Centre for Food Safety Announces Special Investigation Results of Bacillus cereus and Clostridium Perfringens in Ready-to-eat Foods

A special food survey was recently completed on the presence of Bacillus cereus and Clostridium perfringens in ready-to-eat foods
.
The results showed that, except for a fermented bean curd sample containing excessive Bacillus cereus announced earlier, all the other samples passed the test
.
A spokesman for the centre said: "This year the centre has collected a total of 300 ready-to-eat food samples from different retailers (including online retailers) and food factories for testing on Bacillus cereus and Clostridium perfringens
.
The sample types include snacks.
, Rice, noodles, cakes, soy products, stewed meats and meat sauces, etc.

"Bacillus cereus is ubiquitous in the environment and can produce spores.
These spores can withstand heat and withstand the cooking temperature
.
Bacillus cereus can also produce different toxins, causing two types of food poisoning
.
Emetic (vomiting) poisoning is caused by heat-resistant toxins in food; another type of diarrhea-causing poisoning is caused by ingestion of large amounts of Bacillus cereus to produce toxins in the intestines
.
As fermented bean curd takes a long time to be produced, unsanitary production or improper storage can cause the bacteria to multiply
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As for food poisoning caused by Clostridium perfringens, it is usually related to food that has not been thoroughly cooked or that has been cooked but stored at an improper temperature or cooled for too long
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A large number of prepared foods, especially cooked meat and poultry, and foods that have been cooked and cooled at room temperature for a long time, are all high-risk foods
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Common symptoms of food poisoning caused by this pathogen include vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain, or fever
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Young people, the elderly, and people with low immunity are more likely to have severe and persistent symptoms
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　　The spokesman reminded the industry and the public that they should not take it lightly.
To ensure food safety, they should always maintain good personal hygiene and pay attention to food hygiene
.
When handling food, if it is not consumed immediately, the food should be stored at a safe temperature (above 60 degrees Celsius / 4 degrees Celsius or below)
.
Avoid leaving perishable prepackaged foods and drinks at room temperature for too long, and consume them immediately after opening or reheating
.
When reheating food, reheat thoroughly to a core temperature of 75 degrees Celsius or above
.
If the food industry needs to cool cooked food, measures should be implemented to shorten the required cooling time to prevent the growth of Bacillus cereus and Clostridium perfringens in the heat-treated food, for example: install special rapid cooling Device, divide the food into smaller portions, put it in a shallow container, "ice" the container (place it in water with ice cubes), etc.
, and closely monitor the temperature of the refrigerator and keep temperature monitoring records
.
Food should avoid cross-contamination during cooling and storage
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The industry must comply with good hygiene practices at all stages of food manufacturing to ensure that food is safe and properly handled to comply with the content limits in the "Guidelines on Microbiological Content in Food"
.