We won’t be able to vaccinate against food poisoning.

With the world focused on the disease COVID-19 , caused by the novel Coronavirus SAR COV-2,  there is a real interest in micro-organisms now.  To hear reporters saying words like variants and other words usually only heard coming from the mouths of scientists is definitely a new world.

So it seems like a good time to do a little reminding about the bacteria which are of most concern in the food industry.

If asked most people would be able to easily name two or three food poisoning bacteria, usually Salmonella, E,coli and maybe Staphylococcus or Listeria. That would be about as much as most know about food poisoning except that when they have had it, it is not something they have forgotten.

So for a great summary of the most important and common food poisoning bacteria go to the Food Standards Australia New Zealand website – https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/consumer/safety/foodborne-illness/Pages/default.aspx

Don’t forget there are other viruses out there beside that which cause COVID-19 which are a problem for humans, this includes Norovirus, which has made the news many times on cruise ships and in Aged Care centres.

The virus causing COVID-19 and it’s current, and coming, variants is here to stay and we have to learn how to manage it and ourselves around it. There will be a point in the future (and hopefully not that far off) when this virus will be like it’s cousin, Influenza, and be something we have learnt to live with.

Whilst we will learn to live with that virus in time, we have to always keep alert to the food poisoning bacteria and the methods we must always use to either eliminate or control them in our businesses and homes, because we will not be able to vaccinate against these.