Holiday illness claims have been flooding in to solicitors in the UK and all inclusive hotels in Egypt, Turkey, the Dominican Republic, Tunisia, Morocco and Cuba have come under the spotlight after holidaymakers complained of food poisoning and other illness outbreaks.
Food handlers should have a good understanding of food hygiene, and food must always be handled, stored and cooked correctly to prevent food poisoning occurring.
Most bacteria are killed at 75°C during a cooking process of between 1030 minutes. It is important to remember that this temperature must be reached at the centre of the food. However, some bacteria and their toxins (poisons) require higher temperatures for a longer period of time before they are destroyed. In cold conditions, below 5°C, the growth of bacteria virtually ceases. At very low temperatures, some will die, but many will survive and grow again in warm conditions.
Given moist warm food, bacteria simply need time to grow. It is often carelessness that allows them the time they need, such as when food is allowed to remain in the Danger Zone. Each bacterial cell multiplies or reproduces by splitting itself in two so that 1 bacterial cell becomes 2 bacterial cells. Each of these 2 bacteria then split to make 4 bacteria. Each of the 4 bacteria split into two again, making 8 bacteria and so on. Bacteria will reproduce in this way every 10-20 minutes, at a suitable temperature for growth. This means that after reproducing at this rate for only 24 hours, one bacterium will have given rise to about 7000 million bacteria.
A large number of bacteria are needed to produce symptoms so they require time and the right conditions to grow. There are a number of different kinds of food poisoning bacteria, each having its own name, but Salmonella is one of the most common and causes illness in many all inclusive package tour hotels around the world, when food is not stored and handled correctly.
The word ´Salmonella´ comes from the name of the American vet Dr. Salmon who in 1885 was the first to isolate this family of bacteria. Bacteria causes food poisoning in different ways, but their behaviour depends on the type of bacteria they are. Their various names tend to be long and often difficult to pronounce but there is no need for you to remember the individual names so long as you understand how they create their havoc.
Bacteria cause food poisoning in one of three ways: bacteria which grow throughout the food in large numbers, so that when we eat the food, we eat the bacteria too For example, a small number of Salmonella bacteria could be transferred from someone's hands to suitable (high risk) food and, if given sufficient time at the right temperature, many millions of bacteria could grow, and then be eaten. Before food handlers in holiday hotels can protect food from bacteria they need to know where the bacteria come from and how they come to be present in the food we eat. Most come from man and animal sources.
Many bacteria can be found in the intestines, or gut, of both animals and human beings. The animals concerned usually have no symptoms and just carry the bacteria. Thus they can be transferred to meat intended for human consumption.
For this reason, it is wise to think of all raw meat and poultry products, as well as the juices that come from them, as already carrying many food poisoning bacteria before they arrive in the kitchen; raw meat, and particularly raw poultry are frequent sources of food poisoning outbreaks at holiday hotels.
If you have become sick after eating contaminated food at a package tour hotel in Egypt, the Dominican Republic, Turkey, Tunisia or elsewhere in the world, contact a regulated holiday illness solicitor when you return to the UK and claim the compensation you deserve. A no win, no fee solicitor will not charge you a penny and you may be able to claim for loss of enjoyment of your holiday, pain and distress and medical expenses.