excited about, or who may want to hear it from someone other than you! (Don’t worry, mine are like that too!). Either way, the information that follows is well worth a read as you may just get a little boost of much-needed inspiration.

1. Understand what all the fuss is about. The concept of eating raw food isn’t new by any means, but it has gained much greater popularity during recent times owing to its unquestionable benefits on health, energy and overall vitality, as well as its ability to basically make us look and feel a whole lot better than we’ve ever done before. As old as time itself, raw food was, of course, what we ate before fire was discovered (we must have done OK on it to get that far and more recently, thanks to the efforts of pioneering authors such as health researcher Leslie Kenton and others outside of the UK who bravely waved the flag for raw food in the 1980′s and beyond, we now find ourselves in an era where raw food is no longer seen as the domain of extreme health “fanatics” but instead merrily making its way into the mainstream media, celebrity diets, healing centers and retreats, increasing numbers of health and nutrition books, products and seminars, as well as featuring more significantly in supermarkets, health food stores and much more besides. And not a moment before time – because when you look at it up close and personal, it really does make a whole lot of sense…

2. So why raw? While I’m the first to admit that the word “raw” is hardly inspiring, if you can get beyond that and see that raw equals pure, fresh, vibrant, enzyme-rich, oxygen-rich, unadulterated, whole organic living nutrition then we’ll all be on the same page! But before we get to the whys exactly, and to prevent ourselves from falling into the common trap of seeing raw food as somehow “less than” cooked, let’s take a moment to look at what cooked food is, exactly.

Cooked food: Natural food which has been processed and/or heated to high temperatures where chemical changes have occurred and the food has changed from its original state to something which, depending on the severity of its treatment, can end up looking like a very pale shadow of its former self (think of spinach cooked and raw!). While cooked foods may most certainly tantalize the taste buds, this is largely because of their stimulant effects on the body which – in actual fact – doesn’t actually “understand” a lot of what it’s taken in as many of the chemicals within cooked foods are unnatural and therefore the body sees them as foreign bodies! Indeed, fascinating research in the 1930′s showed that when someone eats cooked food without having eaten some raw food first, the body sends the white blood cells (which fight toxins) to the digestive system in order to deal with the perceived “invader”. Interesting, don’t you think? And while yes, we can glean nutrition from this fractured, denatured “food”, every time we cook our food or buy something pre-prepared and cooked in a can, box or bag we lose up to 70% of the vitamins, some of the minerals, all of the enzymes, all of the oxygen, the important plant feel-good hormones and a high percentage of the water – all of which we need to reward us with truly vibrant health. So that’s cooked food! Doesn’t seem quite as attractive when we look at it that way does it?! Raw food by contrast is replete with everything that enabled it to sprout and grow in the first place – life force, enzymes, water, oxygen, hormones, vitamins and minerals and so much more besides. Untouched, untainted, raw food is quite literally honest food – what you see is what you get. No hidden ingredients, nothing messed around with, just pure delicious fresh live food that we are designed to eat – living food for living bodies. And the good news for you is this: when you start dabbling with more raw food, you don’t just understand this conceptually, you actually start to “get it” experientially as your whole body cheers, shifts up a gear and the concept of what real food and nutrition really is about takes on a whole new meaning.

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3. What foods are raw? To give you a brief overview of what raw food means in real terms, here’s a list of the 20+ different raw food groups: Fresh fruits; Vegetables; Salad vegetables; Leafy green vegetables; Herbs and wild greens; Nuts; Dried fruits; Beans, pulses and legumes (sprouted); Grains (sprouted); Seeds; Sprouting seeds; Indoor greens; Vegetable seeds (sprouted); Edible flowers; Mushrooms; Sea vegetables; Algaes; Oils; Stimulants (e.g. chili, ginger, onion); Spices; Super foods; Flavorings and natural sweeteners (e.g. honey, stevia, carob). Rather more variety than perhaps you first thought? Rather than being limiting, I have found that 99 times out of 100 raw food expands a person’s culinary horizons – and if you pick up a good raw food recipe book such as Raw Food, Real World (one of my personal favorites), I promise you’ll be blown away at what can be achieved – “burgers”, pizzas, live milks, ice-cream, cakes, cookies, smoothies, soups, dips, dressings, lasagnas, wraps, crackers and so much more are possible when you know what you’re doing – now we’re talking, right?!

