How bacteria behave

As we’ve seen in the earlier articles in this series, there are a number of different types of food poisoning bacteria. These bacteria can cause food poisoning in different ways, depending on the behaviour of the type of bacteria.

There are three main ways in which bacteria can act to cause food poisoning.

- Some bacteria can grow in large numbers so when you eat the food you are eating the bacteria too

If you leave food in the danger zone for long many millions of bacteria will grow.

- Some bacteria are difficult to kill

An example of this is clostridium perfringens which is often found on raw meat and poultry. These bacteria have the capacity to turn into spores which are resistant to the cooking process. Once again, to reduce the risks of food poisoning don’t leave the food in the temperature danger zone any longer than is absolutely necessary.

- Some bacteria release their toxins into the food

An example of this is staphylococcus which can produce poisons in dairy products and cooked meats if allowed time to grow in warm conditions.

It’s all to do with the TEMPERATURE DANGER ZONE. Have you remembered what the zone is?

This is Chapter Three, Part One in a series of articles broadly similar to the course offered by the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health for its Food Hygiene Certificate.
Part Two: Sources of food poisoning bacteria

Chapter One: Food Poisoning
Chapter Two: Bacteria
Chapter Four: Pest Control
Chapter Five: Kitchen Layout and Design
Chapter Six: Temperature Control
Chapter Seven: Cleaning the Work Area