I thought about "egg sandwiches" that are popular among foreigners from a food hygiene perspective (edited by Staphylococcus aureus)

Hello, my name is Motohiro and I am a former public health center employee and pharmacist.

This blog covers topics related to food safety and hygiene management.

For everyone who is interested in food safety, this time I wrote an article about "egg sandwiches", which are very popular among foreigners. (I also found out recently by watching the news.Japanese egg sandwiches are popular all over the world.)

Also, to avoid any misunderstanding, this article explains that the problem is not with the egg sandwich, but with the manual process. I would like to tell you.

1. Past cases

2. What is Staphylococcus aureus

3. Countermeasures

1.Past cases

Staphylococcus aureus

June 2019 in Kyoto< /span>Mass food poisoning incident caused by eating egg sandwiches happened. A total of 72 people were affected, including 71 kindergarten children and one staff member.

Since Staphylococcus aureus was detected on the egg sandwich and cooking utensils, it was determined that it was food poisoning. All symptoms include vomiting and diarrhea. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries. The bakery in the city that prepared the egg sandwich was suspended for three days.

Norovirus

In March 2020, a total of 142 people, including kindergarten children, complained of symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting in Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture, after eating bread made by a confectionery manufacturing company in the center of Ueda-cho, Fukushima Prefecture. announced that norovirus was detected in 38 of them. One person was hospitalized, but is said to be recovering.

　All of the people who developed symptoms had eaten egg sandwiches etc. from the same store, and norovirus was also detected in an employee of the same store. The city health center determined that the food poisoning was caused by bread made at the store. The store was suspended for three days from the 15th.

How to prevent norovirus

Past article: [Norovirus special feature] "Now is the time for delicious oysters" ≠ "Now is the time for norovirus to become popular" ~ Doubt about oysters Instead, pay attention to your surroundings! ! ~

2. What is Staphylococcus aureus

Staphylococcal food poisoning occurs widely around the world. In Japan, up to 1984 there were more than 200 cases per year, but after 1985 there was a gradual decline, and since 2000 the number of cases has been decreasing to 55-92 cases per year. In fact, the number of incidents has been dramatically reduced due to hygienic handling of food during food preparation, food manufacturing, and sales stages, as well as appropriate storage management (storage temperature and time). However, from June to July 2000, the largest food poisoning incident in history occurred in which processed milk such as low-fat milk was the cause, and SE contamination was found in the raw materials used in this food, and the hygiene management of these foods was The importance of In Japan, the causative foods include a wide variety of foods, including nigirimeshi, sushi, cooked processed products such as meat, eggs, and milk, and sweets. In Europe and the United States, milk, dairy products, and livestock products such as ham are the most common causative foods. Facilities that often cause these incidents include restaurants (approximately 35-45%), homes (approximately 20%), caterers, and inns. In Japan, it occurs throughout the year, but it especially increases from May to October. Staphylococcus aureus is widely distributed in the human environment and also lives in the nasal cavity (particularly the nasal vestibule), pharynx, and intestinal tract of healthy people, and the carriage rate is approximately 40%. This bacterium is a typical pyogenic bacterium, and if there is a wound on a finger or the like, it will invade and cause suppuration, and a large amount of this bacterium will be present in that area, increasing the chances of food contamination. Furthermore, many cases of food poisoning are thought to be caused by human-derived Staphylococcus aureus contaminating food through hands and fingers. In addition to humans, it is also widely distributed in mammals, including livestock, and birds, and is an important causative agent of bovine mastitis.The chance of contaminating raw milk is extremely high, and contamination of poultry meat is also highly likely. Are known.

*Excerpt from the FY2009 Food Safety Comprehensive Survey “Literature Survey Report on Food-borne Infectious Diseases, etc.”

Compared to the past, the number of incidents has decreased due to thorough hygiene management, but the number of cases of food poisoning caused by infection from hand-made foods such as rice balls and sandwiches is still high nationwide. It's happening here and there.

3. Countermeasures

Part 1: Hygiene control of cooking utensils

Bacteria easily adhere to knives and cutting boards. It is dangerous to cut vegetables without washing them after cutting meat or fish, and then eat the vegetables raw. It is important to wash thoroughly with a sponge or scrubber dampened with detergent, and rinse thoroughly with running water. There are also countless scratches on the surface of the cutting board.

Part 2: Heating

Most bacteria and viruses are killed by heating. It is safest to eat not only eggs but also meat, fish, vegetables, etc. by heating them. Food poisoning can be prevented by heating food such as Salmonella and Campylobacter. However,for Staphylococcus aureus , once the toxin has multiplied, it can withstandheating. In the unlikely event that it grows on cooked food, there is no point in reheating it.

Part 3: Hand washing

All kinds of foods can cause this, but your hands should be especially careful. There is a high probability that food will be contaminated with bacteria through the hands of the person preparing it. Hands carry a variety of invisible bacteria and viruses. In order to avoid contaminating food with bacteria and viruses that cause food poisoning, it is essential to wash your hands thoroughly before preparing food. Wash your hands before you start cooking and againbefore handling eggs, meat, or fish. By doing so, you can prevent the bacteria that is already on the food from spreading to other things. Also, if your hands are injured or rough, Staphylococcus aureus is likely to be present in large numbers, so you should take precautions such as wearing gloves to avoid touching food with bare hands. How you use gloves is also important. Please use with care to avoid getting germs from your hands on the outside of the gloves.