4. How to get started. A new but extremely common myth that I’m very keen to bust is that eating raw takes lots of time and energy to prepare. Wrong! I am quite possibly the busiest person I know, and one of the many reasons I choose to eat raw is because when done correctly it’s actually the fastest food on the planet. Getting started and keeping it doable is easy when you adopt the pure and simple approach: whole raw foods, prepared quickly, eaten simply and you must only eat the foods you love! This must always be fun, easy and delicious – that’s rule number one! Rather surprisingly to those new to raw food, the discovery process of what raw food is really all about is a never ending journey – the kind of journey that everyone I’ve ever met wished they had embarked upon sooner. So don’t wait to get ill, overweight or lethargic before you start tending to your body’s dietary needs (like I did) – start your journey to exciting and rewarding pastures new today! These first steps I’m about to outline are very straightforward but will make a massive difference – and even better, anyone can do this!

First, try your best to eat fresh fruit or a dairy-free smoothie for breakfast every day instead of your usual toast, cereal or coffee. Eat or drink as much as you want (of the raw stuff) but keep it clean. What you eat first sets you up for the day – so make sure you step out on high-energy, revitalizing foods rather than charred bread, lifeless sugar-coated grains or caffeine-laden hot drinks! For lunch and dinner, this is so easy. If you can make at least half of your plate consist of fresh living foods (salads, nuts, seeds, sprouted seeds, beans or any of the foods mentioned above in point 3 – but not all of them!!) then you’ll be doing fantastically well and will typically start to feel the difference within a matter of days (look forward to more energy, better sleep, clearer thinking and clearer skin). Improve your results even further by drinking as much pure water as possible, eat only when hungry and not beyond full, and keep the remainder of your food as whole and pure as possible (no e-numbers or hydrogenated fats and so forth) and you will feel the benefits all the more. Also, of the raw foods you do choose, make sure that most of them are fruits and vegetables as these are the most nutritious and the highest in water content. Handfuls of nuts just don’t work the same – they’re very dense and fatty, but in small amounts are very good for you. If you can put most or all of the above into practice then you’ll be amazed at the difference!

5. What you need and where to get it. Raw recipe books tend to focus on the more complicated dishes and therefore often fancy foods and equipment are utilized as part of the recipe creation – but don’t be put off, raw food prep doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive! While it’s by no means imperative that you own every kitchen gadget going, it really does help to own at the very least a tabletop blender, a cheap juicer and a basic food processor – all of which you could buy for under ?100 or even cheaper if you visit eBay; but if budget is an issue then a good sharp knife will take you a long way for free! However with the three items listed new and exciting vistas will open up to you, and if and when the time feels right to invest in something more durable and powerful then you’ll be amazed at what’s available in the health world right now. As for foods, I personally find that I can get most of what I need in the organic section at my local supermarket, and I also visit a local organic farm shop/farmer’s market for the really good stuff that no supermarket can compete with in price or quality. If I didn’t have a good supermarket then I’d opt for an organic box delivery service which can be wonderful. Most of my specialized items such as truly raw olives (most are pasteurized), nut “butters” (they’re made from just pure ground nuts but spread like butter), natural sweeteners and flavorings I buy mail order. But what I do need to emphasize if you haven’t cottoned on already is the importance of choosing organic – pesticides are never a healthy option, even if they are on raw food!

6. How to keep it interesting. When you’re new to raw food it’s easy to assume that salads, soups and smoothies is as good as it gets when you’re watching the clock. While it’s true that the more elaborate recipes often do take more time and energy, there are always short cuts and whipping up a delicious dressing, dip or even a nut “cheese” or veggie pate takes literally seconds and can totally transform a meal! When you’ve tasted a fabulous raw food pizza and raw ice-cream (no dairy, no white sugar), there really is no going back!

