Reflection ( Subash) 
Through these blog posts, it can be easily observed  that discussing about  issues regarding food safety and food hygiene is extremely crucial. To ensure that a customer receives quality food, there is a need for one to take of her his or her personal hygiene as well as ensuring that the food is properly prepared and stored in order to prevent cross-contamination and spoilage. As we have learnt from the above posts, it can be observed that pathogens such as E.Coli, Staphylococcus aureus and many more can easily spread through the food we consume. Therefore, proper practice of food handling holds a great importance. Besides this, the safety of the cook is also of huge importance. Ensuring that the cook follows the rules and regulations of the kitchen workflow is crucial.  Along with this, he or she should be using the appliances in the correct manner.  By doing so,  he or she can prevent him/herself from any physical hazards such as cuts, burns. Treating cuts and burns properly is also essential as the quicker the wounds and burns heal, the lesser spread of contagious diseases. Firstly, inform the person in charge or the head chef. Hereafter, get first aid t be done. For small cuts and burns, wash infected area thoroughly and  apply antiseptic medicines on the infected area using a sanitized gauze. Apply pressure and put on a plaster. If wounds and burns are on the palm or any part of the hand, wear a glove. If cuts and wounds are large, visit a certified medic or doctor.

Reflection ( Ruiyang )

Before I have did this project, I have a limited knowledge for food safety. After reading through my group mates and classmates blog, I've learnt a lot from it. I've realized that food safety is extremely important for every kitchen. Practicing food safety is essential in every kitchen as it can prevent any accidents to happen. For example, cross contamination or personal hygiene. Having cross contamination in food would cause serious food poisoning to the consumer. If this incident were to happen, it would spoil the reputation of the restaurant. Therefore, it's best to do anything to prevent any food contamination. Practicing good hygiene for chef is important too. Having short nails and a clean uniform would also prevent the bacteria from it from contaminating the food. Hence, practicing food safety should be a habit for everyone so no one would become ill from your food.

Reflection (Kimberley)

Reading all the different posts about Personal hygiene, as well as hygiene in the kitchen, I realised that there is a lot of things to take note of when working in the kitchen environment. There are many different aspects of hygiene to take care of. Sometimes we might forget one or two areas, especially during the busier hours of service in the kitchen, and reading a blog like this would be a gentle reminder to be more aware of the surroundings as a lack of awareness towards hygiene might lead to cross-contamination and food-borne illnesses and hazards to both the customer and the chef. I have learnt a lot through the making of this blog, reading my classmate's and group member's posts, commenting and reflecting on each topic.

Reflection ( Renushri )

I have learnt many valuable learning points from my fellow group mates post. Firstly that the right storage equipment and location is essential for safe consumption of any ingredient that is kept.Secondly, the importance of tying the hair and neatly keeping it short ensures the safety during the food preparation. Thirdly, the different types of poultry and their negative consequences if they are not handled properly. The negative consequences would cause problems during food preparation.

Last but not the least I believe that safety starts from us. If each individual takes own responsibility in their hygiene and working stations, nothing would go wrong.
It's better to be safe than sorry ! 

Reflection (Petrina)

Looking at the various blog post from my friends and the researches that I've made, i found out that Salmonella and E. coli are the 2 most common harmful microorganisms living around us daily. I have learnt the importance of good hygiene practices in the kitchen. It is important to store our ingredients properly at the right temperature and at the correct place to prevent microbial infestation or cross contamination.  I have also learnt more in depth on the right ways of personal hygiene in the kitchen. Personal hygiene is very important as one dirty mistake of ours make bring harm to other innocent people. Soap in general doesn't necessarily kill off all the microorganisms but rather the different types of soap that we use that are important. Buying antimicrobial or antibacterial soap at home would be a better and safer choice for good hygiene even though it my be more costly. The reputation of yourself or the food will be ruined and people will lose faith in you due to poor hygiene. Thus we should always keep clean and be mindful of what we do in the kitchen or when handling food.

HYGENIC ASPECTS IN FOOD PREMISES: Food Storage in a Commercial Kitchen

When foods are being prepared/used in a kitchen, there is a need to store these foods properly, in order to prevent microbial infestation/contamination. Pathogens, also known as disease- causing bacteria, viruses or parasites are the main source of microorganisms that cause food poisoning. Some of these pathogens that can be identified through improper food handling include:

1. Salmonella Typhi: Mainly found in Uncooked or raw eggs, poultry, unpasteurized dairy products and contaminated raw fruits and vegetables. They can also be found in food that is not stored  or properly handled ( such as cross-contamination), which can cause Salmonellosis.
 
Salmonella; Retrieved from: http://www.homefoodsafety.org/vault/2499/web/images/salmonella%20bacterium%20v_%20small.jpg Daniel

2. Clostridium Perfringens ( C. perfringens )  : Found in raw  meat or poultry. These produce toxins that can possibly cause health issues such as diarrhea and abdominal cramping.  C. perfringens  grows in large portions of food. Therefore, it is best to keep these food away from the danger zone. 

 C. perfringens; Retrieved from:  http://www.homefoodsafety.org/vault/2499/web/images/Clostridium%20perfringens%20v_%20small.jpg

3. Campylobactor: Commonly found in foods that are not properly stored in the correct temperatures or those that are cross-contaminated. These include unwashed raw vegetables, raw meat and poultry and unpasteurized milk. Common health problems are Campylobacteriosis in which symptoms include diarrhea.

Campylobactor; Retrieved from: http://www.homefoodsafety.org/vault/2499/web/images/Campylobacter%20v_%20small.jpg

4. Escherichia Coli (E. coli O157:H7): Commonly found in raw or under-cooked ground beef, along with unpasteurized drinks.  These have severe adverse effects on the body. 

