Food is eaten every day, food can
also contain harmful bacteria. The bacteria can grow on food very rapidly.
Measures are taken to stop food from going bad like putting it in the fridge.
Many other measures are also practiced. Restaurants are not always clean and
safe with food. That is why inspectors come in. Inspectors look for things like
cleanliness around where food is prepared. Also they inspect how the food is
stored and kept. Restaurants and places
that handle food follow guidelines to ensure food safety.
The food workers follow “FAT TOM”
which all of the letters stand for something. This abbreviation is an easy way
to remember regulations and safety. The F stands for food. Bacteria looks for
food to grow on. Food has nutrients and this bacteria needs that to grow. The
next letter A stands for acidity. Acid is measured on a ph scale. A ph of 7 is
neutral and below that is acid, the lower the number the more acidic. Bacteria
does not like acids, so foods that are high in acid do not contain much
bacteria. If the food has little to no acid, bacteria is more likely to grow on
this. The next letter is T which stands for temperature. Food that sits out is
attacked by bacteria. This is why fridges were made. Storing foods at low temperatures
reduces the growth of bacteria. The longer food is left out the warmer it gets and
bacteria love this. The next T stands for time this is closely related to
temperature. The longer the food stays out the warmer it gets and the more
bacteria grow on it. The O is for oxygen, some bacteria need oxygen to grow and
some do not need it. The last letter stands for moisture. The higher the
moisture the more bacteria. These guidelines should always be followed for the
safety of humans.