7. What about eating out? This is one of the most common questions asked – and the answer is – it’s completely up to you. You can choose to eat “normally”, to make healthier choices than usual or to ask for a juicy salad with all sorts of things thrown in, but above all, enjoy what you eat and feel at peace with it!

8. Does it have to be all or nothing? Not at all. Until very recent times very few people ate an exclusively raw food diet ongoing. In fact most people today still dabble for weeks, months or even years at a time until they feel inclined to “up the ante”! Also, nowadays people tend to talk in percentage terms – such as “I’m 80% raw” which basically means that they eat most of their food raw but not all of it, and they’re guessing that 80% is about right in terms of plate space/ meal make-up etc. – but it’s not really that important. What matters more is the quality of the food you choose – if 80% of someone’s diet consists of nuts, seeds and raw food snack bars then that’s never going to be a good thing (way too much fat!) whereas 80% worth of fresh fruits and vegetables is wonderful! What also matters is not just what you bring into your diet but what you leave out. It’s no good eating lots of fresh vibrant food if you “balance” it out with take-always and aspartame-ridden diet drinks! Much better to do 50/50 and make all of your foods good healthy choices, and then if you want to adjust the proportion of raw foods then you can do so at any time. All that said, the more raw food you eat, for most people at least (those with medical issues need to take professional advice), the better you will look and feel – and here’s why.

9. What you can expect. When you choose raw, as we have already seen, you choose “life”. Live food will nourish you at a deep level (deeper than any deep-pan pizza will ever reach!) and it will also start to work its magic on your body in a very short space of time. This magic sometimes doesn’t look so magical though! Because as the toxins and debris begin to leave your body as the raw food starts to cleanse your system, you may experience some detoxification symptoms such as diarrhea, rashes, pimples (spots), headaches, dizziness, coughing and mucous and other similar discomforts. This is usually nothing to worry about, but it may happen! If it does, keep drinking plenty of water and eat even more simply to speed the elimination process up if your circumstances permit it. But if you feel as if it’s all going a bit too fast for you then if you eat something cooked, especially something heavy like meat, potatoes or dairy, then you’ll slow it all down or even stop it completely. You can restart again more slowly or leave it for a few days or weeks and go again when the time feels right. On the flipside, the good news is that when this stuff comes out it means that your body is – of course – all the better for it and this will start to become apparent in your face, your body shape and body tone and your energy levels surprisingly quickly. And if you carry on the good work to any degree for more than a few weeks, then you’ll find it very hard to go back to your old ways because there’s really not a lot of fun to be had there. In fact most people find that very quickly cooked food starts to taste seriously bland and inferior to fresh and raw – especially if they’ve educated themselves in those delicious raw food recipes I keep alluding to!

10. Taking it further. As mentioned before, the raw food journey never ends, but it does get increasingly rewarding and exciting! Not only is there a whole new world of food and drink waiting for you (which is growing fast), but raw food tends to attract some pretty amazing people and takes you on an exciting adventure in terms of getting more in touch with your body and your whole self generally.

Wherever your interest in raw food takes you, what I can guarantee is that you’ll be very glad you took the time to investigate it, because you’ll be amazed at how your relationship with food and your body changes and you’ll be beyond fascinated at what you discover along the way.

Abstract

Adverse reaction of food some time mimic with other health hazards that are not directly contributed by food. The present review work was under taken to identify various aspects of food adverse reaction including etiology, epidemiology, clinical feature, disease mechanism, diagnosis, treatment and preventive measure with the greatest potential for novel therapeutic approaches from personal knowledge of the subject.

The information sources for the article are pre-reviewed reports of original observation and reviews of recent literature from websites, newspaper, journal, books etc where study for this purpose.

Adverse reaction of food may be three types: Food allergy, Food intolerance and Food toxicity. Food allergy is immediate immune system (IgE) mediated or delayed T-cell mediated hypersensitivity reaction. Food allergy may be life threating as in case of anaphylaxis. Food intolerance is non-allergic hypersensitivity that may due to enzyme deficiency, individual hypersensitivity to certain food, food additives intolerance or natural histamine & salicylate present in food. Food toxicity is the direct toxic effects of some naturally occurring toxicant in food.

