How to Recognize Food Poisoning Illness | Prevent Food Poisoning Hazards

Custom Search
   

 

 

How A Health Inspector Avoids Food Poisoning Hazards!

Learn How to Identify the Signs of a Safe Restaurant

 

As soon as I tell someone I’ve just met that I was a long time health inspector, they will inevitable ask the question “How are you able to eat out anywhere” or they might make a statement along the lines of “I bet you don’t eat out much.”

The assumption in the question and statement is that, one, there are really no safe establishments to dine at, or two, that I will be able to see problems others would not be able to and therefore be turned off to eating at any particular restaurant.

The first assumption is, of course false.  There are many safe, as well as unsafe restaurants.  The issue is how to distinguish a good or safe one from an unsafe one, which leads to the second assumption which is actually true.  As an experienced health inspector, I can spot  signs, practices, etc. even as just a customer that the normal patron may not even notice; or if they do notice, do not realize the potential hazard or how to react to it.

For anyone that has experienced the debilitating and painful symptoms and effects of a food poisoning or foodborne illness, knowing what to look for, or look out for, and how to identify a safe restaurant or establishment from an unsafe one can be very valuable.   So how difficult is it to learn the basics on how to identify these signs etc.?  Piece of cake, or in other words…Not difficult at all.

The following covers some highlights, summaries, and some basics that I believe can greatly reduce your chances of contracting a food borne illness. To see even more detailed articles visit my home page at FoodPoisoningPrevention.com.

To start with I will divide the basic restaurant into the following 5 areas (areas that you can observe) and give a brief description of problems to look for.  Many of these signs or practices give clues as to how well the management and staff maintain their facility and how much care they put into proper safe food processing and storage practices, which are areas you as a customer will probably not be able to access or observe fully.

 

 

  • Exterior -  No food products, utensils, equipment can be stored outside the restaurant. Do you see trash, debris, or other rubbish, old equipment or clutter around the parking lot or grounds of the business? Are the trash containers or bins or used grease barrels open with flies or birds surrounding them? Is the trash overflowing onto the ground or are the trash cans or bins leaking? Is there pooled water or sewage in the parking lot or just outside of the establishment? Is the back door open allowing easy access for flies and other vermin? Are the employees hosing or washing out water or waste water from the kitchen or cleaning the floor mats outside on the ground? Even though these are exterior violations, these conditions lead to vermin (cockroaches, flies and rodents) harborage and greater likelihood of finding them inside the facility.

  • Front Entrance – Many government jurisdictions require some type public postings at the front entrance of retail food establishments alerting the public to recent inspection results.  These posting can be a grade or some version of the inspection report noting the date of the last inspection, violations observed and compliance dates.  Look for these as you enter a restaurant and if there is some confusion as to its meaning or it’s missing all together, inquire with the host or manager.  The web site for your local environmental health program is also a good source for the latest inspection and violation details.

  • Dining area - Check over your silverware, glasses, cups, dishes and even your table, to be sure that they are clean and in good condition. Look for cracks, chipped plates or food debris, smudge marks or other residue indicating an incomplete or insufficient washing and sanitizing.  Your waiter or waitress and counter staff must also be wearing clean outer garments, maintain trimmed and clean and well manicured fingernails, and not be obviously ill.  Hair restraints, hats or hair coverings do not have to be worn by wait or counter staff if they present a minimal risk of contaminating the food,  meaning they are primarily serving the food and/or preparing beverages, etc.  Also, no evidence of vermin – cockroaches or rodents, including their droppings.

  • Kitchen – There is obviously so much to a kitchen, but if I have the ability to see into the kitchen, which is possible in many restaurants, I would focus on the staff preparing and cooking, looking for good personal hygiene practices including clean clothing and aprons and hair restraints, either a hat or hair net to hold all the hair in place.  Clothing must be sufficient to cover the entire body including arms if necessary to block body hair from getting into the food.  Fingernails of food handlers must be kept clean, cut or trimmed and well manicured.   Food handlers should be wearing clean aprons and should not wipe their hands on the aprons.  Aprons must be changed frequently as they become soiled or contaminated.  Bad personal habits  (as well as health code violations) to keep an eye out for include any use of tobacco products (smoking, chewing tobacco etc.), rubbing or picking the nose, ears, pimples or boils, licking their fingers, eating or drinking from an open cup while working, or chewing gum in the kitchen area.  Also, no obviously ill employees can work in a kitchen area.  Look for persistent sneezing, coughing, or runny nose, or discharges from the eyes, nose, or mouth.

