No More Bare-Handed Food Handling in California. Even You, Sushi Chefs

[pnwmom]

6. Excellent news. There's no good reason that sushi chefs

should be exempt from the same food safety rules everyone else has to follow.

They don't need to "feel" the food anymore than any other fine chef does.

There are good reasons for these food prep rules, and they should apply to all restaurant workers, no matter what their race or ethnicity.


From the Eat Sushi website:

http://www.eatsushi.com/article.asp?X=629

How Safe is Your Sushi? Part Three: Bacteria and Germs!

Uh oh, my ability to be nonchalant and glib about people's concerns over the safety of their meal is handicapped here. If you've read my previous two articles on How Safe is Your Sushi, Mercury & Parasites, you'll have noticed that I'm not terribly concerned about those two topics that some consider big issues. But I think there is a real chance of danger with this subject. Oh no, someone help me!

The fact is that if a sushi bar isn't clean and sanitary, patrons can easily get sick from bacteria and germs. There are dozens of different types of nasties that can pop up, and most can be prevented and contained easily by the sushi bar staff.

SNIP

So let's get to specific types of problems. Hepatitis is a danger at any restaurant if a cook or server is infected, but this isn't a problem exclusive to sushi restaurants. Vibrio vulnificus is a bacteria found in saltwater (and is related to cholera) and can be contracted by eating raw oysters which then causes diarrhea, stomach pains, vomiting, and skin blistering. Hurricane Katrina caused an outbreak of vibrio that many of the refugees were treated for, but it was contracted by wading through infected waters, not by consuming contaminated seafood. Vibrio, like many other types of bacteria, isn't as dangerous when consumed as much as they are if contracted through the skin while swimming or wading in infected waters. Obviously, that needn't be a concern for the sushi bar patron.

Fecal coliform, streptococci, and Escherichia coli (the infamous E. coli) are bacteria that come from many sources, but the most noticeable and common source is from raw sewage. Most of these critters are already found to some degree inside every human being, but are safely contained in our intestines that can hold them in check. Preventing the transference of these bacteria is as easy as frequent hand washing and cleaning work surfaces with soap and water. Infection causes gastrointestinal distress and multiple other complications, but luckily they are bacteriological weaklings and easily fall in the presence of antibiotics.

SNIP