Introduction

Health is closely related to food consumption and habits. Health hazards and clinical disorder can arise from unsafe and faulty food habits. A number of factors influence the food habits that include: geographical variation, religious beliefs, traditional beliefs, food taboos, education, economical situation of the community, availably and cost of food and social & cultural practices.

Adverse reaction of food means any undesirable reaction in the body after consume a particular food due to presence of substances (allergen or toxicant) that gives allergic, hypersensitive and other toxic reaction. Normally food gives energy and supply nutrient essential for life. But some foods give allergic reaction, some contain toxic or carcinogenic substance, some contain mutagen and others give individual hypersensitive reaction.

Summary of Literature Reviews

Allergens present in some food are responsible for allergic reactions. Allergens are proteins that usually resist the heat of cooking, acids in stomach and intestinal digestive enzymes. As a result the allergens survive to cross the gastro-intestinal lining, enter the blood stream and go to target organ causing allergic reaction throughout the body. Allergens are present in various food such as peanuts, almond, walnuts, soy-bean, poppy, Sesame Seed, Brinjal or Eggplant and in several food pollen i.e. apple, cherry, tomato and peach. Food allergy may be of several types such as cross-reactivity, exercise induce, allergy during pregnancy and infantile colic etc.

The biochemical mechanism of food allergy involves three stages that are initiated by allergen: 1) Sensitization, 2) Mast cell activation and 3) Late phage inflammatory response. Symptoms of food allergy includes: itching in the mouth, difficulty in swallowing & breathing, nausea, light headedness, weakness etc.

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Signs & symptoms of food allergy are sometimes confused with that of Candida hypersensitivity syndrome, Post-viral fatigue syndrome & Mercury toxicity etc.

Diagnosis of food allergy involves two stages i.e. first differ the food allergy from some other physical disorder that are similar to food allergy (differential diagnosis) and then diagnosis of allergy to specific food. Differential diagnosis include: histamine toxicity, food additives intolerance, food poisoning, lactase deficiency, gluten-sensitive enteropathy, and some other gastro-intestinal disorder. Diagnosis to specific food allergy comprises- dietary history, dietary dairy, elimination diet, skin test, and food challenge method.

Anaphylaxis is a serious individual sensitive reaction that is rapid in onset and may cause death, some people are so sensitive that breathing in the food essence can trigger an anaphylactic reaction, as in a restaurant when the person at the next table is eating fish or kissing a person who was recently eaten peanuts. Various conditions such as systematic mastocytosis hereditary angioedima, Carcinoid Syndrome mimic anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis is usually diagnosed by blood RAST test.

Common food intolerances are celiac disease or gluten-sensitive enteropathy, lactose intolerance, food additives intolerance etc. Other may due to present of lectin in kidney bean, histamine, serotonin, tyramine, dopamine present in certain foods. Food additives intolerance i.e. tartrazine (used in soft drink), acetyle salicylic acid, monosodium glutamate (a flavor enhancer) etc. causes adverse reaction in some individual.

The most prevalent food toxicity in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, andchina, is lathyrism that results from long time and excessive consumption of grass pea lathyrus sativus. The toxic substance in grass pea is glutamate analogue beta- N- oxalylamino- L- alanine acid (BOAA). The disease is characterized by paralysis of lower limbs. The treatment of lathyrism include: avoidance of grass pea and administration of bactofen and tizanidine. Three possible approaches for the eradication of the disease: 1) Treatment of seed by leaching out the toxicant in hot water both on home scale and factory scale. 2) Education of the public on the danger of consuming untreated lathyrus sativus 3) cultivation of other pulses in place of lathyrus sativus.

