FS 105 Lecture Output #3
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Summary of incident
a. Last July 2024, one person died and nearly 150 people were sickened after consuming
grilled eel bought at the Keikyu Department Store in Yokohama, Tokyo, Japan. The
grilled eel was sold on its own or served with rice, prepared by a restaurant chain and
sold at the department store. The person who died was a woman in her 90s who
developed symptoms after the consumption, but it was not the exact cause of her death
because she also had a chronic condition. The symptoms reported by others were
vomiting and diarrhea, which the health center corroborated after detecting traces of
Staphylococcus aureus in the excrement samples from the sickened and in swabs of the
kitchen counters and cooking utensils. An executive acknowledged that some cooks did
not wear gloves when handling food and did not wash their hands properly. The
operations of the shop and the restaurant were suspended while they examined the cause
of the food poisoning.
The foodborne illness, its type, and causative agent
a. The bacteria Staphylococcus aureus was the common denominator detected from the
people who felt ill after consumption of the grilled eel. S. aureus is present in food, and
storage of food at incorrect temperatures would allow growth and production of
enterotoxin. However, it can also be present in healthy individuals because it can be
found on the skin and mucous membrane. Direct contact through coughing and sneezing
can contaminate the food.
Possible mode of transmission from reservoir to food
a. The main reservoir of the S. aureus bacteria is humans. In this food poisoning case, it was
discovered that kitchen staff did not wash their hands properly before handling food, and
did not wear gloves when handling food. It was suspected that some employees had
wounds on their hands on days when the meals with the grilled eel were prepared.
Intrinsic and extrinsic factors that allowed the proliferation of the hazard in food
a. The grilled eel was stored in the meal boxes and displayed in the shop and the restaurant
for a long time before it was purchased and consumed, an extrinsic factor that could have
allowed proliferation of the bacteria in the grilled eel.
Recommendations to prevent incident
a. Due to the food poisoning outbreak, the kitchen staff and restaurant supervisors were
reminded to observe the food safety standards and hygiene management. However,
personal negligence of staff could still affect the quality of food, as some may see an
opportunity to cut corners to cut on time and effort – which was observed from the
discovery that some staff did not wear gloves as they handled food.
It is a given that eel, or unagi in Japanese, is popularly eaten on the Midsummer Day of
the Ox, celebrated during summertime in Japan. Eel should only be obtained from
suppliers who observe hygienic practices. A duly designated health inspector should be
present during working hours to monitor the protective clothing worn by staff when
handling food. Prior to working, staff should also be checked for wounds on their hands;
those with wounds should not be allowed to handle food that day and be treated to have
those wounds heal. After the eel is cooked and packed in its meal boxes, within 6 hours it
must be refrigerated at a temperature below 4°C. Cooked seafood can be safely stored in
the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. The packaging must state when the eel was cooked, and
the expiration date 4 days after, to ensure food safety. The packaging must also have an
instruction that tells the consumer that it must be reheated at a temperature higher than
74°C. If the consumer is buying the meal box to eat on the go, the shop and restaurant
could present the option to reheat the meal box for the consumer when it is purchased.
References
How long can you keep cooked fish in the refrigerator? (2024, September 18). Ask U.S. Department of
Agriculture: https://ask.usda.gov/s/article/How-long-can-you-keep-cooked-fish-in-the-refrigerator
Staphylocococcus aureus (food poisoning). (n.d.). BC Centre for Disease Control:
http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/staphylocococcus-aureus
Wen, L. J. (2024, August 6). Unhygienic kitchen practices linked to 160 people falling ill after eating eel
in Japan. The Straits Times: https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/unhygienic-kitchenpractices-linked-to-160-people-falling-ill-after-eating-eel-in-japan
Yamaguchi, M. (2024, July 30). 1 dead and dozens sickened after eating roasted eel from a Japanese
department store. The Associated Press: https://apnews.com/article/japan-eel-food-poisoning7393f8c55beed0dae91e01ebf0f8b731