Salmonella strikes at Western
UWO was recently faced with a problem at one of their on-campus cafeterias when a Salmonella outbreak infected over 100 people, but before the tests come back positive, it's preventative measures that make the difference.
Since the outbreak the restaurants in question have re-opened and according to Susan Grindrod, the Associate Vice President of Housing and Ancillary Services, the queues are as long as ever.
“The Middlesex Health Unit came into the Centre Spot at UWO and inspected the Pita Pit area,” Grindrod explained regarding the first outbreak in the popular eating area. “After they had done that they told us it was safe to re-open, which we did. But more cases came forward [that] weekend, so we closed the Centre Spot on the Friday night and it remained closed all weekend.” During the two day closure Western staff went over the area, top to bottom, cleaning every piece of equipment, counter, floor and even the walls. They then inspected every surface to ensure that the entire environment was clean and, that if there was any contamination, it was gone.
Salmonella, which is a food-borne bacterium, is mainly associated with things such as chicken and eggs, though cross-contamination between foods can also leave the bacteria on vegetables and other common foods. And with bacterium like this the best thing is to use preventative measures from the get-go.
“The biggest thing you want to do is avoid cross-contamination,” said Melanie Doerksen, a Fanshawe instructor who teaches Safety, Sanitation and Nutrition to first-year culinary students. “If you're working with chicken, process the chicken in its entirety, and then get it into a bowl and clean up after yourself really well before you actually move on to anything else you may be having for dinner.”
Doerksen explained that while chicken, eggs and dairy products tend to be higher risk foods for salmonella, that cross contamination through an improperly cleaned container, knife or cutting board can spread the bacteria onto foods such as vegetables and fruit. Foods most people won't normally worry as much about.
And while UWO has reopened the suspected cafeteria, they're still in the process of locating the exact location and cause of the outbreak. But they stress that no corners have been cut when it comes to preparing safe meals for the students.
“We do have health inspections; our own as well as ones from Middlesex London Health Unit,” explained Grindrod. “So we use all the good, safe food handling. All we can do is what we have done, and we will certainly try to work with students to try to rebuild their trust.”
Since the outbreak the restaurants in question have re-opened and according to Susan Grindrod, the Associate Vice President of Housing and Ancillary Services, the queues are as long as ever.
“The Middlesex Health Unit came into the Centre Spot at UWO and inspected the Pita Pit area,” Grindrod explained regarding the first outbreak in the popular eating area. “After they had done that they told us it was safe to re-open, which we did. But more cases came forward [that] weekend, so we closed the Centre Spot on the Friday night and it remained closed all weekend.” During the two day closure Western staff went over the area, top to bottom, cleaning every piece of equipment, counter, floor and even the walls. They then inspected every surface to ensure that the entire environment was clean and, that if there was any contamination, it was gone.
Salmonella, which is a food-borne bacterium, is mainly associated with things such as chicken and eggs, though cross-contamination between foods can also leave the bacteria on vegetables and other common foods. And with bacterium like this the best thing is to use preventative measures from the get-go.
“The biggest thing you want to do is avoid cross-contamination,” said Melanie Doerksen, a Fanshawe instructor who teaches Safety, Sanitation and Nutrition to first-year culinary students. “If you're working with chicken, process the chicken in its entirety, and then get it into a bowl and clean up after yourself really well before you actually move on to anything else you may be having for dinner.”
Doerksen explained that while chicken, eggs and dairy products tend to be higher risk foods for salmonella, that cross contamination through an improperly cleaned container, knife or cutting board can spread the bacteria onto foods such as vegetables and fruit. Foods most people won't normally worry as much about.
And while UWO has reopened the suspected cafeteria, they're still in the process of locating the exact location and cause of the outbreak. But they stress that no corners have been cut when it comes to preparing safe meals for the students.
“We do have health inspections; our own as well as ones from Middlesex London Health Unit,” explained Grindrod. “So we use all the good, safe food handling. All we can do is what we have done, and we will certainly try to work with students to try to rebuild their trust.”