Goitrogen (linamarine) present in bitter cassava causes paralysis, iodine deficiency disorder (goitre) and growth retardation in children. Cassava can made safe to eat by the processing i.e. grating, soaking, fermenting and drying etc. Other food toxicity includes mushroom poisoning, solanine poisoning (glycoloid present in potato/ green part of potato), and epidemic dropsy (that is caused by accidental or deliberate contamination of cooking oil seeds i.e. mustard seed or rape seed  by toxic argemone seed). Sea food poisoning is caused by the consumption of fish contaminated with various toxic pollutants. The common shell fish poisoning are Amnesic Shell fish Poisoning, Ciguatera Poisoning, Paralytic Shell fish Poisoning, Scomboid, Puffer fish Poisoning, Hallucinogenic Fish Poisoning, Diarrhoeal Shell Fish Poisoning and Sardine Poisioning etc. The preventive measure for sea food poisoning include: processing, treating the sea food before or during cooking and awareness among people about the toxicity.

Discussion

In case of food allergy when a food is implicated, all products of this particular food should be avoided. As for example- if milk is implicated, then all sources of milk such as butter, cheese, butter milk, chocolate, cream, ice-cream, yoghurt and casein should be avoided and the diet should be supplemented with calcium and vitamin-D.

All allergic foods are a good source of protein, for this reason another source of protein should be replaced. If you are allergic to beef, pork or turkey, then game meats are a good alternative.

Exclusive breastfeeding, which is, excluding all other foods, for the first 6-12 months of life is suggested to prevent allergies to milk or soy from developing within that time. Breast milk contains less protein that is foreign to the infant and therefore less allergic than cow’s milk or soy formula. As they grow older, some children may tolerate foods that previously caused allergic reaction and the severity of reaction may decrease by the late childhood.

The use of food additives has increased enormously in the last few decades. Food additives are added to food to increase their attractiveness especially to children and that is another challenge to prevent food adverse reaction.

Prevention of food toxicity is a greatest challenge in developing country. In India, Bangladesh and Nepal some turbulent people to get more benefits in business, mix toxic argemone seed with mustard seed that are look very similar. Although the government of Bangladesh banded the cultivation and consumption of grass pea (local name- khesari dhal), in some extent grass pea are cultivated and consumed secretly due to poverty as its cultivation require very low cost. Thus the best measure for the prevention of food toxicity in developing countries is building of people awareness.

Recommendation

As the adverse reaction of food is a public health problem, government of the state, ministry of health, public health department, administrative institutions, nutrition research institute, nutritional worker, physician, dietitian, food & nutrition faculty of universities and food industry all should work together from their own field to prevent and to build up awareness among people about adverse reaction of food.

Americans Look To Food To Improve Health
2011 IFIC Functional Foods Survey Looks at Awareness & Consumption of Food For Health Benefits

Washington, DC (PRWEB) August 04, 2011

Maintaining health and reducing risk of disease is at the forefront of many consumers’ minds as they age. New research from the International Food Information Council shows that Americans cite cardiovascular disease (46 percent), weight (32 percent) and cancer (22 percent) as their top health concerns. Along with these issues that can affect us as we age, almost one in five Americans (19 percent) cite healthy aging as a top health concern.

The 2011 IFIC Functional Foods/Foods for Health Survey, also shows that people often look to food for its health benefits. Ninety percent of Americans can name at least one food and its associated benefit and 76 percent say that functional foods, or foods that can promote health, can have a meaningful impact on their health when they consume them.

The foods and food components Americans look to the most to help improve or maintain their health are:

1)    Fruits and Vegetables

2)    Fish/Fish Oil

3)    Dairy

4)    Whole Grains

5)    Herbs & Spices

“Americans have made it clear that they want to take advantage of the health benefits of food,” according to Elizabeth Rahavi, RD, associate director of Health and Wellness at the International Food Information Council. “But it’s not just fruits and vegetables that can have a positive impact on our health. There are lots of healthful components like antioxidants, fiber, whole grains, and soy found in a variety of foods and beverages that can make a difference in our health as we age.”

The top components with benefits mentioned in the survey include calcium (92 percent) and vitamin D (90 Percent) for bone health, protein (87 percent) and B vitamins (86 percent) for overall well-being, omega-3 fatty acids (85%) for heart health, and probiotics (81 percent) and fiber (79 percent) for digestive health.

Still, Americans struggle to incorporate these key food components into their diets citing the top barriers as expense, taste and availability.

“Consuming foods for health benefits doesn’t have to be expensive,” according to Rahavi. “Just taking simple steps such as choosing a whole grain cereal, oatmeal, or yogurt for breakfast each day can go a long way to improve health over time.”

