Ebook: What Consumers Should Know About Food Safety

A collection of twenty-five true, eye opening, educational, and entertaining short stories about some of our worst food nightmares in and out of a retail food service environment. Highlighting the problems while offering solutions, this book is a must read for today’s consumer. The reported statistics on foodborne illness alone from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are cause for concern; the annual cost from medical bills and lost job productivity is estimated between 10 and 83 billion dollars. Every year there are 1,000 disease outbreaks, 48 million people (1 out of 6) infected, 128,000 hospitalizations, and 3,000 deaths are attributed to consuming contaminated food—and what is unreported can only be left to a disturbing speculation. The other part of the story is how disease-causing food happens, which sometimes crosses the line of integrity and is rarely put into print until it is too late. When people purchase food, there is a reasonable expectation that it will not make them sick. However, drug-resistant and emerging strains of bacteria, food recalls, cross-contamination, undeclared allergens, improper holding temperatures, pest infestation, inconsistent cleaning and sanitizing of food contact surfaces, lack of training, and infected food handlers are a constant threat to food contamination and personal liability. *** “Food and vermin are the topics presented in twenty-five bite-size tales by food safety practitioner David Walpuck. The reader is introduced to the odiously unsanitary conditions witnessed in various dining establishments and the potential health risks afforded by such unhygienic negligence, these hazards are addressed and resolutions enumerated. Macroscopic rodents such as mice and rats compete with the insects for the food supply, microscopic fungi, bacteria and invisible viruses are opportune organisms that readily infect the diner. Food workers neglecting to effectively wash hands, utensils, and food products serve as potent vectors of disease. The results of unsanitary practices can produce diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and even death for the unfortunate consumer. Food safety is important and this report will cause the diner to better inspect the cleanliness and practices of the restaurant and its workers. While microbes are not themselves discernible, be on the lookout for roaches, flies, mosquitoes, mice, rats, and obvious decaying food residues. Looking at the situation through this inspector’s eyes provides a quick read…” –Aron Row, March 2016 Reference, San Francisco Book Review