E. coli O157;H7 ; Retrieved from: http://www.homefoodsafety.org/vault/2499/web/images/e%20coli%20colony%20v_%20small.jpg

Other pathogens that can be found through cross-contamination through food and kitchen utensils/equipment include Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Norovirus, Toxoplasma gondii  which also can spread through cross contamination. 

Therefore, through this, it can be seen that the kitchen Layout plays a huge role in ensuring  the food consumed is safe and of premium quality. Certain kitchen equipment/layouts are essential in maintaining the integrity of the food, and to prevent any food-borne illness that may be caused by pathogen contamination. Here are certain kitchen requirements that should be followed in order to prevent cross- contamination of pathogen in a commercial kitchen. 

 1.       All storage areas of food and food equipment/kitchen tools must be 30cm above the ground. This ensures that no cross contamination occurs, thus keeping the food and the kitchen tools free from pathogens and safe to use.

2. Keeping Food Cold  -All cooked hot foods should be chilled in order to bring down the temperature of the food as soon as possible ( ideally to 5 degrees Celsius in 4 hours). Hence, a blast chiller is recommended to bring down the temperature of the cooked hot food. A blast chiller essentially works as a fridge or a freezer, however with external pressure added to speed up the process. A thermometer/probe is present in the blast chiller   to measure the internal temperature of the cooked food, in order to achieve accuracy. Foods, such as meats can be blast frozen as compared to normal freezing as it forms smaller ice crystals, thus preserving the integrity of the meat itself as the muscle cell structure are not damaged.

3.  Keeping Food Warm- All cooked foods, if not cooled rapidly should be kept warm in order for it to avoid the danger zone.  The danger zone is a temperature in which pathogens are at their reproduction rate. Therefore, the usage of a hot-holding equipment such as steamers, double boilers, heated cabinets and drawer is crucial . These foods should be kept at a temperature above 57 degrees Celsius.  In an Asian kitchen, the foods, in order to be kept warm, steamers are widely used. 

 4. Storage in a commercial refrigerator- When storing foods in a refrigerator, important requirements need to be taken note of in order to prevent food contamination and spoilage. Raw and cooked foods  must be stored separately to prevent cross contamination of pathogens. Raw foods and meats should be stored separately or at the bottom section of the chiller/freezer from cooked food or vegetables. Drip pans should be placed below raw meats. Apart from this, all foods need to be properly labelled, along with the expiry/usage date written .These should be properly covered and sealed. 

                       

                      Raw Foods are either kept separately or at the bottom of the freezer/chiller 

                                                        An Example of a badly sealed food

                             An Example of a properly sealed packet of food with its date of usage

4. Vacuum Packing Foods- In order from preventing microorganisms from flourishing in a food product, foods are usually vacuum sealed in order to remove any air present in the air/ oxygen in the packaging . Without the presence of oxygen/air, microorganisms are unable to multiply, thus preventing the chances of food spoilage. Foods need to be properly sealed and vacuumed in order for this theory to work. 

  

 Hence, in conclusion, one should follow and aside these four important concepts when handling food in a commercial kitchen in the food industry.

References:
1. Retrieved from: http://www.homefoodsafety.org/food-poisoning/foodborne-pathogens 

-       --    By: Subash S/O Rethina Kumar ( 1400090E) 

                                      

PERSONAL HYGIENE ISSUE: Illnesses and Infected Cuts

Ensuring that good personal hygiene is maintained is extremely crucial when working in a kitchen, due to the constant handling of food. One key aspect of maintaining a good personal hygiene is by ensuring that the food handler is free from an illness. All wounds, cuts and burns should be properly covered. By doing so, cross- contamination of pathogens from the handler to the food can be avoided, or vice versa.  Thus, this ensures that no customer or food handler suffers from a food-borne illness as a result of consuming the food. Certain pathogens are responsible for the food-borne illnesses if personal hygiene is not maintained. These are a few:

1.Staphylococcus aureus: Commonly found in skin surfaces, throat and nostrils of humans or animals.  These also produce toxins that are heat resistant, therefore cannot be killed through cooking.  These can also be found in prepared fresh foods such as salads, bakery products and unpasteurized drinks or dairy products

Staphylococcus aureus; Retrieved from:  http://www.homefoodsafety.org/vault/2499/web/images/Staphylococcus%20bacteria%20v_%20small.jpg

2. Norovirus: Transmitted through people who are infected. Therefore, foods, drinks and food surfaces can easily be contaminated by Norovirus. These are usually found in fresh produce, salads or any food or surface that is prepared or touched by a person who is ill. Norovirus is the main source of a common illness known as "stomach flu". 


Norovirus; Retrieved from: http://www.homefoodsafety.org/vault/2499/web/images/norovirus%20v_%20small.jpg

 Here are a few tips for food handlers to ensure that good personal hygiene is maintained during the preparation of food.

1.       Always wear a mask if you are having a flu, coughing, or sneezing. It is recommended that you do not come for work if you are having a flu.  The mask being worn must cover your nose and your mouth. This can be seen below.  

2.    All wounds and cuts in the hands, or any other parts of the body must be covered with a plaster. The colour of the plaster should be of a bright one, as a nude beige coloured plaster cannot be easily identified. This acts as a safety measure as during food preparation or food handling, the plaster may fall into the food being consumed/prepared. Hence, through this perspective, a bright plaster should be worn so that it can be easily identified in the food. In a commercial kitchen, blue plasters are usually used. 

3.        All infected wounds and cuts in the hands must be covered with a plaster, then followed by a glove when handling food. This is to ensure that no contamination of the pathogens above occurs in the food. 

By: Subash S/O Rethina Kumar ( 1400090E)

References:
1. Retrieved from: http://www.homefoodsafety.org/food-poisoning/foodborne-pathogens