The 2011 IFIC Functional Foods/Foods for Health Survey randomly sampled 1000 U.S. adults and is the seventh version of the Survey dating back to 1998. Other topics in the Survey include attitudes toward health, awareness of 34 different diet and health relationships and top sources of nutrition and health information.

A copy of the 2011 IFIC Functional Foods/Foods for Health Survey Executive Summary is available at FoodInsight.org as is the International Food Information Council Foundation Foods for Health video series featuring expert tips for eating for a variety of health benefits including healthy aging, weight management, digestive health, immune health and heart health.

For interview requests and any other questions, please contact the IFIC media team at 202-296-6540, Mittenthal(at)ific(dot)org or Matthews(at)ific(dot)org.

The International Food Information Council’s (IFIC’s) mission is to effectively communicate science-based information on food safety and nutrition to health and nutrition professionals, educators, journalists, government officials and others providing information to consumers. IFIC is supported primarily by the broad-based food, beverage and agricultural industries. IFIC and IFIC Foundation materials can be found on our Web site: http://www.foodinsight.org.

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, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

It is crucial that one is aware of what constitutes good food health vitamin intake. The federal drug administration produces a recommended daily allowance for most of vitamins which it regards as a superb food health vitamin intake. These figures vary according to one’s age, sex and some other factors so that the nice food health vitamin intake for a young woman is going to be different to that of a man in his seventies. 
The food health vitamin intake amounts of certain foods are included in the nutritional labelling. This labelling is very important for a person to think about and helps ensure that they’re receiving the correct food health vitamin intake from the foods they eat. The nutritional information is often represented as being a percentage of the recommended daily allowance of every vitamin and mineral and can help assess the value of the foods in the hunt for good food health vitamin intake.
There are also several items that an individual may want to restrict in their diet as part of their good food health vitamin intake. Again, the nutritional labelling of certain foods can help an individual to see how high a product is in these undesirable contents. Salt and fat, e.g., might be items that a person wants to consider limiting as part of their good food health vitamin intake even though they are not strictly vitamins. The majority of people actually refer to nutrients when they use the word vitamin and food manufacturers are aware that an individual is looking at minerals and other items when they are considering their good food health vitamin intake. Fiber is another element that a lot of people tend to be more awake to as forming an essential part of a balanced diet and is necessary for good food health vitamin intake.
If a person is on a restricted diet for any reason then they need to pay much more attention to their good food health vitamin intake. Obviously, some foods contain different nutrients to others and this is applicable to vitamins too and it might be tougher for one to accomplish their good food health vitamin intake if they are unable to eat certain foods. Vitamin supplements can form an essential part of a great food health vitamin intake for people who are unable to obtain their vitamins from their normal diet. It’s also worth remembering that the nice food health vitamin intake for one varies throughout their life depending on their general health.

Science of Raw Food Nutrition Series at Living Light Culinary Institute Offers 130 Hour Curriculum

Science of Raw Food Nutrition class at Living Light

(PRWEB) August 02, 2011

Living Light Culinary Institute, a gourmet raw food culinary school attracting students from more than 50 countries around the world, has teamed up with Rick Dina, D.C. and Karin Dina, D.C. to offer a comprehensive series of classes on the science of raw food nutrition. Topics include raw vegan sources of protein, iron, calcium, vitamin B12, and essential fatty acids, as well as blood sugar regulation, pH balance, nutrient changes in cooked food, anti-inflammatory nutrition, weight management, anti-aging, longevity, and related topics. The series has grown from an initial offering of a single class in the fall of 2006, to a 15 day, five-part series with 130 hours of course content.

The “buzz” about the health benefits of raw foods is attracting a wide audience, including Hollywood stars Natalie Portman and Woody Harrelson, musicians David Bowie and Beyonce, and Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Many Living Light graduates have found employment as private chefs for celebrities, and at spas and health retreats. With increased awareness of the raw food diet, adding scientific nutritional information has become an important component in the school curriculum.

