E. coli bacteria keeps appearing in foods we
sample from businesses. So what is it and how does it get into our food?
The full name is Escherichia Coli.
The bacteria can be found naturally in the gut of humans and animals and on
fruits and vegetables, particularly those grown in the ground that have been
fertilised with manure.
The presence in foods is an indication of faecal
(poo) contamination – either from the food handler, or from the foods they are
using / preparing. It’s presence in ready-to-eat food is unacceptable because
it suggests:
- unhygienic food handling,
- inadequate cooking,
- lack of washing of salad ingredients
- and/or cross contamination that may have occurred during food preparation.
Recently there have been various outbreaks in
Australia and overseas where E.coli has been the culprit. A variety of foods
have been implicated, including unpasteurised apple and orange juices, sprouted
seeds, fruit, salads and meat and meat products - especially undercooked minced
meat patties/burgers.
3 ways to eliminate E. coli in your food
- Hand washing: Hands must be thoroughly
washed with soap and warm running water after going to the toilet, and before
and during preparing or serving food (refer to article on personal hygiene).
- Heat: E. coli is easily killed by heating, so cooking food properly is a basic method of control. Minced beef, in particular, must be fully cooked. Milk and dairy products must be pasteurised.
- Washing: Ensure all fruit, salad, and vegetables ingredients (that are not being cooked) are washed to remove any traces of E.coli that might be present from the growing process. Even if it looks clean. It is highly recommended that pre-washed salads/vegetables are re-washed.
Note: If fruit has a skin that needs to
be cut to get the fruit (such as watermelon), wash the fruit first so E.coli is
not transferred into the flesh of the fruit by the knife.