The food poisoning bacteria Bacillus cereus is naturally found in cereals such as rice.  Washing rice will not help avoid the potential problem as the Bacillus bacteria are literally engrained in the rice and so cannot be washed away.

How is food poisoning caused?

When rice is cooked, the Bacillus bacteria survive by forming protective spores.  When the temperature conditions are again favourable (for example rice is left in the ‘danger zone’ i.e. between 5-63°C for a prolonged period of time), the spores germinate and Bacillus bacteria are released into the food, and grow and multiply.

Whist Bacillus bacteria multiply in the food, they excrete a waste product into the food which is poisonous to us (called an exotoxin).   This toxin is heat stable, and therefore even if the rice is thoroughly reheated before consumption, it will still be present in the food.  The poison affects the upper gastrointestinal tract and the consequences of eating food containing the toxin are that we shall experience abdominal cramps and vomiting within 1 to 5 hours after eating, with the symptoms lasting 6 to 24 hours.

This is not the only danger with rice – it can have a ‘double whammy’ effect in store:    If the Bacillus bacteria are eaten whole i.e. the food is not piping hot before consumption, the bacteria are broken down in our intestines where they release another type of poison (called an endo toxin).   The effects of this toxin take around 8-12 hours after eating to take effect, and the symptoms are mainly stomach pain and diarrhoea.  Symptoms last 1-2 days.

The most common problem with hot rice is to suffer the vomiting caused by the exotoxin, as it is not destroyed by heat (including flash frying of fried rice).   However with rice served cold (for example from a salad bar) which has been subject to temperature abuse, or rice which has not been reheated thoroughly and left in the danger zone you can get the full effects of Bacillus cereus – vomiting then diarrhoea (i.e. the effects of both toxins).

So what can we do to keep rice safe?

Food poisoning is quite easily prevented by following simple time/temperature controls:

• Cook rice thoroughly (to 75°C) and serve immediately
• If rice is not to be served immediately, keep hot at 63°C or above OR
• Cool quickly (e.g. using cold running water) and refrigerate within 90 minutes
• Refrigerate at 5°C or below.
• Try to cook and serve rice fresh rather than reheating, however if it is reheated ensure it is piping hot (75°C or above) throughout before it is served. 

Other controls include:

• Ensure that dry rice is stored in dry conditions – dried rice contains Bacillus spores and rice becomes damp the moisture can cause the spores to germinate. 
• Avoid cross contamination of Bacillus from rice to other foods, especially ready to eat foods.

Bacillus cereus is also found in other cereal and grains such as soya and corn-starch.  Bacillus is also common in dust, soil and vegetation.

Fiona Sinclair

STS Director

Egg company fined for finger amputations

An egg company in Worcestershire has been fined £13,000 + over £6,000 costs after a worker lost two fingers whilst cleaning a drain on a production line.

The employee lost part of his index and middle fingers when they came into contact with a heavy duty blade. The HSE found that the risks related to cleaning in the area around the blade had not been suitably assessed or controlled leading to staff members having the chance to come into contact with the machinery when it was in use.

During the court hearing where the employer pleaded guilty, it was revealed that there had been a similar incident in 2008 but the re-training that had been conducted had been carried out by employees who were not trained to train others.

After the court hearing, the HSE quoted “This incident was entirely foreseeable and easily preventable. The risks of cleaning around the drain had not been adequately assessed or controlled so unfortunately, a much larger price has been paid, not least by their employee”.

Mouse infestation leads to bakery closure

A bakery company in Rainham has been closed following the identification of a major mouse infestation by Havering Council EHO’s.

EHO’s used an Emergency Prohibition Order to close the premises and keep it closed until the mouse activity was eradicated. Dead mice and large numbers of droppings were found on the floor and on machinery and equipment used to produce food. Live mice were also noted to be active throughout the premises.

The owners of the businesses pleaded guilty to four food safety offences and were fined a total of £10,000 + £2,000 costs. Magistrates were quoted as stating that ‘the premises were in a disgusting state’.

Food Trader given suspended jail sentence and curfew for importing illegal meat

A food trader from Tooting illegally imported bush meat and stored it in filthy conditions along with forged documentation has been given a suspended jail sentence, required to wear a tag and adhere to a curfew following prosecution by Wandsworth Council EHO’s.

The trader was fined following an operation by Wandsworth EHO’s where the Food Standards Agency had provided a tip off that he was expecting a consignment of illegal foodstuffs including bush meats (meat from wild animals) and products from endangered species. Inspection of his premises revealed various food products, the origin of which could not be verified. During the investigation, the trader produced forged documentation to try to verify the source of foods such as smoked barracuda and smoked tilapadia.

