Buffet restaurants can be a risk to health if the basic rules of food safety are not followed. As the microbiologist Dr. Kimon-Andreas Karatzas from the Reading University warns, The most common problems are crossed contamination and poor temperature control. According to him, these factors are the most common cause of food from food during dining. Informed the portal
„Without proper preventive measures, buffets can also pose serious risks to food safety“Warns an expert. The food should not be left to stand at a temperature between 8 ° C and 63 ° C, in the so -called a dangerous zone where bacteria multiply rapidly. The problem is also that the staff often only adds food to half -empty trays instead of replacing the entire container. “Although it can reduce food waste, it increases the likelihood of contamination, especially during high traffic hours,” Explained by an expert.
According to Karatzas, they are In buffets the most dangerous three types of bacteria, and it Salmonella, E. coli and Listeria. “Salmonella is often found in insufficiently treated poultry, eggs and dairy products. E. coli, which is usually associated with insufficient heat -treated beef and raw vegetables, can cause serious gastrointestinal disease”He says. Listeria, present, for example, in soft cheese or pate, is especially dangerous for pregnant women and immunocompromised people.
Another risk is crossed contamination, ie transmission of bacteria between meals. “If only one meal is contaminated, for example, a juice from poorly cooked meat or bacteria from unwashed hands, they can spread to other foods and affect many people,” Karatzas explains. According to him, the use of the same spoon for multiple meals or sneezing over the plates can be dangerous. He adds that people with food allergies are the most at risk.
According to data from Great Britain, approximately 2.4 million people will be poisoned each year and is estimated that this is a total of up to 18 million cases per year. Food poisoning is usually not serious, but It causes inconvenience such as diarrhea, nausea or abdominal pain. Doktor Karatzas Preto It recommends simple measuresand to make clean dishes for each item at the buffet table to make the meals check whether they are hot or chilled, not lukewarm, and to wash their hands before operating.
