Food Hygiene Essentials

Pseudomonas bacteria are a genus of bacteria which exist widely in the environment. They are gram negative, rod shaped, non spore forming, motile, flagellated aerobes. Pseudomonas aeruginosea, probably the most well know of all pseudomonas strains, is an opportunistic pathogen that has the capability of adapting to many niches. It can infect animals and humans alike and can cross the species barrier and for this reason it is considered a potentially zoonotic pathogen. This type of bacteria is immune to many types of bacteria because it has within it’s cell wall a mechanism known as an efflux pump which pumps antibiotics back out of the cell before they have had time to take effect. It is the second most common bacterial contaminant in hospitals and it is known to be paticularly malicious in burn units where it prevents the regeneration of healthy tissue. Bacteria of the pseudomonas family are grown on blood agar which turns from a blood red color to a marine blue/green hue. It also gives off a quite pleasant slightly minty smell.

One form of Pseudomonas pathogen causes a highly contageous disease in horses which is also highly infectious to humans. The disease in horses is know as glanders because it affects the glands in and around the throat and jaws of the horse. This disease was common when colonial forces shipped large quantities of horses to places like Africa, the Middle East and the Far East. Now, this disease is more rarer. The scientific name of this pathogen is Pseudomonas Mallei and it is registered as one of the possible bacterial strains that could be used in bacterial warefare together with Clostridium Botolinum and Anthrax.

Other forms of Pseudonas bacteria are known to cause spoilage in food at low temperatures. These psicrophilic Pseudomonas strains include: P. fragi which causes spoilage of dairy products , P. taetrolens which causes mustiness in eggs and P. mudicolens, and P. lundensis, which causes spoilage of milk, cheese, meat, and fish.

The term spoilage is used in food hygiene for a condition by which the food takes on an unpleasant texture, color change smell taste. This does not mean that the food has necessarily become a serious health risk in the same way as if meat were infected with e.coli or salmonella, for instance, but at the same time it is definitely not advisable to eat spoiled food. It means that the food has been infected with bacteria which cause the physical nature of the food to change. For instance, meat may become slimy to the feel or the outer lawyer of certain foods may become pulpy, it may also smell slightly sour and change color. This happens to food which has been stored in refrigerated conditions for long periods of time in places which have not been properly cleaned with anti bacterial disinfectants. I often see this condition in places such as deli counters where meat is sliced in front of the customer.

However a little slime on meat, such as with cured pastrami in particular and with other types of processed meats is not always a sign of spoilage. It may well be due to a reaction between the protein of the meat, the curing chemicals and the air. Many manufacturers now use preservatives to prevent such spoilage. In addition, the reaction of the preservative with the air and other factors within the meat can cause the color of the product to change slightly as well. The color of the may become slightly irridescent or take on a greenish hue. If the meat smells even the slightest bit sour, feels or looks slimy or has a bad color refuse to accept it.

Spoiled food such as cured meats meat can cause stomach discomfort, diarrhea, vomiting or mild allergic symptoms in some people and may even become more serious in people whose immune system is compromised. Remember this central rule of food hygiene, “When in doubt throw it out”.

Fish products are particularly susceptible to spoilage and it can be very difficult to guess from a casual inspection if the deterioration of the fish is due to spoilage bacteria such as the psicrophilic pseudonmonas species stated above or if the cause is due to more dangerous, pathogenic forms of bacteria. If fish looks even slightly slimy, discolored or smells in the least sour don’t buy it or if it has turned bad in your fridge throw it out and clean you fridge thoroughly with disinfectant. (A tactic used by many fresh fish mungers to hide the tell tale smell of fish which has started to show signs of going off is to constantly pour sea water over it. Watch out for this trick. If you are not sure if you are smelling the actual fish or sea water, don’t buy the fish). Most importantly, keep all fish products in closed containers to avoid cross contamination with of by other food products in your fridge.

The same goes for eggs milk and cheese, if you distinguish any changes in color texture or smell, don’t take any risks, better to throw out and buy fresh. To lower the risk being sold spoiled or food which is about to spoil, buy only from supermarkets and stores which are very busy and have a high turnover of merchandise, particularly in the deli sections. Don’t be embarrassed to inspect what you buy, you are paying for fresh and healthy food and the decision to take what is on offer or not is entirely your own. The customer is always right. If you notice that the food you buy goes off quickly and you know that a). your fridge is clean and b). the temperature of the fridge is as it should be then take the food back to the store with your receipt and demand a refund or a fresh replacement. If the problem continues report your findings to your local authority for food hygiene.

Today’s blog entry is going to be a bit different from the type of article I have written up to this point but I hope that you will find it interesting nonetheless. We all need food to survive and we need a varied, balanced diet of good quality food to survive and prosper. In this modern world that we live in we tend to see food as a mere commodity, something that we need, that we can’t do without. Most of us shop very differently to the way our grandparents would have shopped not so many years ago. We scurry around supermarkets piling products into a huge metal basket on wheels. Our food is stuffed into plastic containers, tin cans, foil wrappings and waxed cardboard with little thought to what the substances that those packagings are actually doing to our food.

As a spiritual person I am very much aware that our food has within it the spirit of the beings that lived before us and now make up the matter which we call earth. Food has dynamic energy and still interacts with it’s surroundings both during it’s growth phase and after it has either been harvested of slaughtered. To my intense disappointment and distress our food is not shown the respect it deserves from many of those who grow it and process it.

One thing that we need to remember it that the energy that is held within our food goes into our bodies and is assimilated into our body tissues for energy, growth and maintenance. The quality of the food we eat in terms of energy has direct bearing as per the quality of the end product that we are able to produce. This could for structural purposes, for cognitive purposes, for defence purposes and a range of other things.

For many of us the option of owning our own private vegetable patch and private orchard is not really within the realms of possibility but farmers markets are popping up all over the place that offer produce that has been grown organically with more positive emotion, slaughtered more humanely with far less stress and packed and processed in a much more tranquil and positive surrounding by people who truly love what they do. Processed products on offer in farmer’s markets can incluse produce such as could breads,cheese, pickles, jams, cakes, pies, sausages, hams and many many other types of pre prepared produce.

Similarly, restaurants can be very stressful places, particularly in the kitchen area. Although a chef may strive to present you with a dish that is a veritable work of art, the human interaction inside the kitchen is very often very stressful and generally negative with a lot of shouting, cursing, sometimes violence, humiliation, emotional castration, jealousy, hate, resentment, exploitation, degredation, disrespect and more. Believe me, I have worked in quite a few kitchens and I have seen a few things.

The intent that the chef has in creating his dish is spoiled and cancelled out by the general ambiance with the kitchen and the restaurant. Personally I can sense these energies and I will refuse to eat in such places but in circumstances where people might get offended if I refuse point blank, I make sure that I don’t come back to the same restaurant for a very long time.

I like to research where I eat. I look at the produce they use, how it delivered, how the management treat the kitchen staff including the waiters and when I am satisfied that the energy flowing within an establishment is one with which I revere, Then I will eat there. Food with good energy feeds your spirit as well as hunger. You feel elated, not in the egotistical sense but in a way that spreads to every corner of your being.

By saying a blessing or prayer quietly to yourself before eating the food in front of you you are greatly restoring good energy within the food you eat. The energy of the spirits within the food will understand what you desire of it and will not let you down. The reason for this is that you could be helping a spirit on its journey onward into eternity by giving it direction. In this way the energy will not remain stuck and confused within you. May everything you eat feed your body soul and spirit and give your life quality and purpose.