Following prosecution at Richmond Magistrates Court, the trader was sentenced to a 14 week jail term suspended for 18 months, required to wear an electronic tag and must adhere to an 8pm to 8am curfew for four months. Costs of £500 were also ordered.

Coventry Hotel ignored staff and guest safety

A hotel in Coventry has been fined over £50,000 including costs following a complaint from a member of the public and subsequent EHO investigations.

EHO’s investigated the complaint from a member of the public who had attended a function at the hotel and found numerous health and safety failings including locked or blocked fire exits, incomplete floor surfaces and collapsible tables being used to access heights. Other concerns included the kitchen access being obstructed by rubble and a labourer working on the edge of a roof above a 10 metre drop without fall arrest equipment. Subsequent revisits also found furniture and building materials causing trip hazards.

The hotel operating company pleaded guilty to eight offences and were fined £35,000 for seven of the offences and £7,000 for one charge brought against the Work at Height Regulations 2005. Full costs were also awarded.

If you undertake an Internet search for Doggy Bags in the UK most sites will be offering you bags to collect your dog waste!  In the USA – it will be sites offering you containers to take your leftover meal home.

In recent months there has been considerable promotion in the UK to reduce food wastage – a typical restaurant annually throws away 21 tonnes of food according to the government’s advisory body Wrap.  The Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA) worked out that most diners waste around 30% of the food on their plates (www.thesra.org).

Their “Too Good to Waste Initiative” dispatched 25,000 biodegradable boxes to 50+ restaurants in London to reduce wastage and promote doggy bags.  In March 2012 the initiative won Best Campaign at the Climate Week Awards.

So what about the food safety issue? The potential problem is bacterial multiplication that may arise from high risk foods which are subject to dangerous time and temperature control by the unsuspecting customer. Once high risk food has left the food business there is a risk that under the care of the customer it may be kept at room temperature during transportation or in the home, for a prolonged period of time.  The risk for the caterer is that should food poisoning subsequently occur, the customer may well blame the food business.  In such circumstances, the onus will be on the caterer to prove they have taken all reasonable precautions to make sure the food was safe.

So what can a food business do?  STS recommend food businesses take a sensible approach to doggy bags:

If possible, discourage Doggy Bags for high risk food.  In fact, there remains resistance by the British public to take home their leftover food. A survey by the SRA showed 25% of diners in the UK were too embarrassed to ask for boxes, 24% though believed they were against health and safety policies.

If the customer is insistent, food business need to minimise the risk, take reasonable precautions and demonstrate due diligence, for example:

• Include your policy for Doggy Bags into your food safety management system
• Communicate the procedure to your staff
• Record when a customer is issued with a doggy bag (this could be as simple as recording on the copy bill) – just in case a customer seeks to complain about the safety of the food.
• Place food into a new food grade container
• Provide guidance to the customer – preferably printed on the container or a sticker applied to the container (guidance leaflets tend to get mislaid and it is difficult to prove that it was issued to the customer).

The Queensland Government, for example, have a Food Industry Fact Sheet 16 “Food Safety Information for doggy bags”  In support of their guidance food businesses can purchase instructional stickers from the Government bookshop.

 The sticker states:

“Please ensure this food is placed in your refrigerator as soon as possible.  Reheat to piping hot before eating.  Discard if not used within 24 hours”.

 The “Too Good to Waste” website also provides food safety guidance (http://www.toogood-towaste.co.uk/the-box/hygiene-tips/) which in some respects strengthens the above advising to refrigerate within 2 hours.  It also includes a disclaimer statement “Remember, whilst restaurants prepare, handle and produce food in strict accordance with UK food hygiene regulations, once you choose to take food off the premises it becomes the sole responsibility of the customer”.

I would add additional guidance for the customer “Place in a suitable container for reheating, use clean utensils, and keep separate from raw foods”.

Doggy bags illustrate one of the challenges food businesses face between balancing the demands of food safety with customer expectations and the issues of sustainability and reducing waste.

Neil Rush

STS Managing Director

As you may already be aware, the ‘Lion Mark’ was re-instated in 1998. What you may not be aware of is what the logo is fully telling you. Most people see it as a sign of quality, which is true to a certain extent, but more importantly it demonstrates that the farm where the egg originates adheres to a stringent Code of Practice; The Lion Quality Code of Practice.

