Four Most Common Types of Food Contamination

Fruits and vegetables are an integral part of our diet. However, over the years, the use of pesticides and insecticides has increased drastically, which also raises the risk of a number of health problems. Apart from pesticides, there are a number of other scenarios that may lead to food contamination. Though we are extra cautious when it comes to handling food items, rinsing them with plain water doesn’t serve the purpose. Many of us are not aware that food contamination is divided into four categories, all of which may lead to serious health problems. As a result, it is necessary to ditch the age-old procedures of washing fruits and vegetables and bring home a vegetable and fruit cleaner. The advanced appliance uses ozone disinfection technology to help you remove pesticides and contaminants from food items. If you are not aware of the different types of contaminants, we are here to help. The blog describes in detail the four different types of food contamination that you need to know.

What is Food Contamination?

Food contamination is a commonly used term. However, only a few people are aware of the exact reasons for food contamination and its effects on your health.  When food items are not handled or cooked safely, the disease-causing organisms such as bacteria, parasites, and viruses result in food contamination. The disease-causing parasites produce toxins that may also lead to food intoxication. In addition, the presence of pesticides, and certain cleaning compounds, contaminate the food. The common reasons for food contamination are:

• Improper storing, handling, and preparing food
• Improperly cleaned or sanitized utensils
• Contamination by flies, cockroaches, insects, and pests

Major Four Types of Food Contamination

There are a number of reasons that can lead to food contamination. However, food contamination falls under four different categories which are:

• Biological contamination
• Chemical contamination
• Physical contamination
• Cross-contamination

Read on to find out more about the different types of food contamination and their effect on your health.

1. Biological Contamination

Biological contamination is one of the common causes of food poisoning as well as spoilage. Contamination of food items by other living organisms is known as biological food contamination. During biological contamination, the harmful bacteria spread on foods that you consume. Even a single bacterium can multiply very quickly when they find ideal growth conditions. Not just bacteria, but also their process of multiplying can be quite harmful to humans. The common places where you can find bacteria are:

• Dust
• Raw meat
• The air
• The human body
• Pets and pests
• Kitchen clothes

The best way to avoid food contamination is by washing the food items with KENT vegetable and fruit cleaner and washing the kitchen cloths regularly.

2. Physical Contamination

When harmful objects contaminate the food it leads to physical contamination. At times, food items can have both physical and biological contamination. Some of the safety tips that you can follow when handling food items to prevent food contamination are:

• Hair-Tie your hair when handling food
• Glass or Metal-Clean away cracked or broken crockery and utensils to avoid contamination
• Dirt-KENT Vegetable and Fruit Cleaner helps in removing dirt from fruits and vegetables
• Jewelry-Wear minimum jewelry when preparing food

3. Chemical Contamination

Chemical contaminants are one of the serious sources of food contamination. These contaminants can also lead to food poisoning. Pesticides present in fruits and vegetables are one of the main sources of contamination. In addition, kitchen cleaning agents, food containers made of non-safe plastic, pest control products also lead to food contamination. Though we make it a point to wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly, however, plain water can’t remove all the contaminants. This is where KENT Vegetable and Fruit Disinfectant can help you out. The smart kitchen appliance uses ozone disinfection technology that helps you removes contaminants from the surface of the fruits and vegetables to make it safe for consumption.

4. Cross-Contamination

Many of us are not aware of cross-contamination; however, this type of contamination can lead to a number of health problems. Cross-contamination takes place when pathogens are transported from any object that you use in the kitchen. Dirty kitchen clothes, unclean utensils, pests, raw food storage can lead to cross-contamination. Here are some of the ways to avoid cross-contamination:

• Utensils- Use separate utensils to prepare different types of foods. Avoid using the same chopping board and knife for ready to eat foods
• Storing Food- Make sure raw foods don’t come in contact with ready to eat foods. Cover and store raw foods below cooked foods to prevent cross-contamination.
• Disposing Waste- Make sure you store and seal garbage correctly to prevent cross-contamination. Clean and sanitize the waste bins to prevent infestation risk.

Who is at a Higher Risk of Food Poisoning?

Though anyone can get food poisoning, some age groups are at a higher risk. The following age groups are at a higher risk of food poisoning.

1. Kids who are Younger than 5 Years

Kids who are less than 5 years have a weak immune system and their body’s ability to fight infections is less. Food poisoning can be very dangerous for children as it leads to dehydration and diarrhea. Children, less than 5 years are three times more likely to be hospitalized by food poisoning.

2. Pregnant Women

Expectant mothers are more vulnerable to certain germs as compared to others. This is the reason why pregnant women are 10 times more vulnerable to food poisoning than other people.

3. Elderly People

Adults who are more than 65 years of age are at a higher risk of food contamination as their immune systems are weak. Their organs don’t recognize and get rid of harmful germs present in food items, making them vulnerable to food poisoning.

4. People with Weak Immune System

A weak immune system makes harder for your body to fight disease and as a result they are more likely to get food poisoning and have serious health effects. People suffering from diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney or liver disease have a low immunity level and they are not in the condition to fight germs and sicknesses. This is the reason why they are at a higher risk of suffering from food poisoning. These people are at a higher risk of suffering from serious complications, including death.

How to Reduce the Risk of Food Poisoning?

To lower the chance of getting affected by food poisoning it is very important that you must be careful about what you are eating, how you are storing, washing and preparing your food. The most important thing that one should follow is to wash fruits, vegetables, raw meat, poultry, fish and seafood properly before consumption. Simple washing with tap water may not be effective enough to remove the harmful germs and chemicals from the surface of the eatables and consuming it can cause severe food poison.

This is where the use of KENT Vegetable and Fruit Cleaner comes to play. Though we are very careful when handling food, however, there are many other ways through which food may get contaminated, which may go unnoticed. As a result, it is always a good idea to use a vegetable and fruit cleaner from KENT to wash the food items before cooking to ensure that you are eating safely. The smart appliance uses powerful ozone technology to sterilize the fruits and vegetables and make it fit for consumption. This revolutionary technology can kill bacteria, viruses, fungi and other pathogens that are present on the surface of the food items that may lead to food borne diseases. More importantly, it can even help you remove insecticides, pesticides and chemicals from vegetables, fruits and meat and ensure that whatever you cook is safe for consumption.

So, it is always a good idea to use a vegetable and fruit cleaner to wash the food items before cooking to ensure that you are eating safely. Cook healthy, eat healthy!

Last Few Words

The four types of food contamination mentioned above are the main causes of food-borne diseases. Though we are very careful when handling food, however, there are many other ways through which food may get contaminated, which may go unnoticed. As a result, it is always a good idea to use a vegetable and fruit cleaner from KENT to wash the food items before cooking.