The Science of Raw Food Nutrition series is geared towards chefs, health educators, public speakers, recipe book authors, and even vegan home chefs who want to answer the perennial question “where do you get your protein?” Classes are designed for both the non-scientific person, and for those with a science or nutrition background who are interested in learning more about the specifics of raw food nutrition. The first class in the series is available to the general public with no prerequisites.

“We feel lucky to have the opportunity to watch the proverbial light bulbs go off over our students’ heads as various pieces of the nutrition puzzle come together,” says Rick Dina. “The courses have been tremendously well-received, and our students keep asking for more in-depth content.”

With everyone from food guru Michael Pollan to New York Times columnist Mark Bittman touting the virtues of sustainability and examining the benefits of vegetarian and vegan diets, it is important to understand the scientific nutritional aspects of the increasingly popular raw food diet. The Science of Raw Food Nutrition series at Living Light Culinary Institute provides progressively complex information on a variety of subjects, including antioxidants and phytonutrients in raw plant foods, nutrient synergy, a comparison of various fasts and cleanses, the ecological impact of food choices, and menu planning for various health concerns like blood sugar issues, cholesterol management, autoimmune disorders, and digestive issues.

“We provide coaching segments on a variety of topics, including how to put together lectures and presentations, conduct nutrition research, and evaluate peer-reviewed scientific articles, says Dina. “It is important to learn how to define facts as opposed to exaggerated claims.”

Dr. Rick Dina, D.C. has studied and practiced raw plant-based nutrition since 1987. He is a graduate of Life Chiropractic College, has taught at Bastyr University, and has been a staff member at Hippocrates Health Institute and True North Health Center, treating patients with high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, diabetes, autoimmune, and other nutritionally related diseases.

Dr. Karin Dina, D.C. has studied and practiced raw food nutrition since 1990. A Magna Cum Laude graduate of the University of Colorado and Palmer College of Chiropractic West, and an honors student in naturopathic medicine at Bastyr University, her focus has been plant biology, advanced nutrition, and nutritional biochemistry. The Dinas maintained a chiropractic and nutritional counseling practice in San Raphael, California for five years before joining the staff at Living Light Culinary Institute.

Living Light Culinary Institute was founded in 1998 by Cherie Soria, author of The Raw Food Revolution Diet. She and her husband Dan Ladermann own four eco-friendly businesses on the Mendocino coast of northern California: Living Light Culinary Institute, Living Light Marketplace, Living Light Café, and Living Light Inn. The Living Light Chef Showcase: Hot Chefs, Cool Kitchen takes place every fourth weekend in August at Living Light Culinary Center in Fort Bragg, CA.

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Attachments

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, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

Good Food Health Vitamin Intake

http://www.weightlose30.com

It is essential that a person is aware of what constitutes good food health vitamin intake. The federal drug administration produces a recommended daily allowance for the majority of vitamins which it regards as a good food health vitamin intake. These figures vary according to a person’s age, sex and some other factors so that the good food health vitamin intake for a young woman is going to be different to that of a man in his seventies.

The food health vitamin intake amounts of certain foods are included in the nutritional labelling. This labelling is important for a person to consider and helps ensure that they are receiving the correct food health vitamin intake from the foods that they eat. The nutritional information is often represented as a percentage of the recommended daily allowance of each vitamin and mineral and can help assess the value of the foods in the quest for good food health vitamin intake.

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There are also a number of items that a person may want to restrict in their diet as part of their good food health vitamin intake. Again, the nutritional labelling of certain foods can help a person to see how high a product is in these undesirable contents. Salt and fat, for example, may be items that a person wants to consider limiting as part of their good food health vitamin intake even though they are not strictly vitamins. The majority of people actually refer to nutrients when they use the word vitamin and food manufacturers are aware that a person is looking at minerals and other items when they are considering their good food health vitamin intake. Fiber is another element that many people are more aware of as forming an essential part of a balanced diet and is necessary for good food health vitamin intake.

