Prevention of Foodborne Illness When Keeping Food Hot

[safefood]

Bacteria can occur in food and produce stable, permanent forms (spores) which are not killed
when the food is cooked, roasted or baked. If prepared dishes are kept warm at insufficient
temperatures in private and commercial kitchens, any spores that survived the initial preparation may continue to develop viable bacteria that can in turn multiply in the food. Some of these bacteria are able to produce harmful metabolites (toxins). Consuming food contaminated with toxins or high bacterial counts can lead to a foodborne disease with associated diarrhoea or vomiting. For this reason, food must be kept hot enough to prevent the growth of
pathogens

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