Why are fermented and sealed foods at risk of causing botulinum poisoning?

Using canned foods, if not ensuring food safety, has the highest risk of botulinum poisoning.

The Department of Food Safety ( Ministry of Health ) has just issued Official Dispatch 1148/ATTP-NDTT to the Ho Chi Minh City Food Safety Management Board on the prevention and control of food poisoning caused by clostridium botulinum bacteria.

Accordingly, the Food Safety Department requested the Ho Chi Minh City Food Safety Management Board to coordinate with Children's Hospital 2, Nhan Dan Gia Dinh, and Cho Ray Hospitals to closely monitor the condition of patients being treated at the hospitals; organize investigations and verify the origin of the food and the cause of the poisoning to take measures to prevent similar poisoning cases from occurring.

Vì sao thực phẩm ủ, bọc kín có nguy cơ gây ngộ độc botulinum? ảnh 1

Clostridium botulinum is a rod-shaped bacterium that lives strictly anaerobically (in a closed environment) and produces toxins. Photo: VFA.GOV.VN

The Food Safety Department also requested the Ho Chi Minh City Food Safety Management Board to focus on inspecting, checking, and monitoring food safety at production facilities, promptly preventing businesses and ham and sausage production facilities that do not ensure safety, with the risk of infection with clostridium botulinum bacteria; immediately suspend the operations of establishments that cause poisoning, small-scale production facilities, and business households in the area that do not ensure food safety conditions, with the risk of causing food poisoning.

Increase information andeducation for people not to use ham and sausage products of unknown origin circulating in the market; increase propaganda and guidance for small-scale production facilities and business households on hygiene measures, product packaging, and limit the use of vacuum bagging equipment to create an anaerobic environment favorable for clostridium botulinum to develop.

Previously, on May 16, Ho Chi Minh City recorded a case of botulinum poisoning after eating pork roll of unknown origin bought from a street vendor, causing 4 people (residing in Thu Duc City) to have stomachache, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea many times, including 3 children who had to be hospitalized for treatment.

Toxic bacteria thrive in closed environments.

According to the Ministry of Health , botulism poisoning is caused by infection with toxins from the bacteria clostridium botulinum. This poisoning is very rare, both in Vietnam and in the world. The main cause is that the patient is infected with bacterial toxins in poor quality food, eating foods that are not properly preserved.

The Food Safety Department said that clostridium botulinum bacteria exist in many different environments. In unfavorable environments, they form a shell (spores).

When exposed to a favorable environment, with nutrients and especially in an environment lacking air, these spores break the shell, multiply, develop and produce toxins. Therefore, using canned food, if not ensuring food safety, has the highest risk of botulinum poisoning.

In addition, all other foods such as vegetables, fruits, seafood... are still at risk of being contaminated with clostridium botulinum bacteria if food safety is not ensured and they are not covered and sealed.

Common foods that can easily cause botulinum poisoning are processed foods, hand-packaged foods, small-scale production, household foods or foods produced under unsafe conditions; especially when the trend of using air-tight bags to contain food increases, and food is not thoroughly cooked before eating.

According to L. Chau (TNO)

Original article link: https://thanhnien.vn/vi-sao-thuc-pham-u-boc-kin-co-nguy-co-gay-ngo-doc-botulinum-185230525200409703.htm

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