If a person is on a restricted diet for any reason then they need to pay even more attention to their good food health vitamin intake. Obviously, some foods contain different nutrients to others and this is applicable to vitamins as well and it may be more difficult for a person to achieve their good food health vitamin intake if they are unable to eat certain foods. Vitamin supplements can form an essential part of a good food health vitamin intake for people who are unable to obtain their vitamins from their normal diet. It is also worth remembering that the good food health vitamin intake for a person varies throughout their life depending on their general health.

http://www.weightlose30.com

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:

nausea – a queasy feeling as if you were about to be sick
sickness – vomiting
Pains in the bowl – gripping pains in the area of the stomach
Diarrhoea
Fever

The main causes of food poisoning are:

Bacteria – the commonest
Viruses – which are smaller than bacteria, are normally found in water
Chemicals – Insecticides and weed-killers
Metals – lead pipes, copper pans
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 5°c and 63°c.  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° – 63°c) 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.

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Botulism

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, diarrhoea 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:

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.
Do not keep foods in the danger zone of between 5°c and 63°c for longer than absolutely necessary.
To kill bacteria, subject bacteria to a temperature of 77°c 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;
ygienic 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.

For more information on food safety visit http://www.billandsheilascookbook.com/barbecuesafety.html

Related Now Foods Articles

You don’t have to go far these days to see troubling events in the news.  These issues range from natural disasters, nuclear crisis, political upheaval/unrest and even job loss in a poor economy.  In each of these situations, the most basic needs become the number one focus and concern.  During emergencies, food and water become a scarce and vital resource.  Something that we often one we take for granted in good times.

Food storage can provide these basic needs in times of crisis.  If you are considering food storage, there are 5 main keys to look for in a good food storage vendor.

Length of Time – As is evident in recent news, there really isn’t a way to predict when disasters or emergencies occur.  Food storage needs to be a sustainable option for a extended length of time.  Especially if you are trying to store food for a year or longer and for multiple people.  A shorter shelf life food supply isn’t something that will be easy to rotate and change every year or couple years.  Emergency food storage vendors are now able to create food that has a shelf life of 25 to 30 years. That length of time is not only convenient but necessary, especially when most of us don’t remember to change out expired food.  And when an emergency does occur, having expired food that isn’t safe to eat provides zero benefit.
Required Storage Space – A year food storage for a family of four  be a huge space constraint.  Food storage vendors are working hard finding solutions that address the amount of space needed for long term food storage.  Freeze dried food helps condense the size and packaging.  Freeze dried foods are also much lighter to move and carry.  Also, food storage containers have been designed in a way to allow each bucket to be stacked upon each other.  This greatly reduces the space required for storage as well as enhances the ability to place the food in various locations.  Save the rest of the space for the other key ingredient in your food storage plan, water.
Convenience of Food Preparation – In times of need, conveniences like a stove and microwave, might not even be an option.  Being able to prepare the food with minimal effort could be the difference between being able to eat or not.  One other factor, food storage can also be a supplement to daily meals.  However, if you have a plan on using it as part of your weekly meal schedule, if the preparation is difficult, then most likely the food storage won’t be used. Emergency food storage options today can be as easy as just adding water, especially the freeze dried food.  With bulk freeze dried food water is the only necessary ingredient to reconstitute it.
Food Quality and Taste – In a true emergency, the quality and taste of the food might not be the number one concern.  But if you had to sustain yourself over time, quality and taste become a huge factor.  Not to mention, if you would like to use the food storage supply as a daily meal.  The taste of the food is important as well as the quality of food.  Food storage vendors have come a long way in providing good tasting food.  Forget about the freeze dried foods of the past.  Newer recipes are creative and contain entrees like Chicken Ala King, Cheesy Macaroni, Creamy Chicken Past and Beef Teriyaki and Rice.
Cost – This one might go without saying but all of these points are all well and good but can I afford long term food storage?  Prices have come a long way.  If you compare pricing of food storage with going out to eat or staying home to eat, cost breaks down as follows;  food storage prices are around .50 per meal compared to 6.89 for fast food or 12.55 at a restaurant or even .91 for a home cooked meal.  The other benefit if the budget is tight, some of these food storage options can start with just one food storage container and then add additional containers as money allows.

In summary, get prepared.  Food storage is a great option to help you be prepared for life’s emergencies.

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