Vizard Viruses - Monitoring of Food-Borne Viruses in Food Plants - Essay Example

Name……………………………………………………………………………..xxxxx Institution………………………………………………………………………….xxxx Course……………………………………………………………………………..xxxx Professor…………………………………………………………………………xxxx @2012 НАZАRD VIRUSЕS АBОUT (МОNIТОRING ОF FООD-BОRNЕ VIRUSЕS IN FООD/FЕЕD РLАNТS (ЕSТАBLISНМЕNТS) Introduction Food-borne viruses are a common kind of virus in food plants. This is an area that most researchers in microbiology have ignored regardless of the fact that it causes diseases. Microbiology researchers have failed to pay attention to this area unlike in the other areas. However, there has been a change in this trend because of the several diseases emerging from these viruses (WHO, 2007). Nor viruses are the most common causes of these diseases in the food-borne sector. Some of the infections are also related to contaminations in the food plants. Contaminated food handlers or shellfish cause these food borne diseases. Data shows that the food-borne viruses in plants is becoming very common and harmful. This has created the need to control the virus with the aim of reducing its effects in plants. This paper analyzes how to come up with an effective monitoring system with the aim of preventing the food-borne virus. This paper looks at the food plant establishment and how it helps in avoiding contamination and spread of the food-borne virus. The monitoring system is formed on the basis of certain principles. The principles should follow a given procedure to ensure effective monitoring of the plant. The monitoring system ensures that there is proper keeping of records in the plant. It should also indicate clearly the person responsible for carrying out the monitoring process (Forsythe 2008). The activities to be monitored should be spelt out clearly so that limits and responsibilities are clear. Time and dates on when the monitoring process is being carried out should also be outlined in the procedure. All these duties spell out the procedure contained in the principles of the monitoring system and process. The monitoring system needs an establishment of a good plan whose design is attractive and has all the necessary facilities and equipment. Establishment of the plant has to involve coming up with designs that will ensure accommodating necessary facilities to avoid contamination of the surfaces. The facilities in the system will ensure that all surfaces used in the process are cleaned and disinfected so that the plant is free of any food-borne diseases. Construction of the surfaces is in such a manner that it allows for proper hygiene and regular cleaning. Maintaining the surfaces clean ensures that they are disinfected regularly to prevent the virus. This is because failure to clean such surfaces in the system will lead to contamination; hence the virus will persist in the food. It is also important to maintain proper personal hygiene in the plant system. This involves hygiene of all staff and other people involved in the process of the food plant. The personal hygiene is important because these are the people who are directly involved in the food processing activities (Appleton, 2000). It involves ensuring that all these people groom properly to avoid contamination of the food in the plant. The system aims at maintaining very high hygiene levels by encouraging the staff to wash their hands at certain times. For instance, they are required to wash hands before they handle any food matters and before returning to food handling areas in the plant. Personal hygiene in the plant also involves maintaining hygiene for the sanitary facilities. The design includes provision of proper sanitary facilities in the plant so that there will be no contamination. This also avoids contamination of the food from the plant by faecal waste from the sanitary facilities in the plant. The system also has a design that provides for hand washing facilities in the plant. These hand washing facilities are situated in proximity to production or processing areas. This will ensure convenience for the staff that are operating in the production or processing sector of the plant (WHO, 2007). The design also promotes personal hygiene by supplying the plant with hand cleanser or soap for washing hands before handling any food matters in the plant. Personal hygiene is also promoted by the design of the system because it provides single-use disposable paper towels for use after washing hands. This is because the use of non-disposable towels has higher chances of contaminating food because they store dirt. These kinds of towels are not shared among the staff; therefore, they are more appropriate. The system also ensures that hand washing and drying instructions are visible for all staff for effective communication. The sanitary areas should be maintained properly. Regular maintenance is also recommended for the plant so that they are kept in good conditions and repair. Controlling of the processing operation in the plant is also a provision in the establishment of the design. The processing operations in the plant should be controlled to avoid any mess in the operations that could lead to contamination of food (Roberts 2001). Controlling this process will reduce the chances of contaminating the food in the plant with the food-borne virus. It entails putting in place control measures against hazards and risks that may help reduce virus contamination in the plant. Good hygiene practice ensures a proper control of enteric viruses. In regards to Appleton, H. (2000).This system includes a specific process procedure for the food process. Some of these procedures include washing smooth surfaces in the plant which is an effective way of removing viruses from such surfaces. Reducing pH in the plant is also effective in avoiding contamination of the food-borne virus. This is because the food-borne virus is stable at low pH; therefore, reducing the pH in the plant will be an effective way of controlling the virus. Aw reduction is also an effective way of controlling the virus by drying so as to