This Code of Practice includes the compulsory vaccination against Salmonella enteritidis along with full traceability of eggs, hens and feed, and periodic audits by an independent party. The British Egg Industry Council (BEIC) keep a database of all approved subscribers to the Lion mark scheme and if ever a farm is found to have any critical non-conformances they are immediately suspended from the scheme pending appropriate remedial action. In addition to this there are also financial penalties for critical non-conformities.

The only question is, is it working?

In 2001 the government’s advisory committee on the microbiological safety of food gave a resounding yes, stating that poultry vaccinations had reduced Salmonella cases by more than half. Further reports and investigations completed by the Food Standard Agency and Health Protection Agency also highlighted the quality of British Lion eggs. The 2004 investigation by the Heath Protection Agency they found 7% of imported eggs tested positive for Salmonella, whereas when the same quantity of Lion Marked eggs were tested no Salmonella was detected (www.lioneggs.co.uk/page/eggsafety). This does not mean that Salmonella has been eliminated from British eggs entirely though. Remember, though the Lion Mark scheme is effective, it is not ‘fool proof’ and some eggs may still contain Salmonella. In addition to this, only 85% of eggs produced in the UK meet the standards required by the Lion Mark scheme. During a survey completed by the European Food Safety Authority in 2007, 8% of commercial laying flock holdings were found to be infected with Salmonella enteritidis or Salmonella typhimurium.

By comparison however, the average for EU member states was 20.4% infected with several reporting more than 50%.

Regulations (EC) 1168/2005 and 2160/2003 were put into place to monitor and reduce Salmonella in poultry. The UK was set the target of 10% reduction each year over a three year period. The Control of Salmonella in Poultry Regulations 2008 enforces a National Control Programme for Laying Flocks that implements the requirements of the regulations.

The European Food Safety Authority now considers British eggs to be among the safest in the world. This does not mean we are able to start eating raw eggs risk free though and safety measures should always be implemented when using eggs whether Lion Mark approved or not.

Golden rules:

• Keep eggs refrigerated – If salmonella is present, by keeping the eggs below 7°C slows down the rate at which they multiply.
• Buy from reputable suppliers – This helps ensure hygiene standards are met and that correct procedures are used.
• Never use cracked eggs – these are likely to now be contaminated as the shell is no longer protecting the eggs contents from external bacteria that maybe present, including Salmonella.
• Cook thoroughly – Heat is your best method for destroying Salmonella and other bacteria that maybe present.
• Once cooked serve/eat promptly – As with all other foods that have been cooked, strict time and temperature controls must be used to prevent any bacteria that may still be present from multiplying.
• Unused/left over foods that contain eggs must be refrigerated - strict time and temperature controls must be used to prevent any bacteria that may still be present from multiplying.
• Pasteurised eggs should be used for recipes requiring raw eggs e.g. Mayonnaise – Pasteurisation means the egg has been heat treated to eliminate any Salmonella bacteria present to a safer level.
• Use Lion Marked eggs – this is a simple control to ensure better product safety.

One factor however that cannot be avoided is the fact that all eggs on sale in the UK, both in shell egg and in other products such as cakes, are not always from the UK. Simple checks on the packaging and labelling of shell eggs will demonstrate that the egg was laid from a UK flock. This however, is not so simple when checking the ingredients of a pre made item such as a cake. It is therefore of major importance that all manufacturers take note of their egg suppliers accreditations and ensure that their products come from the best and safest sources.

For more information on Lion Branding, please visit the British Egg Industry Council website.

Beverley Hanmore

Consultant

Cambridgeshire Butcher fined £8000 for hygiene offences

A butcher from Eaton inCambridgeshire was fined £8,000 and order to pay costs of £6,450 after pleading guilty to six offences. EHO’s found equipment to be in a poor condition, cleaning standards to be below requirements and the wash hand basin was out of service. Inspecting Officers also witnessed a member of staff refusing to wash his hands between handling raw meat and ready to eat products whilst serving a customer. Following the inspection, the butcher surrendered various food items and agreed to no longer sell ready to eat food. The business has now closed.

Golf Club fined after employee loses finger in ball cleaner

A golf club in Warwickshire has been fined £13,500 following an accident where an employee lost part of a finger in an unguarded ball cleaner. The employee had been trying to release a stuck gold ball in the machine and easily by-passed the guard whereupon his fingers were drawn into the machinery. Injuries included partial amputation to the left-hand index finger and injuries to his middle and ring fingers. The company pleaded guilty to failing to take specific steps to control the hazards of guarding being bypassed or disabled and also failed to provide adequate health and safety information, instruction and training. Costs of £8,000 were awarded to the Council and compensation of £5,000 to the employee.

