Where do Pathogenic Bacteria come from?
It is very important for food handlers to know where pathogenic bacteria are normally found i.e. where they come from. Food handlers can then play their part in keeping these sources of pathogenic bacteria away from food. A source of pathogenic bacteria means, “where they are naturally found”. There are four main sources of pathogenic bacteria. The most important source is RAW FOOD, especially meat, poultry, eggs, shellfish, dairy products and rice. We shall look at why such food is often contaminated with pathogenic bacteria later. Obviously, it is impossible to run a food business without food! Therefore, if the food premises in which you work use any of the above raw foods, then you can be sure that some of them will be contaminated with pathogenic bacteria. The risks become even greater if the food business also prepares, stores or sells food, which is ready to eat without further cooking, but more about that later. For the moment it is important to identify the next most important