reduce the viral loads. UV irradiation provides effective ways of inactivating viruses on the surfaces in the plant. Establishing the system involves proper selection of all material coming into the plant to avoid contamination from its source to the plant. Proper management and supervision by the managers and staff in charge of the plant will reduce contamination (Forsythe 2008). Staffs charged with this responsibility have to properly supervise to ensure good health and high standards of hygiene in the plant. The system encourages proper documentation and record keeping. It should encourage monitoring control procedures in the food processing in the plant. Recall procedures for instance, for public warnings will reduce contamination of the food-borne virus. Cleaning and disinfecting of surfaces is another method of preventing the spread of this virus in the plant. There are some procedures relevant to this include documenting cleaning procedures so that the information is clear to all the staff in the plant. Protecting cleaning persons by ensuring that they wear protective garments like gloves (Cliver 2008). This aims at ensuring that uncontaminated food does not contaminate any virus. Disposing of contaminated food away from the plant will prevent this virus from spreading. Surface disinfection reduces chances of contaminating the food-borne virus. However, chemical disinfectants are not effective for the enteric virus. This is because they do not inactivate the virus. Using vaporized hydrogen peroxide treatment and UV irradiation to disinfect surfaces in the plant is effective. The health status in the plant is also provided by the establishment of the system. This means that there are some people who are not eligible to handle food matters in the plant. For instance, people with gastroenteritis should neither handle food nor get involved in the processing and production of food. This involves both people with this condition and those who have symptoms of the same. Staff members who have had the condition should not work in the plant in case they have had symptoms of vomiting and diarrhoea. The returned worker needs enough time to avoid shedding of viruses, therefore, requires strict hygiene measures (Roberts 2001). Personal hygiene helps in avoiding such cases where food handlers shed virus and infectious dose is low. This is risky because the food-borne virus will spread to other areas in the plant, which will cause so much harm. This virus is very harmful because it might lead to closure of the entire plant because it destroys activities. Therefore, food handlers should prevent NoV and HAV contamination in the plant. Establishment of proper personal hygiene among the staff of the plant is very important. It entails personal cleanliness and behaviour so that they do not pass on the virus from one sector of the plant to the food processing areas. It entails following the washing instructions given by the instructors and proper use gloves. The gloves should be used when cleaning and disinfecting surfaces in the food processing and production areas. Visitors visiting the plant also have a role of ensuring they do not contaminate the virus and spread it to other areas. This can be avoided by avoiding unauthorized persons in sensitive areas of the plant. For instance, only the authorized people should be allowed in the food processing area because it is the most sensitive area in the entire plant. Children should not be allowed in the plant to avoid contamination of this virus. These food plant establishments provide information and create consumer awareness. They ensure consumer awareness by educating their consumers with the aim of alerting them. Consumers, therefore, are alerted on the risks of the viral infection from contaminated food. This way, they will be educated on how to handle food-borne virus in case they face the risk. Educating consumers is the responsibility of the food plant establishments. They ensure that their consumers get enough knowledge on the distribution of food complicates traceability. The plant establishments also create awareness to consumers on lot identification and how to identify cases of viral persistence. The consumers are also made aware of all the information regarding its products. Training the staff in the food plant establishments is very vital in the process of avoiding contamination of the virus. This is because they get to know how to handle activities in the plant and the various areas they will handle. The food handlers should get training on how to handle food and how to control the enteric viruses (Cliver 2008). This is because these food handlers deal with the food directly during their operations. However, this is not to mean that those who handle food indirectly do not get training. They also need to be trained on measures to take to control the virus. Training of all food handlers is the most essential thing in the fight against the contamination and spread of the food-borne virus. This is because it acts as a way of creating awareness to the food handlers and orienting them to the plant. References Appleton, H. (2000) Control of food-borne viruses. British Medical Bulletin 56, 172–183. Available from: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1365-2672.2001.01427.x/full (Accessed 15th November 2012) Cliver, D. O, 2008. Food-borne viruses: progress and challenges: ASM Press: Pg. 34-78. Forsythe, S, 2008. The microbiological risk assessment of food: John Wiley & Sons: Pg. 34- 200. Koopmans, M. ,Duizer, E.,(2004) Food-borne viruses: an emerging problem. International Journal of Food Microbiology 90, 23–41 Available from: www.elsevier.com/locate/ijfoodmicro (Accessed 15th November 2012) Roberts, C. A, 2001. The food safety information handbook: Greenwood Publishing Group: Pg. 98-205. Sun, D, 2011. Handbook of food safety engineering: John Wiley & Sons: Pg. 345-560. WHO (2007). Food safety and food-borne illness. Fact sheet N_237. Available from: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs237/en/ (Accessed 15th November 2012) Read More