Take Away owner fined £5,000 for food hygiene offences

A take away owner in Cambridgeshire has been fined £5,000 and ordered to pay council costs of £2,659 following prosecution. EHO’s inspected the premises following a complaint where a customer found their pizza base to be mouldy. The inspection revealed uncooked pizza bases stacked outside the staff toilet. Additionally there was no food safety management system in place as the use of the Safer Food Better Business system had lapsed.

Chlorine Gas release gym fined £20,000

A gym has been fined £20,000 and ordered to pay costs of £59,000 following a chlorine leak at its facility in Hove. The spa pool had been over dosed with chlorine leading to a chlorine gas release which could have been harmful to gym users and staff. Staff were found to have incorrectly monitored the chlorine content of the spa pool and as a result had added further chlorine. Staff were not being trained and supervised adequately and an internal audit carried out by management only a month before had highlighted health and safety problems, the club failing 16 out of 20 of its own standards. The court was also told that the water was so caustic, that anyone entering the pool would have been seriously burned.

Every year there are hundreds of major accidents in the catering and hospitality industry caused by slips and trips. The occupations most affected are kitchen assistants, chefs and waiting staff.

Did you know?

• The cost to society and employers is over £1.3 billion per year. It is estimated the financial burden to NHS alone is over £133 million annually;

•  Slips and trips account for 50% of all reported accidents to members of the public who visit places of work;

•  Slips, trips and falls from the same level account for over a third of all reported major injuries, 20% of over-3-day injuries to employees and 2 fatalities annually.

Case Studies

A young chef was injured following a slip and trip which consequently immersed his left hand into a fryer unit full of hot oil. He sustained severe burns to his arm, parts of his chest and neck. The main cause of the accident was a greasy floor which had not been cleaned correctly. Poor awareness led to cardboard being used in an attempt to soak up the grease, but instead it caused a tripping hazard, which was made worse by the unsuitable footwear.

In similar accident, a 16 year-old employee slipped on water leaking from a broken ice-making machine and flashed fried her arm in deep fat fryer at 360^OC. The local authority prosecuted the company and on a successful conviction the magistrates imposed a total fine of £15000.

A female employee spent 11 days in a high-dependency unit when she fractured her skull after slipping in the dishwashing area of the kitchen. Her injuries were so severe she has not been able to return to work since the accident.

Investigation found that four similar incidents had occurred in the same kitchen during the previous 12 months, yet the company had done little to correct an obvious slip hazard. The main cause of the accident was unsuitable flooring .Modification or replacement of the floor surface would have reduced the risk of slipping. In addition, footwear with good slip resistance may have reduced the risk further.

Source: HSE 2005

What are the causes of slips and trips in workplace?

Most slips in the kitchen occur on wet or dirty floors and are caused mainly by food spills which have not been mopped up quickly or as a result of cooking process that has contaminated the floor. Other causes include an overflowing sink dripping onto the floor, flooring with a poor slip resistance and footwear with inadequate grip.

The majority trips in are due to poor housekeeping, especially the careless positioning of food deliveries and cables. Damaged flooring and insufficient lighting also increase the risk of trips in the kitchen.

What must we do?

Employers have legal obligation to ensure employees and anyone else who could be affected by your work are kept safe from harm.   This simply means slip and trips risks must be controlled to ensure people do not slip, trip and fall.

How can I prevent slips and trips in the Kitchen?

Prevention is often simple and cost effective and usually begins by conducting suitable and sufficient risk assessment. Once you identified the hazards you can decide on the preventative measures, which include:

• Selecting the right footwear –urethane and rubber soles with a good tread are often among the least slippery on wet floors.

•  Preventative maintenance will reduce the likelihood of leaks from equipment and trips from uneven flooring;

•  Cleaning the floor regularly will improve its grip and remove other potential slips and trip hazards;

•  Good housekeeping will prevent boxes and pans and other obstacles being left on the floor.

What you like to know more?

The HSE have further information and guidance to help you prevent slips and trips accidents in the catering and hospitality industry.  This information can be found on the HSE website.

Slips and Trips accidents is a subject covered on all STS health and safety courses. We also specialise in tailoring our training programmes to environments in which the candidates work, especially the catering and hospitality industry.

Call Leon Lemon on 01252 728300 to find out how STS can help you maximise the benefits in training your team.

Peter Rose

Training Manager