  • Restrooms - You may have heard that the condition of the restroom is a good indicator of the condition of the kitchen.  From my experience I have found that this is not always true, especially if the restrooms are well maintained.  Still, it’s a good practice to check out the restrooms of a restaurant before you eat, if only to wash your hands, but also to look for signs, literal and figurative, that the employees are doing the same.  If the customer restrooms are the same ones the employees use (in more than 90 percent of establishments they are), they provide clues as to the sanitary practices of the employees.  Here are a few things I always, as a customer, look for while checking out the restroom:  filled soap and towel dispensers (no bar soap – it can be a medium and vehicle for passing germs);  running warm or hot water; filled toilet paper dispensers; no backed-up plumbing, toilets or sinks; nothing, other than janitorial supplies, accumulated or stored in the restrooms, especially no food or drink products.  Lastly since studies still show most people don’t wash their hands after using the toilet, I recommend using the towels you use to dry your hands to both turn off the water faucets (if not hands-free), and to open the restroom door after you leave.

  • The Food Itself – Be aware that finding a foreign object is not uncommon in a busy restaurant. Some of the complaints I have responded to include bugs (commonly flies, cockroaches), fingernails, gloves, hairs (human and animal), chips of glass or plates, wood chips or pieces of a broken utensil. Though these objects are mainly accidentally introduced into your food, they are nonetheless dangerous and a violation of the health code. Also, be aware of unfamiliar or unappetizing odors or tastes. This generally means spoilage, but can also mean a food poisoning bacteria has reproduced to very large numbers causing an obvious odor.  Much of the time food poisoning microorganisms are undetectable, but occasionally you can detect something out of the ordinary if the bacteria were allowed to reproduce to large enough numbers. Commonly, a person may recall after experiencing a food-borne illness that the food they suspected was the source of their illness had an unusual taste or smell that was just a little out of the ordinary, but not enough to stop them from eating it. Keep this in mind, especially if you are familiar with and have eaten this food or dish before. You may just save yourself a few days of time off work and a lot of painful symptoms.  To read more information on restaurant food and ordering practices click on the links.

 

Undercooked or Raw – you may not see it until you actually bite into it and if you do see it immediately spit it back out, especially raw chicken or hamburger and send it back.   Hamburger makes it more into the news these days, but raw or undercooked chicken can be just as dangerous. Assume that all food you are served at a restaurant, if it is served hot or cold, is potentially hazardous.  This means it can contain and support the rapid and progressive growth of infectious or toxin producing microorganisms—mainly bacteria.  A good rule to follow is that if your food is supposed to be hot, it should be hot to the touch and possibly steaming, and if cold, you have to be able to feel or sense cold at your first bite.  If anywhere between, or it feels just warm or room temperature, send it back and order something else altogether.  If the food has been out of temperature for some period of time, there is a greater chance that bacteria have taken hold and reproduced to dangerous enough numbers such that reheating, normal cooking, or refrigeration and/or freezing will not guarantee that the food is safe to consume.

If any of these conditions or signs are observed, you may be forced to make an uncomfortable decision.  Your choices are limited to either picking up and leaving altogether; bringing the observed condition to the attention of the management and hoping they will correct it or give you a satisfactory assurance that the problem will be addressed asap and is not serious; or ignore what you are seeing and take your chances.  I don’t ever recommend ignoring it but in any case you can and should notify your local environmental health food inspection program to make a formal complaint.  This agency is obligated to make an inspection in response to any condition observed by the public that is considered a health code violation.

I know that dining out is supposed to be a nice, relaxing experience, but keeping your eyes open and noting certain things as you enter a restaurant, wait for a table, visit the restroom and observe and taste your food can make a difference in saving you and your children, an elderly relative or friend, or other high risk person from contracting a potentially deadly food poisoning or food borne illness.

  

About the Author

Michael Doom worked as a Registered Environmental Health Specialist (REHS) for Los Angeles County for more than 21 years. For most of these years he worked as a field inspector and Supervising Senior REHS in the retail food inspection programs. His experience within Los Angeles County has taken him to some of the smallest “mom and pop” restaurants and markets in the poorest areas of south Los Angeles, as well as to the largest facilities and affluent areas on the west side. He has literally conducted thousands of inspections of numerous types of restaurants, food markets, warehouses, events, and more; educated hundreds, if not more than a thousand, food facility owners, managers and employees on food sanitation and food safety, and how to prevent food poisoning hazards; has supervised more than 50 field inspectors that were responsible for an inventory of food facilities larger than many U.S. states.

Mr. Doom has a B.S. in Biology from Loyola Marymount University, an REHS with the state of California, holds a Project Management Professional (PMP®) credential from the Project Management Institute, and a Masters Certificate in Project Management from George Washington University.  Mr. Doom continuously works to expand his knowledge and experience in the subject of food safety, sanitation and food poisoning prevention.

He can be reached at Mike@foodpoisoningprevention.com