Clostridium Perfringens Remains Even After Heating
Consume Immediately After Cooking, Do Not Leave at Room Temperature
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has issued a warning as cases of 'Clostridium perfringens food poisoning' have been reported from eating delivery food during the spring season.
Clostridium perfringens bacteria mainly occur in cooked foods with meat as the primary ingredient. This bacterium produces heat-resistant 'spores' that allow it to survive, so even thoroughly boiled food may not eliminate the bacteria. Spores are formed by certain bacteria such as perfringens under harsh conditions like high temperature and dryness, remaining dormant in spore form until the environment becomes suitable for bacterial growth, at which point the spores awaken, multiply, and produce toxins.
Food poisoning caused by Clostridium perfringens frequently occurs from March to May when temperatures rise. Looking at the number of cases and patients of perfringens food poisoning caused by delivery food over the past three years: ▲2022 had 4 cases (264 patients) ▲2023 had 3 cases (106 patients) ▲2024 had 425 patients. This type of food poisoning also frequently occurs in restaurants and mass catering facilities, so thorough hygiene management in food service establishments is necessary. Restaurants and mass catering facilities should comply with proper storage methods and temperatures after cooking large quantities of meat dishes such as braised meat, stir-fried pork, and gimbap, and serve them to customers immediately.
On the 28th, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety held a meeting with delivery food franchise companies at the Food Safety Information Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, to urge precautions to prevent food poisoning from spring delivery foods such as lunch boxes and gimbap. The Ministry provided the following guidelines to prevent food poisoning from large-scale cooked foods: ▲Cook meat and other foods to a core temperature of 75℃ (seafood to 85℃ for at least 1 minute) ▲Cool cooked food quickly and divide it into multiple containers ▲Maintain storage temperatures (keep hot food above 60℃ and cold food below 5℃) ▲Reheat stored food thoroughly to at least 75℃ before consumption ▲Do not leave cooked food at room temperature and serve immediately after cooking.
Kim Seong-gon, Director of the Food Safety Policy Bureau, stated, "Delivery food prepared in large quantities can cause mass food poisoning if handled carelessly," and added, "Special attention must be paid to ingredient preparation, cooking, storage, and transportation."
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