In recent years, a chain fast food restaurant has been repeatedly found to sell ice cream with E. coli levels exceeding the standard by 629 times, and bacterial levels exceeding the standard by more than twice, which is extremely concerning. E. coli is commonly found in human or animal feces and is a source of food contamination. It is estimated that this incident of excessive E. coli levels was caused by food coming into contact with hands or utensils contaminated with feces.
E. coli can release a toxin that may cause severe intestinal symptoms. Symptoms that may occur after consuming food containing E. coli include: severe watery diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramps, fever, and vomiting; in severe cases, complications such as acute kidney disease may occur, which can be fatal if not treated properly.
However, symptoms usually vary from person to person. Some infected individuals may not show any symptoms, while others may experience more severe symptoms. Generally, children and the elderly are more susceptible to severe complications from this bacterial infection, so special attention should be paid to the hygiene of children and the elderly to avoid E. coli infection.
Personal prevention methods:
- Keep areas and kitchen utensils clean, and handle garbage properly.
- Keep hands clean, wash hands with soap and water before eating or handling food, and also wash hands after using the toilet or changing diapers.
- Food should be thoroughly washed, and water should be boiled before drinking.
- Purchase fresh food from reliable sources, and avoid buying from unlicensed vendors.
- Raw food and cooked food should be handled and stored separately to avoid cross-contamination.
- Food should be heated to 75 degrees Celsius to eliminate E. coli.
- Employees must wash their hands before handling food.
- If employees suffer from intestinal infectious diseases, they should immediately stop handling food.
- Employees must wash their hands after using the toilet.